Wyoming, Other Western States Push Back Against Electronic Cattle ID Tags

Wyoming ranchers don’t like federally mandated electronic cattle ID tags and might soon join other states in insisting that they stick to branding and other traditional means of tracking cattle. 

The Wyoming Livestock Board passed resolutions against the switch to electronic ID in response to ranchers’ disagreement with it, board director Steve True told Cowboy State Daily. 

“I would say the resolutions are in response to conversations with the state’s producers, because nobody likes the word ‘mandatory,’” he said. 

Tracing Disease Outbreaks

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the switch to electronic ID tags. They agency said it will discontinue traditional metal ear tags for some livestock. 

Under the mandate, electronic ID tags will be required for three classes of cattle if they’re moved across state lines: sexually intact animals, or breeding stock, over 18 months of age; dairy cattle; and rodeo or exhibition stock.

The agency says that will expediate and streamline the detection and containment of livestock disease outbreaks. 

States Might Join Forces

However, statues might allow for states to join in a memorandum of understanding instead use brands to track cattle transfers across state lines, True said. 

The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Agricultural Committee recently voted to forward a bill that would establish such memorandums of understanding between Wyoming and neighboring states. 

The Livestock Board is headed in that direction, True said. 

Agreements between states to use brands to track shipping and receiving could be “an allowed exemption” from the electronic ID tag rule, he said. 

“We’ve been in preliminary conversations with Utah” about entering such and agreement, he said. “Utah reached out to us.”

The board hopes to expand that conversation to the other states that share state lines with Wyoming, he added. 

“We will start down this path and see where it leads,” True said. 

Political Leaders Slam Electronic ID

Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Rep. Harriet Hagman has slammed electronic cattle ID tags, calling the switchover an “unreasonably expensive, unfunded mandate.” 

Some ranchers previously told Cowboy State Daily that they’re also leery of information being electronically scanned and filed, which they see as an invasion of their privacy. 

Legislator Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, is also against mandated electronic ID and praised the Livestock Board for also coming out against it. 

“I commend the Wyoming Livestock Board commissioners for protecting the private property rights of Wyoming livestock owners,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “In 2021, the Wyoming Legislature passed a bill to ensure that disease traceability identification methods are voluntary in Wyoming.

“The commission has upheld state law and has directed the state vet and Livestock Board director to enter into agreements to conduct ‘business as usual,’ keeping the current affordable, reliable, voluntary traceability systems for importing and exporting livestock. The commissioners further resolved to continue relationships with metal tag manufacturers to supply producers opting to use metal tags for traceability.”

Among the board’s resolutions is that “the Wyoming Livestock Board supports the livestock industry continuing to do business as usual having the freedom, right and liberty to use historically reliable, affordable, confidential and voluntary methods of livestock identification, including brands, backtags, tattoos, and ear tags,” according to a statement from the board.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.