Washington, D.C. – Rep. Hageman issued the following statement regarding the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) final rule mandating electronic identification (EID) eartags for bison and cattle moving interstate.

“This rule is a solution in search of a problem. America produces the highest quality meat in the world and there is nothing wrong with our traditional disease traceability system. It is a federal mandate that American ranchers will have to pay for which will result in the chipping and tracing of American livestock. This mandate raises serious privacy concerns for ranchers and their herds, with the potential to lock ranchers out of their traditional markets, thereby furthering vertical integration of the U.S. food supply chain. I have fought this policy since 2019, and as your Representative I have the led the charge to defund this rule in Congress. In the coming weeks, I will introduce a joint resolution of disapproval pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn this harmful rule.”

Background:

Since the announcement of APHIS’s intent to mandate EID eartags, Rep. Hageman has led the Congressional effort to support America’s ranchers and block this rule. This opposition has included three op-eds describing the threats and consequences of such a mandate, countless radio and television interviews, and oversight letters to Department of Agriculture demanding the consideration of additional stakeholder input and the removal of the rule. In addition to her upcoming CRA resolution, Rep. Hageman has opposed the mandate during debate on the floor of the House of Representatives and sought to block the rule numerous times through the appropriations process, including by introducing an amendment to block federal funds from supporting the rule’s implementation.