(1)
Slaughter Cattle: All cattle of age and class, that
are consigned to slaughter, must be back tagged by market personnel with tags
furnished by the Mississippi Board of Animal Health and the United States
Department of Agriculture. Back tags shall be applied in accordance with
instructions issued by the Mississippi Board of Animal Health. The proper
location for slaughter cattle shall be in the small hollow behind and near the
top of the shoulder. Back tags shall be removed only by persons authorized by
the Board. The livestock auction market shall provide necessary facilities for
carrying out this requirement and shall make available the complete name and
address of the person selling such animals.
(2)
Cattle Back to
Farm: Adult cows and bulls (as evidenced by one permanent incisor
in full wear) shall be ear tagged with Official Identification provided by the
Board of Animal Health and the United States Department of Agriculture prior to
leaving the stockyard, with the ear tag matched with the back tag and recorded
as directed by the Board of Animal Health. Such animals already identified
shall have the official identification matched with the back tag in such form
as directed by the Board of Animal Health.
(3)
Use of More Than One Official
Ear Tag: No more than one official ear tag may be applied to an
animal, except that:
(a) Another official ear
tag may be applied providing it bears the same official identification number
as an existing one.
(b) In specific
cases when the need to maintain the identity of an animal is intensified (e.g.,
such as for export shipments, quarantined herds, field trials, experiments, or
disease surveys), the State Veterinarian may approve the application of an
additional official ear tag to an animal that already has one or more. The
person applying the additional official ear tag must record the following
information about the event and maintain the record for 5 years: the date the
additional official ear tag is added; the reason for the additional official
ear tag device; and the official identification numbers of both the new
official ear tag and the one(s) already attached to the animal.
(c) An ear tag with an animal identification
number (AIN) beginning with the 840 prefix (either radio frequency
identification or visual-only tag) may be applied to an animal that is already
officially identified with one or more National Uniform Ear tagging System tags
and/or an official vaccination ear tag used for brucellosis. The person
applying the AIN ear tag must record the date the AIN tag is added and the
official identification numbers of both official ear tags and must maintain
those records for 5 years.
(d) A
brucellosis vaccination ear tag with a National Uniform Ear tagging System
number may be applied in accordance with 9CFR part 78 to an animal that is
already officially identified with one or more official ear tags under this
part. The person applying the vaccination ear tag must record the date the tag
is added and the official identification numbers of both the existing official
ear tag(s) and the vaccination ear tag and must maintain those records for 5
years.
(4)
Removal or loss of official identification devices:
(a) Official identification devices are
intended to provide permanent identification of livestock and to ensure the
ability to find the source of animal disease outbreaks. Removal of these
devices, including devices applied to imported animals in their countries of
origin and recognized by the USDA APHIS Administrator as official, is
prohibited except at the time of slaughter, at any other location upon the
death of the animal, or as otherwise approved by the State Veterinarian when a
device needs to be replaced.
(b)
All man-made identification devices affixed to covered livestock unloaded at
slaughter plants after moving interstate must be removed at the slaughter
facility by slaughter-facility personnel with the devices correlated with the
animal and its carcass through final inspection or condemnation by means
approved by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). If diagnostic samples
are taken, the identification devices must be packaged with the samples and be
correlated with the carcasses through final inspection or condemnation by means
approved by FSIS. Devices collected at slaughter must be made available to
APHIS and FSIS by the slaughter plant.
(c) All official identification devices
affixed to covered livestock carcasses moved interstate for rendering must be
removed at the rendering facility and made available to APHIS.
(d) If an animal loses an official
identification device and needs a new one:
(i)
A replacement tag with a different official identification number may be
applied. The person applying a new official identification device with a
different official identification number must record the following information
about the event and maintain the record for 5 years: The date the new official
identification device was added; the official identification number on the
device; and the official identification number on the old device if
known.
(ii) Replacement of a
temporary identification device with a new official identification device is a
retagging event, and all applicable information must be maintained in
accordance with paragraph (4)(d)(i) of this section.
(iii) A duplicate replacement ear tag with
the official number of the lost tag may be applied in accordance with USDA
APHIS' protocol for the administration of such tags.
(e) Replacement of official identification
devices for reasons other than loss.
(1)
Circumstances under which the State Veterinarian may authorize replacement of
an official identification device include, but are not limited to:
(i) Deterioration of the device such that
loss of the device appears likely, or the number can no longer be
read.
(ii) Infection at the site
where the device is attached, necessitating application of a device at another
location (e.g., a slightly different location of an ear tag in the
ear).
(iii) Malfunction of the
electronic component of a radio frequency identification (RFID) device;
or
(iv) Incompatibility or
inoperability of the electronic component of an RFID device with the management
system or unacceptable functionality of the management system due to use of an
RFID device.
(2) Any time
an official identification device is replaced, as authorized by the State
Veterinarian, the person replacing the device must record the following
information about the event and maintain the record for 5 years:
(i) The date on which the device was
removed.
(ii) Contact information
for the location where the device was removed.
(iii) The official identification number (to
the extent possible) on the device removed.
(iv) The type of device removed (e.g., metal
ear tag, RFID ear tag).
(v) The
reason for the removal of the device.
(vi) The new official identification number
on the replacement device; and
(vii) The type of replacement device
applied.
(f)
Sale or transfer of official identification devices.
Official identification devices are not to be sold or otherwise transferred
from the premises to which they were originally issued to another premises
without authorization by the State Veterinarian.
Miss. Code
Ann. §
69-15-3
