Electronic cattle tagging a 'slippery slope' to Big Brother government, political leaders say

Hundreds attend rally opposing soon-to-be-adopted USDA rule

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming) address the crowd at the “Livestock Producers Freedom Rally” in Rapid City on Oct. 7. (Austin Goss/The Dakota Scout)

RAPID CITY - The adoption of a new rule mandated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service could lead to the demise of the cattle industry.

That’s the belief of ranchers opposed to the USDA’s plan to require electronic identification ear tags on cattle or bison over 18 months old transferred between states — hundreds of whom came from hours away to attend the “Livestock Producers Freedom Rally” in Rapid City, held just down the hall from the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association’s annual convention.

(Austin Goss/The Dakota Scout)

The push from opposition comes just under a month before the proposed rule is slated to go into effect - billed by its proponents as a way to better track cattle disease sicknesses and prevent outbreaks from spreading. The tags, along with information about each individual animal, will be stored in databases and include the location of the animal.

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