New cattle regulation for Colorado

[Will]

It was brought to my attention that thier are some new rules for going into Colorado.  All cattle must have a metal ear tag or RFID tag with the health papers having the corresponding number.  We never put the metal tags in our show heifers so we get to tag all of them today.  Just wanted to give every one a heads up.  Bulls have to have them as well.

 

[knabe]

What does health papers mean?

 

[Mueller Show Cattle]

I brought 2 heifers and a yearling bull to the NWSS last year. They used the heifers bangs tags for the heifers on their paperwork and the vet put a metal id tag in the bull's ear that they put that number on his paperwork. I don't know if it was required last year or not but it made it real easy for me checking in and out with those tags as they just looked at the numbers real quick and I was in or out.

 

[GoWyo]

What does health papers mean?

You have to have a vet inspection of your livestock before entering Colorado and be packing the papers with you along with the brand inspection forms.  It is mostly a good money maker for vets.  The papers are good for 30 days, so if we go to very many shows in Colorado, we wind up having to get monthly health inspections and papers.  NWSS has the additional requirement that all cattle have to have to be tested BVD-PI negative, which is not required for the standard health papers.

 

[nkotb]

You are supposed to have health papers for any animals crossing state lines.

 

[aj]

Is the junior show different requirements than open? We never heard anything about a metal tag?

 

[aj]

What is rfid tag?

 

[aj]

My wife called in and it seems the metal tag is needed. Apparently some confusion out there. We just used tattoo on the health paper. It may be a usda requirement?

 

[edmun2010]

What is rfid tag?

Radio frequency tag.

 

[cbcr]

These requirements are part of the animal and traceability act that is to be fully implemented by March 11, 2015.

Here is a link that explains it: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability/downloads/rule_movement_general.pdf

This also greatly affects the dairy industry, they already use RFID tags to identify their animals but soon the only RFID tags that will be available will be the 840 (USA) tags which will also require a producer to have a premise ID number before the tags can be purchased and these tags will be shipped directly from the manufacturer.

 

[BTDT]

The sheep industry has had "premise id" for many years. If you raise sheep or goats, you received a premise number and any time you sold an sexually intact sheep for ANY reason, the tag had to be in the ear and recorded by the seller.  Example: If you sold fat lambs at a sale barn that were ewes and rams that were not castrated, each of them had to have a tag. If you sold a show ewe to a youth, it had to have a tag. 
As far as I know, there has been no issues, except only ONE company was given the gov't contract to make, sell, and distribute the tags. The quality was poor, and while the tags were at no cost to the producer (only the gov't was charged), the taggers were an expense of the producer. A cheaply made, plastic tagger was $25.    Again, the producer was not charged for the tags, but the gov't was.  Not sure how much the gov't was charged but I am sure it was too much for again, a cheaply made tag that fades within a few years due to poor ink.

If they are going to require a metal tag in cattle's ear, they better train the vets on how to put them in. I finally quit having them put in after many of them stuck up because they were not put in properly and the metal tip not bent down and "hooked". Ripped too many ears.

 

[cbcr]

If they allow RFID tags is a much better option.  The metal tag is fine for short term use as we have seen many animals that were tagged with metal tags when they were bangs vaccinated and have lost them.  Some animals that are older still can have the tags, it all depends on environment as to the retention.

Not that an animals can't lose an RFID tag, but due to its location when it is put in the ear, losing an RFID tag should be minimal.

 

[aj]

It sounds like a mess cause it wasn't listed on website or in the book as a requirement. We got a neighbor who is leaving tommorro and he ain't doing the metal tag cause there isn't time to put it in. He says they can't keep him out cause it wasn't listed as a requirement. I guess we will see.

 

[justintime]

