Unintended Consequences with SD Livestock ID Bill

The South Dakota Legislature passed a bill to protect a producers’ right to choose a method of official livestock identification. South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director Taya Runyan says this action complicates future rulings on a federal level. “The bill itself was not as concerning as the potential unintended consequences. I think the proponents were largely using this bill to send a message to the federal government that they did not want a single official identification method somewhere in the future.” There is currently no law at the federal level limiting identification choice.