Wisconsin Livestock Ear Tag Requirements: What Every Producer Needs to Know

Wisconsin livestock producers face one of the most significant changes to animal identification rules in a generation. On November 5, 2024, new federal rules took effect requiring electronic identification ear tags for certain cattle and bison moving across state lines, replacing the old system of visual-only metal tags with radio frequency identification tags that can be read electronically.

Whether you raise dairy cattle, beef, swine, sheep, or goats, understanding which animals need official ear tags — and exactly what type — keeps your operation compliant and your animals moving freely. This guide breaks down every requirement specific to Wisconsin, from the updated federal RFID mandate to species-by-species rules and recordkeeping obligations.

Pro Tip: Before ordering any official 840 RFID tags, confirm your Premises Identification Number (PIN) is active. Your PIN is required to place an order, and tags are manufactured uniquely for your operation.

Which Animals Require Official Ear Tags in Wisconsin

Under Wisconsin law (ATCP 12.01), “livestock” means farm animals including bovine animals, sheep, goats, swine other than wild hogs, farm-raised deer, and equine animals. Not all of these species require official ear tags in every situation, but most do when they leave your premises for any reason.

The table below summarizes the primary species that require official identification in Wisconsin and the general trigger for that requirement.

Species	Official ID Required When	Primary ID Type
Cattle & Bison	Interstate movement, brucellosis vaccination, TB testing, intrastate movement per ATCP 12.05	840 RFID ear tag (as of Nov. 5, 2024)
Swine	Movement off premises, exhibitions, interstate transport	840 RFID or visual ear tag, premises ID tag, or approved tattoo
Sheep & Goats	Sexually intact animals at any age; intact or castrated animals 12 months or older leaving the farm	Official ear tag with US shield, approved microchip, or breed tattoo
Farm-Raised Deer	Movement between premises	Official ear tag per DATCP rules

These regulations apply to all swine, including pet pigs and racing pigs. If you keep pot-bellied pigs or miniature pigs, they fall under the same swine movement rules as commercial hogs. Always check with the Wisconsin DATCP Official ID and Traceability page for the most current species-specific guidance before any movement.

Federal RFID Ear Tag Rule: What Changed in November 2024

A USDA rule requiring newly applied cattle and bison official ID tags to have both a visual and electronic component went into effect on November 5, 2024. The only official tags that meet these requirements are 840 RFID tags, and this requirement applies to official identification placed for any reason, including interstate movement, brucellosis vaccination, and tuberculosis testing.

The purpose of this rule is to improve livestock traceability. Electronic identification tags and systems provide many advantages over traditional metal tags, including faster information sharing, more accurate and precise identification of animals, and significantly faster record searches during disease outbreaks.

Cattle tagged with visual-only official tags prior to November 5, 2024, do not need to be retagged unless they lose their ID and require official ID. These changes only apply to official ID for cattle and bison. Sheep, goats, and swine are not subject to this specific RFID mandate, though 840 RFID tags are now available and encouraged for those species as well.

Important Note: The November 2024 rule did not change which cattle and bison require official ID — it only changed the type of tag required for newly applied identification. Check with your accredited veterinarian to confirm whether your specific animals fall under the official ID requirement.

USDA APHIS amended the animal disease traceability regulations to require that eartags applied on or after a date 180 days after publication in the Federal Register be both visually and electronically readable in order to be recognized for use as official eartags for interstate movement of cattle and bison covered under the regulations. You can review the full rule at the Federal Register.

Official 840 RFID Ear Tag Requirements in Wisconsin

An official 840 RFID ear tag is a 15-digit tag beginning with “840” — the country code for the United States — followed by 12 digits unique to that animal and your premises. Official EID tags have a visible 15-digit number starting with 840 printed on them that matches the electronic chip inside the tag, are stamped with the US shield, and say “unlawful to remove.”

Both HDX (half-duplex) and FDX (full-duplex) low-frequency ear tags meet U.S. standards for official EID. Either is acceptable for official purposes — choose based on your reader equipment and management software.

Wisconsin’s supply of no-cost 840 RFID tags for cattle and bison from USDA has been a key resource for producers. As of October 2025, Wisconsin’s supply of no-cost 840 RFID tags for cattle and bison had been exhausted. If additional no-cost tags are allocated to Wisconsin for these species, the DATCP webpage will be updated and the online order form will be available again. When the free supply is unavailable, you must purchase tags from approved manufacturers.

More information about approved 840 RFID tag options from each company, including in what species each tag is approved for use, can be found in the USDA Approved “840” Official Identification document. To avoid purchasing the wrong tags, be sure to order 840 RFID official tags made by approved manufacturers. Three major manufacturers produce approved 840 tags: Allflex (Dallas, TX), Datamars (Temple, TX), and Y-Tex (Cody, WY).