We have had to use RFID tags for several years. We are supposed to have an RFID tag in any animal that is transported anywhere. Within the next few years, every vet clinic, local fair, auction mart, etc is supposed to be equipped with scanners that can record where every animal has been during its lifetime. Some of our major shows have been scanning all the animals RFID tags for a few years. It is a pain you know where, as you have to include the RFID tag number on your entry forms to the show, and these tags have a 12 digit number on them. You would think the world is coming to an end if you have incorrectly recorded the tag number. Now I check every tag before I leave home just to ensure the number I put on the entry form is exactly what is in it's ear.
Early last spring I had a newborn calf that seemed sluggish and it did not respond to any treatment so I took it into the vet. They decided to keep it at the clinic overnight and put it on IV. Before I even got home, the vet clinic called me on my cell and asked me if I had a RFID tag for the calf in my truck? I knew something was strange with this question, so I told them that I did have one. The lady said that if I had a tag in my truck with me, they would not report me to the authorities... this time. In my conversation, I said this calf is sick and it is only 3 days old. The vet said, that it didn't matter as every animal requires an RFID tag before it is transported and the fines for not doing so, are extremely high. The calf ended up being put down as it had an incomplete intestine and I had to pick the dead calf up and dispose of it at home. They even suggested that I should put the RFID tag in the dead calf in case I was stopped by the cops on my way home. I told them I would take my chances and left.

Maybe a solution for all the deportees who have disappeared and continue to live in our countries would be to give each of them a cow when they come into our countries. That way they can track them easily.

 

[cbcr]

There are some differences in RFID tags too.  The standard has been a full-duplex tag that transmits data both ways at the same time.

The latest is an HD (half-duplex) tag that either only sends or receives one way at a time.  These tags are supposed to have a better transmitting range and are the same cost as the regular RFID tags.

If anyone has or is using a growsafe system, they require the HD tags.  The Dairy industry uses the HD tag also, again because of their better transmitting capabilities.

 

[TPX]

We have had to use RFID tags for several years. We are supposed to have an RFID tag in any animal that is transported anywhere. Within the next few years, every vet clinic, local fair, auction mart, etc is supposed to be equipped with scanners that can record where every animal has been during its lifetime. Some of our major shows have been scanning all the animals RFID tags for a few years. It is a pain you know where, as you have to include the RFID tag number on your entry forms to the show, and these tags have a 12 digit number on them. You would think the world is coming to an end if you have incorrectly recorded the tag number. Now I check every tag before I leave home just to ensure the number I put on the entry form is exactly what is in it's ear.
Early last spring I had a newborn calf that seemed sluggish and it did not respond to any treatment so I took it into the vet. They decided to keep it at the clinic overnight and put it on IV. Before I even got home, the vet clinic called me on my cell and asked me if I had a RFID tag for the calf in my truck? I knew something was strange with this question, so I told them that I did have one. The lady said that if I had a tag in my truck with me, they would not report me to the authorities... this time. In my conversation, I said this calf is sick and it is only 3 days old. The vet said, that it didn't matter as every animal requires an RFID tag before it is transported and the fines for not doing so, are extremely high. The calf ended up being put down as it had an incomplete intestine and I had to pick the dead calf up and dispose of it at home. They even suggested that I should put the RFID tag in the dead calf in case I was stopped by the cops on my way home. I told them I would take my chances and left.

Maybe a solution for all the deportees who have disappeared and continue to live in our countries would be to give each of them a cow when they come into our countries. That way they can track them easily.

I don't think I would be going to that vet clinic again after that.

 

[justintime]

]

I don't think I would be going to that vet clinic again after that.
[/quote]


Believe me, I have not been back to that clinic. I now drive an extra 50 miles to another clinic. There is such a thing as common sense, but it appears that it is not as common as it used to be!

 

[Will]

I have a very good vet.  He checked all of the regulations for me on line before Christmas and we fallowed those procedures.  Then I had a friend call me and tell about the metal tags now being mandatory.  So my vet looked again and the new regulations were on the web site then he called to confirm and they informed him that the changes became effective on January first but the web site had not bee updated till this past Monday.  We calf hood vaccinate every replacement heifer but we do not put the tags in the show heifers.  We keep them in a drawer.  We have never put tags in to the bulls ears.  So we have the vet coming back out this afternoon to put tags in.  It will be interesting if they in force the new rule at the NWSS.  I would be very upset if I drove 13 hours and followed every published rule then was sent away. 

 

[knabe]

what is the perceived benefit of rfid tags?

what is the government trying to track, control, manage?

what is the stated benefit to government and producers and what is the unstated benefit, i.e. punitive/regulatory benefit, might be water, runoff issues, create a haystack to make it "easier" to find criminals.

 

[SWMO]

I call the livestock office this morning and they said that for exhibition cattle this year only the tattoo is ok to be used for identification purposes but that immediately following the National Western they will begin enforcing the new rules.  The lady was a bit abrupt.  I would suspect that this has been an issue for them this year.