Source: USDA
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is launching a no-cost program to provide radio frequency identification (RFID) eartags to swine producers, aiming to improve disease response speed and accuracy. Through a $20 million, five-year contract with Merck Animal Health, RFID tags will be shipped directly from the manufacturer to producers, reducing delays. Eligible groups include commercial sow facilities, exhibition swine operations, and state animal health officials.
To qualify, participants must have a premises identification number (PIN), provide contact and shipping details, and report herd size. Annual tag allotments vary by herd size, from 500 tags for premises with fewer than 500 sows to 6,000 for sites with over 10,000. Exhibition producers can request tags for all animals, while state officials may order up to 50% of their state’s breeding sow population. This initiative strengthens traceability, supports rapid disease containment, and promotes swine industry biosecurity nationwide.
Read the full story HERE: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/swine/swine-identification