Officials struggle to reconcile funding cuts with service
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
State veterinarians believe the USDA’s proposed animal identification rule will be relatively painless for cattle producers.
Whether they have the funding for the changes may be a different story.
The USDA elected in February to partner with states and Indian tribes to develop an animal traceability approach. It replaces a mandatory federal animal identification plan that encountered opposition from many producers.
Under the new changes, which the USDA is accepting comments on, any cow traveling between states must have unique identification numbers, most likely on the common silver, or “brite,” ear tag.
Washington State Veterinarian Leonard Eldridge said his office mails the brite ear tags to veterinarians at no cost, using the state animal health budget. There would also be no cost to ranchers, but Eldridge said he will explore new ways to recover the cost of shipping the tags because of diminishing budgets.
For the last four years, Eldridge’s office has been working on a database. It includes brands, animal identification and health information. Read More…
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