R-CALF Refiles Electronic ID Complaint

The electronic identification mandate for cattle has been a contentious issue since its implementation, facing legal challenges aimed at blocking it. R-CALF United stock Growers of America, CEO Bill Bullard.

“We filed a lawsuit against that before the November 5, effective date of the lawsuit, and after we filed the lawsuit, the government came back and said, well, you haven't proven any injuries. Well, we hadn't had any injuries because the law wasn't in effect. As a result of that, though, we withdrew our initial complaint and we filed an amended complaint after the November 5, effective date of the new EID mandate came into effect.”

Producers were then forced to purchase the tags, resulting in financial strain and setbacks for many in the industry, according to Bullard.

“So we have refiled an amended complaint with the government, and now the government's attorneys are switching the one that was assigned to this particular case and retired, and so the deadline for the government's response extended towards the end of March, and so the process goes forward. Meanwhile, we have Senator Rounds in South Dakota and Congresswoman Harry Hageman working together on legislation that would prohibit the secretary of agriculture from mandating an electronic identification ear tag requirement on US cattle.”

Bullard with R-CALF USA.