Pro Tip: Unofficial 840 RFID tags have been reported for sale online. Always verify that any tag you purchase carries the USDA shield and is made by an APHIS-approved manufacturer before applying it to your animals.

Species-Specific Ear Tag Rules in Wisconsin

Each livestock species has its own identification rules under Wisconsin and federal regulations. Understanding the differences prevents compliance gaps — especially when animals are headed to fairs, auctions, or out of state.

Cattle and Bison

The federal RFID rule applies to specific categories of cattle and bison crossing state lines: sexually intact beef cattle and bison 18 months of age or older, and animals required to be officially identified under any federal disease program such as brucellosis or tuberculosis. USDA estimates this affects approximately 11 to 12 percent of the national cattle herd in any given year.

Several categories are exempt from the EID requirement: beef feeder cattle under 18 months (unless the destination state or a disease program requires it), and animals already tagged with official visual-only tags before November 5, 2024, which are grandfathered for the life of the animal with no retagging required. For Wisconsin intrastate movements, cattle and bison identified as required under ATCP 12.05 for intrastate movements are also affected by the November 2024 rule, though there has been no change to ATCP 12.05 itself.

Swine

As of December 2025, 840 RFID official identification tags for Wisconsin swine became available. No-cost 840 RFID tags are now available for use in swine, and producers, exhibitors, and fairs or other exhibitions can order tags at www.840swinetags.com. Tags ordered from 840swinetags.com are only for use in swine and should not be used in other species.

For swine exhibitions, official ID options include a USDA 840 ear tag (visual or RFID), a breed association tattoo if the pig is a purebred with a registered tattoo, an ear tag with the premises identification number and a unique identifier, or an ear notch if the pig is a purebred with a registered notch. Microchips are not accepted as official ID for any swine, including pet pigs.

Sheep and Goats

Sheep and goats in Wisconsin face some of the broadest official ID requirements of any species. Sheep and goats from within Wisconsin that are sexually intact need official individual identification at any age. If not sexually intact, they need official individual ID if they are 12 months or older.

All sheep and goat animals 12 months and older need ID when they leave the farm for any reason. Under Wisconsin Administrative Code ATCP 12.01(20)(h), official ID for sheep and goats includes an official ear tag attached to the animal, a federal bureau and department approved microchip if implanted in the animal and the animal is registered with a breed registry or is in a scrapie free flock certification program — the animal must be accompanied by registration documents in the owner’s name, or by a certificate of veterinary inspection with the implant number. A breed association registration tattoo with management number and accompanying registration documents is also accepted. For more on sheep and goat movement rules, visit the DATCP Sheep and Goat ID guide.

If you also transport your animals to exhibitions or county fairs, review the livestock trailer requirements in Wisconsin to make sure your transport setup meets state standards alongside your ID compliance.

Where to Get Official Ear Tags in Wisconsin

You have several options for sourcing official 840 RFID ear tags in Wisconsin, depending on your species and current tag availability.

• DATCP (No-Cost Tags for Swine): No-cost 840 RFID tags are available for use in swine. Producers, exhibitors, and fairs or other exhibitions can order tags at www.840swinetags.com.
• DATCP (Cattle/Bison — Check Availability): Wisconsin’s supply of no-cost 840 RFID tags for cattle and bison was exhausted as of October 2025. If additional no-cost tags are allocated to Wisconsin, the DATCP webpage will be updated.
• Approved Manufacturers and Distributors: RFID official identification tags can also be purchased for use in any species requiring official ID directly from approved manufacturers or their vendors.
• Veterinarians and Livestock Markets: Accredited veterinarians and licensed livestock markets can acquire and apply official 840 tags directly to animals at the point of need.
• Wisconsin State Fair: Wisconsin State Fair sells individual 840 RFID ear tags, and 840 ear tags purchased elsewhere are also accepted as long as they are from approved manufacturers.

Your premises identification number (PIN) is required to order, as the RFIDs are manufactured uniquely for your operation. For those who do not yet have a PIN, visit the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) at wiid.org to register your premises.

Anyone purchasing 840 RFID official ID tags for reasons other than application — such as to leave at farms, for resale, or for other further distribution — must become an Animal Identification Number (AIN) Device Manager and must record tags in the database as required under that agreement. Learn more about becoming an AIN Device Manager through USDA APHIS.

How and When to Apply Ear Tags in Wisconsin

Applying official ear tags correctly the first time prevents tag loss, animal stress, and compliance headaches at auction or the state line. Timing matters just as much as technique.

When to tag: Apply the official tag well before any planned movement. Tagging at processing, preconditioning, or during routine herd work gives you time to verify the tag is seated correctly and scan it into your records before the animal leaves your premises. As you begin to use official electronic ear tags, do not remove other forms of official identification already in place on the animal.

