Hageman Applauds Lawsuit to Stop Mandatory EID
Washington, DC – Today Congresswoman Harriet Hageman applauded the complaint filed by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stop the implementation of a rule mandating EID eartags for cattle and bison being transported across state lines. The lawsuit argues that USDA does not have the authority to mandate EID eartags or to enforce such a rule, and that USDA failed to properly account for the rule’s impact on small producers, despite being required to do so by federal law.
Representative Hageman stated, “USDA simply does not have the authority to mandate the use of EID eartags. This is an unreasonably expensive unfunded mandate that will lead to the elimination of small producers, vertical integration of our livestock and meat supply, put herds and ranches at risk through invasive Freedom of Information Act requests, and imposes an unbearable cost burden on all but the largest corporate producers. I applaud NCLA and the food freedom movement for challenging this unlawful regulation.”
Background:
Rep. Hageman is leading the Congressional effort to support America’s ranchers and block this rule, and has:
- Filed an amendment to the FY24 and FY25 USDA spending bills to block federal funds from supporting the rule’s implementation.
- Argued before the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs prior to the implementation of the final rule.
- Written three op-eds describing the threats and consequences of such a mandate and countless radio and television interviews with networks across the country.
- Most recently, Rep. Hageman introduced a joint resolution pursuant to the Congressional Review Act which would rescind this awful mandatory EID rule. The resolution has been jointly sponsored in the Senate by Cynthia Lummis.
Contact: Chris Berardi, Sr. Advisor/Communications Director