VIEWPOINT | Stop fear mongering over cattle health

Guest column by Todd Wilkinson, South Dakota Cattlemen's Association

Recently, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman from Wyoming was in our state for a rally against one of the most important animal health tools farmers and ranchers have. Hageman says that animal disease traceability through the use of electronic identification tags is all a big government conspiracy, but the truth is South Dakota ranchers need effective traceability to protect our herd against foreign animal disease.

Traceability should not be a controversial issue. Since 2013, farmers and ranchers who ship cattle 18 months of age or older  – rodeo, exhibition or dairy cattle – across state lines have been required to use a form of “official animal ID,” which has previously been a metal ear tag. Other producers have been using brands or tattoos, and those options are still available to
them. But now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is simply changing the type of tag used from a metal one that must be visually read to an electronic tag that can be scanned or read. Frankly, I’m fed up with the fear mongering going on in our industry about this change.

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