Cattle & Swine RFID Tags
Identification requirement for exhibition cattle & swine
By authority of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 15.11.14.06, Exhibitor Requirements), the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Program now require that ALL cattle and swine exhibited during the 2017 Maryland Fairs and Shows Season must have Official United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Ear Tags.
What are official USDA RFID ear tags?
Official USDA RFID Ear Tags are those approved by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that provide official identification numbers for individual animals associated with premises containing a Standardized National Premises Identification Number (PIN).
The primary criteria for Official USDA Ear Tags include the following:
- Imprinted with an Official USDA Animal Identification Number (AIN). USA = “840” followed by letters/numbers designating flock/herd, premises or animal number.)
- Bear the Official US shield
- Are tamper proof and of high retention
Ways to obtain official USDA RFID ear tags
Official USDA RFID Ear Tags are available for purchase through commercial tag manufacturers and vendors.
A Premises Identification Number (PIN) is required before purchasing Official USDA Ear Tags. Exhibitors may register their farm and obtain a premises identification number by contacting the Maryland Department of Agriculture by phone at 410-841-5810 or by email at: [email protected]. Premises Registration is also available online.
If exhibitors just have one or a few animals needing official identification, Official USDA RFID Ear Tags may be available from Maryland Accredited Veterinarians.
Exhibitors should contact their veterinarian in advance about this need. Veterinarians may choose to apply the tag at the time they are performing the visual health inspection needed for issuing a CVI. Exhibitors should not assume that their veterinarian will have tags if not contacted in advance.
It is ideal for Official US RFID Ear Tags to be applied at an animal’s point of origin or where it is born. This provides the greatest level of effectiveness for animal disease traceability 1 procedures. This could mean that exhibition animals purchased by exhibitors may already have other Official USDA Identification applied. If the official eat tag present is not RFID, one must be purchased and applied before a 2017 Maryland Fair or Show.
Applying, retagging, & sourcing ear tags
Official Identification must be applied prior to exhibition. For animals requiring a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI), veterinarians completing Maryland CVIs must include the required official identification information on the CVI.
It is unlawful to remove an official identification tag. If an animal does not have an RFID ear tag, the animal can be “double” tagged with a RFID ear tag. This is an allowable upgrade.
If it becomes necessary to retag an animal with a new official RFID ear tag (assigned to that premise), every effort should be made to correlate the new official RFID number with the previous official number. A record of this change should be kept on file by the exhibitor. Also, the new official RFID ear tag number must correlate to that retagged animal’s Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) as recorded by a veterinarian.
Below is a list of approved manufacturers and samples of Official USDA RFID ear tags. Manufacturers and vendors will typically have a minimum order requirement. Contact information for approved manufacturers/companies can be found on the USDA APHIS ADT website.
USDA approved AIN “840” RFID manufacturers
- Allflex USA, Inc.
- Alliance ID (microchips)
- AVID Identification Systems Inc. (microchips)
- Datamars, Inc (microchips)
- Destron Fearing
- Hana Micron America
- Leader Products
- MicroTraks, Inc.
- Shearwell Data Limited
- Southfork Solutions Inc.
- Stockbrands Co. Pty. Ltd.
- Temple Tag Ltd.
- Y-Tex Corporation
- Zee Tags Limited
Frequently asked questions
RFID identification requirements - FAQs
It is best that livestock be tagged at the farm of origin. Having an official RFID tag in place before exhibition is the exhibitor’s responsibility. A veterinarian may apply official tags to cattle and swine while performing a health inspection or the exhibitor may purchase official RFID tags and apply them. Be sure to keep records of tags applied.
It is unlawful to remove an official identification tag. If an animal does not have an RFID ear tag, the animal can be “double” tagged with a RFID ear tag. This is an allowable upgrade.
If it becomes necessary to retag an animal with a new official RFID ear tag (assigned to that premise), every effort should be made to correlate the new official RFID number with the previous official number. A record of this change should be kept on file by the exhibitor. Also, the official RFID ear tag number must correlate to the official identification listed on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) as recorded by a veterinarian.
You may request a Premises Identification Number (PIN) with our Premises Registration Form. Your premises identification number will arrive on a card in the mail 7-10 days after we receive the Premises Registration Form. Call 410-841-5810 with any questions.
Contact us
Maryland Department of Agriculture
Division of Animal Health
Phone: 410-841-5810
E-mail: [email protected].