Placement: Place the tag in the middle third of the ear, between the two cartilage ribs, avoiding blood vessels. Follow brand-specific instructions for each tag model.

Hygiene and retention: Clean the applicator and the ear before tagging. Ensure firm closure and check retention before animals leave the chute. A tag that falls out before movement means you will need to retag and update your records.

Which ear: Eartags are approved separately and specify for which species they can be used. Either ear application is permitted for standard 840 AIN tags unless a specific program (such as brucellosis vaccination) requires a designated ear.

Pro Tip: Match your HDX or FDX tag choice to the reader equipment already in use at your farm, your local livestock market, or your veterinarian’s office. Compatibility avoids scanning errors when your records need to be verified quickly.

If you move animals across state lines, your accredited veterinarian must physically inspect the animals and issue a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) shortly before travel. Animals needing a CVI must be physically inspected by the accredited veterinarian to ensure they are free of infectious, contagious, or communicable diseases and meet movement requirements for the state of destination. A printed or electronic copy of the CVI must accompany the animals.

Ear Tag Requirements for Interstate Movement in Wisconsin

Moving livestock out of Wisconsin — or bringing animals in — triggers a layered set of federal and state requirements that go beyond simply having an ear tag in place.

As of November 5, 2024, for covered classes of cattle and bison moving interstate, official identification requires the use of an 840-series electronic and visual ear tag (which is accomplished by using one “button” electronic tag) rather than using the silver (Brite) 35-series metal tags or 840-series visual-only ear tags as official identification.

If cattle are brought to Wisconsin from another state, have a plan in place to meet Wisconsin import and animal ID requirements before they travel. States may impose different import rules depending on the state of origin (for example, if the state has a tuberculosis-positive zone), so it is important to check on a case-by-case basis.

The same principle applies when you send animals to neighboring states. Producers moving cattle to Illinois, Missouri, or other Midwest states should confirm destination-state requirements in advance. Check the livestock trailer requirements in Illinois and livestock trailer requirements in Missouri if you regularly move animals to those markets.

The rule states that the tag must also be visual, so dirty ear tags must be cleaned so they can be visually read at inspection points. A tag that is electronically readable but visually obscured by mud or debris can cause delays at state border checkpoints or livestock markets.

For producers who sell cattle or bison within Wisconsin but know the buyer plans to move them out of state, together you may decide who will be responsible for ensuring the animals carry the required official ID before they cross state lines. Settling this before the sale avoids disputes and compliance gaps. Producers in other states who regularly move animals through the region can also review the livestock trailer requirements for neighboring states as part of their planning.

Recordkeeping Requirements for Ear-Tagged Animals in Wisconsin

Ear tags are only as useful as the records behind them. Wisconsin and federal rules require specific documentation from producers, veterinarians, dealers, and markets — and those records must be retrievable quickly in the event of a disease investigation.

Markets, dealers, and veterinarians acquiring official 840 tags to apply to animals must keep records that include the specific farm names, addresses, and, if available, premises identification numbers (PINs), at which the tags are applied to animals, tag numbers, and date of application. For veterinarians, this would likely be the farm locations where the animals are tagged. The recordkeeping system should allow retrieval of tag information within 48 hours of a request from the USDA Veterinary Services Area Veterinarian in Charge or the State Veterinarian in Wisconsin.

Veterinarians receiving no-cost tags from DATCP courtesy of USDA must also submit tag application records to DATCP by emailing [email protected] or mailing DATCP-DAH, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911.

For individual producers, your records should capture at minimum:

• The 15-digit AIN (840 number) for each tagged animal
• Date the tag was applied
• Species, sex, and approximate age or date of birth
• Your premises identification number (PIN)
• Any prior official ID numbers if a replacement tag was applied

If you apply a new EID tag to an already officially identified animal, you must record both tag numbers and the date the new tag was applied. This dual-record requirement ensures traceability is not broken when a tag is replaced due to loss or damage.

As accredited veterinarians write certificates of veterinary inspection (CVIs or health certificates), they are responsible for making sure that the CVI is complete and accurate. This generally includes making sure that all the boxes on the CVI are completed. Addresses should be complete and should include at a minimum the physical location from which the animals are leaving and to which they are going.

Good recordkeeping also supports your own herd management. Electronic identification has other uses beyond interstate movement of cattle — it can be a great time-saving addition to computerized record-keeping for production management. Many dairies and feedlots use RFID, saving the hassle of eyeballing and hand-entering tag numbers into records.

For questions about premises registration or official ID requirements, contact the Wisconsin DATCP Division of Animal Health directly. Producers with animals subject to disease testing or vaccination programs should also review rabies vaccine requirements in Wisconsin to stay current on all animal health obligations that intersect with movement and ID rules.