November 22, 2006

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) announced today that all Michigan cattle moving off farm premises must have electronic identification tags in the left ear as part of the effort to achieve bovine Tuberculosis (TB) free status for the lower half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula by March 1, 2007.

"The ability to trace food sources is increasingly important in a global economy," said Mitch Irwin, MDA director. "These radio frequency tags play a critical role in protecting the health of Michigan livestock, ensuring the safety of our food supply, and managing animal diseases like bovine TB."

Since Michigan embarked on a statewide electronic livestock identification program in 2001, more than 40 percent of Michigan farmers have voluntarily incorporated the new tags, and all cattle, goat and bison premises have been registered with MDA.

"Livestock producers don’t need to change their tagging practices - just the type of tags," said Dr. Steven Halstead, State Veterinarian. "Cattle are to be tagged if they are leaving the farm to be sold or changing ownership, however, producers are encouraged to tag animals born on their farms while the animals are small."

The individual animal identification has traditionally been a plastic or metal tag or tattoo. Electronic identification incorporates a radio frequency device marked with a number unique to that animal. This electronic tag speeds up the location and tracing of livestock - from farm to market - and ensures that animals sold in between disease testing can be quickly tracked down if needed.

The electronic livestock identification pilot project was launched in Michigan in November of 2001 as part of the state’s bovine Tuberculosis eradication plan. To date, 5,858 Michigan cattle premises have received more than 605,816 tags for their animals. Approximately 40,000 of those tags have been collected at slaughter facilities thus far.

In addition to disease surveillance testing, electronic identification was instrumental in Michigan obtaining bovine TB free status for the Upper Peninsula in 2004. Currently, only a handful of other states, Canada, and a few European countries are utilizing electronic identification on a regular basis.

For more information, contact Kevin Kirk, MDA’s electronic identification coordinator, at 517-241-4339 or via e-mail at kirkk@michigan.gov, or go to www.michigananimalid.com.