Volume 83 | November 4, 2019
USDA Abruptly Halts Animal ID Plan
WLIC: All that Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium has been made aware of is that the USDA’s transition timeline has been placed on hold and we are currently waiting for more details. WLIC supports the use of electronic ID for disease traceability and we believe that no one would argue that electronic identification is considered better for traceability purposes.
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USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced Friday (Oct. 25) it has suspended its plan to phase-in the use of electronic ID (RFID) tags for cattle and bison.

APHIS said in a statement  the policy shift was in response to executive orders from President Trump that have highlighted the need for transparency and communication of issues “before placing any new requirements on American farmers and ranchers.”

In April APHIS announced its plan for Animal Disease Traceability with a factsheet posted to its web site. The factsheet detailed USDA’s plan to transition to radio frequency identification (RFID) tags from metal ear tags for cattle and bison. At the time, USDA said it would stop providing free metal tags, though approved vendors would still be permitted to produce official metal tags for one year. On Jan. 1, 2021, USDA would end approval of vendor production of metal ear tags with the USDA shield. 
WI-Origin Tags Available Online!
In the News
China Buys Record Volume of Pork
Chinese importers increased their purchases of U.S. agricultural goods ahead of the trade talks in Washington, USDA reported on Thursday. USDA confirmed a record sales of pork, including 18,810 metric tons for shipment this year and 123,362 metric tons for shipment in 2020.
Farm Workforce Bill Gets Dairy Nod of Approval
The dairy industry and other members of the agriculture industry might see a glimmer of light at the end of what’s been a long legislative tunnel for labor reform, thanks to the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The bipartisan immigration bill would provide legal status to current agricultural workers and their families and reform the H2A guest-worker visa program.
AFS's Impaact on Global Pork Market is Underestimated
As African swine fever (ASF) spreads beyond China’s borders and throughout Asia, the global implications of what is happening in the pork market are becoming clearer. But Rabobank says it’s still underestimated. Rabobank analysts predict China’s herd loss to reach 55% by the end of 2019.
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