Show Swine Will Require New Electronic ID In Oklahoma Effective This December

Effective December 1, 2016, changes to the way show swine are identified will be made. A USDA ruling states that official identification must mark an animal when an official test has been performed on it. In the past, ear notching was an acceptable form of identification. However, with stricter requirements due to the Animal Disease Traceability rule, show pigs in Oklahoma must be identified with an electronic ear tag at the time of testing, or time of showing if it is from a Validated/Qualified Herd shown by a family member.

This will not affect pigs to be shown at the Tulsa State Fair this fall. The new ID tags will be required though when testing begins for winter jackpots, spring county shows and the Oklahoma Youth Expo. Those pigs will require an electronic ID tag with numbers beginning with 840. Test charts must have the 15 digit 840 number as well as the ear notches listed for ID.