CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

December 16, 2024

To read the full version each week, please subscribe below.

USDA Announces FY 2025 Availability of EID Tags for Producers
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced last week that the agency “will make a one-time purchase to provide States with an additional 3 million [electronic identification] tags at no cost to the States or producers to support the industry during the first year of implementation” of a new Animal Disease Traceability rule which went into effect on November 5.

Ahead of the rule’s implementation, USDA APHIS previously distributed 8 million EID tags to states based on National Agricultural Statistics Service data on states’ cattle and bison populations, with the states responsible for making those tags available to producers.

For information on obtaining EID tags from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, see the “Electronic Identification (EID) Eartags for Cattle and Bison” section of CDFA’s Animal Disease Traceability webpage. For additional information and resources regarding the new Animal Disease Traceability rule, see CCA’s guide to “What to Know About the Cattle Traceability Rule Going into Effect Nov. 5.”

CCA Sues to Halt Removal of Elk Exclusion Fence at Point Reyes National Seashore
Earlier this month, CCA sued the National Park Service (NPS) to halt the removal of an eight-foot-tall fence that excludes a large herd of Tule elk within the Tomales Point area of the Point Reyes National Seashore from the “Pastoral Zone” where beef ranchers and dairy farmers raise cattle. Elk damage to ranches and cattle herds at Point Reyes is significant and well-documented. At a December 6 hearing in the case, the NPS agreed to stop removal pending further hearings in the case, though roughly 850 feet of the 2.2-mile fence had already been removed. Further hearings in the case are not expected until mid-February. For additional details, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly or the forthcoming January edition of the California Cattleman magazine.

Federal Court Enjoins Enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act
Earlier this month, a judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction halting enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), finding that the Act and the Reporting Rule implementing it were “likely unconstitutional as outside of Congress’s power” and prohibiting enforcement of the January 1 enforcement date. As previously reported by CCA, the CTA would require many farms and ranches with 20 or fewer employees to file “beneficial ownership information” with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). As a result of the injunction, FinCEN is currently prohibited from enforcing the January 1, 2025 filing deadline. For additional details, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Upcoming CCA Events

Upcoming Industry Events

CCA in the News

Lawsuit delays removal of Point Reyes elk fence The Mercury News “The National Park Service has agreed to delay further work to dismantle a tule elk enclosure fence in the Point Reyes National Seashore following a lawsuit by the California Cattlemen’s Association. The association filed the suit on Dec. 3, the day after the National Park Service announced that it had completed a new management plan that involves the removal of the fence. Advocates for the elk hailed the news, but members of Marin’s agricultural community reacted with dismay, fearing the elk will compete with cattle for forage and water.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

USDA does not expect to resume Mexico cattle imports before holidays, chief veterinary officer says Reuters “The U.S. Department of Agriculture late on Friday walked back comments that it could resume imports of Mexican cattle before year-end holidays, after it suspended shipments last month due to the discovery of New World screwworm in Mexico. The agency also said it approved a second round of emergency funding to block the flesh-eating livestock pest from entering the United States.” To continue reading, click here.