Page 30 - WCA September Ketch Pen 2020

NEWS from the WSDA
APHIS Seeks Public Comment on Transition to RFID Official Identification Tags
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) seeks public comment on a proposal that would replace metal tags with official Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) ear tags for interstate movement of cattle where traceability regulations apply. This is not a mandatory identification program and there are not changes to when tags are applied, but rather a transition from metal tags to RFID tags for regulations that already exist.
A transition to RFID tags would support APHIS’ ongo- ing efforts to increase animal disease traceability. It would allow animal health officials to more accurately and rapidly locate affected and at-risk animals, contain outbreaks early, and prevent substantial damage to the U.S. cattle industry. Beef cattle <18 months of age are still exempt for identifica- tion requirements.
APHIS is also seeking comment on a proposed imple- mentation timeline. The timeline would call for RFID tags as official identification where required for cattle and bison on January 1, 2023. APHIS would “grandfather in” animals that have metal tags already in place on that date – their metal tags would serve as official identification for the remainder of their lifespan.
This transition timeline would not alter the existing reg- ulations. The cattle and bison that must be identified will not change, nor will the option for animal health officials in shipping and receiving states to agree to accept alternate forms of identification, including brands and tattoos, in lieu of official identification.
Public comments will be accepted through October 5, 2020 at the following site:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-14463
Selling Horses in Idaho? CVIs and EIA testing Required
Each state has their own unique import requirements. When traveling to another state, the most current, up to date information can be found on the interstate livestock website, or you can call the import office at the state of destination, although there are some exceptions for cat- tle moving to public livestock markets, horses must meet requirements before leaving the state.
Washington horse owners planning to sell horses at an Idaho market should be aware they will need a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) and a negative Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) test within 12 months, BEFORE
entering Idaho. This rule applies to all horses entering
that state.
The Lewiston Livestock Market in Lewiston, Idaho warns that it will not sell Washington horses nor will it hold them at their facility while horse owners await EIA test results. Out-of-state horses that arrive at the market that do not meet the Idaho Department of Agriculture import requirements will be turned away.
More information about equine importation rules is available on the Idaho Department of Agriculture website. You can find more information about Washington equine import requirements on WSDA’s website here.
Fewer warnings for livestock inspection violations
Livestock producers and stakeholders from other segments of the industry have for some time encouraged our compliance team to issue more monetary penalties for violations of livestock inspection and animal health regulations.
They expressed concerns that warning citations were not adequate incentive for widespread compliance and that some people flouted inspection laws because of an expec- tation that being caught would result in little more than a warning letter.
Violation of livestock inspection regulations
Though the law allows monetary citations for first offenses, prior to August 2019, enforcement policy focused on education and the issuance of warnings before mone- tary citations. In the majority of cases, this policy seemed effective. However, there were exceptions.
In some instances, we found evidence that producers had committed brand violations with full knowledge of the rules. However, if it was the first documented offense, we did not issue a citation infraction.
For example, a producer might have received change of ownership inspections in the past but decided to ignore the regulation for a sale. The clearly understood the require- ments and regulations as they received livestock inspec- tions in the past.
In response to these situations and feedback that our enforcement should be more stringent, the Compliance program changed its policy concerning the criteria for how it would apply enforcement.
Today, compliance officers can assess each situation and recommend a citation infraction be issued, instead of issuing a written warning.
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September 2020
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