Peace Garden News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to implement a new rule on November 5, mandating the use of electronic identification (EID) tags for certain cattle and bison. North Dakota ranchers will require approximately 300,000 tags to comply with this mandate and the brucellosis program. However, the USDA has allocated only 116,000 tags to the North Dakota State Veterinarian for the EID mandate.

The USDA has informed the State Veterinarian that it will no longer support ranchers in obtaining bangs tags for the brucellosis program, leaving them to cover the shortfall themselves. This decision creates an unfunded mandate with a nearly $500,000 shortfall, which contradicts USDA's longstanding commitment to assist producers in complying with its regulations.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer from North Dakota has addressed this issue by writing a letter to the USDA seeking answers regarding the funding shortfall and emphasizing the need for resource allocation to ensure ranchers can comply with EID requirements.

Cramer stated, "Animal disease traceability (ADT) efforts are critical for protecting our nation’s herds, but new mandates should not erode the ability to carry out existing programs." He urged that if USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is committed to its mission of disease protection in livestock, it should maintain federal support for bangs tags as part of ADT programs.

He further added, "Without APHIS’ support, ranchers are forced to deal with an unfunded mandate on top of historically high input costs," expressing his anticipation for clarification on these matters. Cramer also urged immediate action from USDA to allocate necessary resources for compliance with the upcoming EID tag mandate and suggested reconsideration of state allocations moving forward.

Cramer's advocacy extends beyond this issue; earlier this year he supported measures against importing fresh Paraguayan beef after a long-standing ban and joined bipartisan efforts in urging USDA to suspend fresh beef imports from Brazil due to health concerns.

For more details on Cramer's letter addressing these issues, click here.