After months of complaints from farmers and ranchers, the USDA’s proposed livestock identification program has been thrown out. The Obama administration killed the program in lieu of a program that requires any cattle, hogs or poultry that crosses any state lines to be tracked.
The USDA said that livestock tend to spend their entire life in one state even if their meat is distributed world wide.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said following a number of public hearings there is a need for some sort of tracking system. Many industry officials agree as long as producers’ interests are taken into account.
The government has been pushing for an ID system since the 2003 Mad Cow Disease epidemic.
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