Animal Movement

HOW WISCONSIN’S IMPORT REQUIREMENTS  CHANGED WHEN THE NEW FEDERAL INTERSTATE MOVEMENT RULES WENT INTO EFFECT

On March 11, 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate went into effect. These new requirements changed some of the regulations for official identification Wisconsin previously had in place. These changes affect cattle only. No changes are planned for other species. These regulations do not apply to Wisconsin-origin cattle moving within the state of Wisconsin.

ID requirements for cattle entering Wisconsin as of March 11, 2013:

• All sexually-intact animals of any age, including calves at side, must have one form of official identification.
• All dairy breed feeder cattle of any age, including steers born after March 11, 2013, must have one form of official identification (see section below). The certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) must include the official individual ID for all intact animals. For steers, either the official individual ID or a statement on the CVI indicating the animals are officially identified is acceptable.
• All beef breed feeder cattle of any age, excluding steers, must have one form of official identification (the steer exemption does not apply to animals from TB Modified Accredited zones, Modified Accredited Advanced states or zones, or states Wisconsin treats as Modified Accredited Advanced because of current positive tuberculosis cases or investigations - see each state's specific requirements for details).
• All steers moving for rodeos, recreational events, shows, or exhibitions must have one form of official identification.
• The following are official ID:
  • USDA metal ear tag number that are part of the National Uniform Eartagging System (NUES) (starts with state 2-digit code, also known as “brite” tag)
  • USDA Animal Identification Number tag (includes the visual number and/or RFID) - 15 digit number starting with 840
  • Manufacturer-coded RFID tag - 15 digit number with the first three digits/letters USA, 980, 982 or 985 (accepted as ID when applied before March 11, 2015)
  • American ID tag - 8 or 9 digit number prefaced with "USA"
  • A backtag will work as ID for animals going directly to slaughter

Effective March 11, 2013, the following forms of identification will no longer be valid for movement into the state of Wisconsin:

• breed association tattoo number
• breed association registration number

Some of the provisions in the USDA’s traceability regulations do not apply in Wisconsin, such as brands as identification for interstate movement and age exemptions for certain classifications.

When you want to determine what our import requirements are, please use the DATCP web page for the appropriate state of origin. Information on other websites may not be accurate, and veterinarians will be held responsible for issuing non-compliant certificates of veterinary inspection.