Stoneberg: Protest – Montana does not need the RFID tag rule

(RFID = electronic identification tags with the official U.S. seal)

The RFID tag rule, touted by Brazilian packers and the Biden administration, requires RFID tags for intact cattle over 18 months of age crossing state lines since November 2024.  Most of the tags come from China, and a system to read the tags is not in place.  Although the tags can’t be routinely read, they are supposed to help with disease traceability.  The tags are easily lost in brush, transit, and shipping points.  Australian ranchers found that the Chinese processors refused animals that had lost their tags.  Will Brazilian processors treat you differently?  With the EID tags, we can 1.  increase plastic pollution from lost tags, 2.  increase stress on livestock with mandatory application, 3.  increase costs for producers applying tags, 4.  force producers to buy the Chinese EID tags.

Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) is supposed to serve Montana livestock producers.  RFID tags were refused once as an illegal rule, and it is in court again.  The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) demanded RFID tags under a hostile administration that claimed domestic livestock emitted unreasonable amounts of greenhouse gases so numbers should be reduced.  RFID tags have been used for this purpose overseas.  The RFID tags revealed the number of animals in each herd so politicians could mandate reductions to “save the planet”.  Hard data does not support those claims, but politics demands a scapegoat. 

The USDA baited the hook with free Chinese RFID tags.  Now there are no free tags left and purchased tags are in short supply.  Therefore, MDOL has admitted unidentified feeder heifers from a state with a recent tuberculosis investigation history.  Disease traceability under the old system worked.  Metal tags are USA made and biodegradable.  It is not fair to kick the can down the road and expect market veterinarians and brand inspectors to identify the unidentified heifers.  The USDA did not live up to their part of the bargain, so it is the perfect excuse for Montana to join two of our neighboring states and not require RFID tags.

RFID tags would not help in the event of a Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.  The disease is very contagious and all cloven-hoofed animals are susceptible.  Deer, elk, antelope, and hogs (feral or domestic) pay no attention to fences and have no RFID tags.

Manual transcription of metal tags is a problem, but maybe you could modernize.  The Montana Historical Society digitizes everything.  Our county digitized its grazing records.  In health clinics, they take pictures of health tags.  The same could be done with Bangs and Health Certificates if some question needed to be answered by a number.  A certificate with boxes like Montana livestock taxes could make mistakes less likely.  The basic certificates haven’t changed in 40 years of veterinary practice.

I plan to share this opinion letter with various news media and politicians.  I have spent a lifetime serving Montana livestock producers and do not want to see them victimized with costly tags that do not benefit them.  EID tags can still be purchased for specific purposes.

Rose A. Stoneberg, DVM

Hinsdale, MT

(406) 367-9341