The producers of your hamburger and steak have an issue with the government

Lawsuit filed by groups to block new electronic reporting requirements

A group of ranchers and organizations representing cattlemen have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, asking a judge to block a rule requiring the use of electronic tags on cattle.

The multiple plaintiffs, including the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association and ranchers in South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming, are accusing the department of trying to ram through the tagging regulation for more than a decade.

“This case is about a common occurrence – a federal agency moving forward to achieve its preferred objective, regardless of the statutory limits placed on it and absent any rational consideration of the costs and benefits of its actions,” the lawsuit says. The group is represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that seeks to overturn what it considers intrusive government regulations.

At issue in the case is a controversial proposal to require producers to use electronic tags on cattle or bison that are 18 months or older and sexually intact that are transported over state lines. The electronic tags would contain unique information about each animal and the data maintained in a database.

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