IDOA Sets New Health and Identification Standards for Exhibition Livestock
March 18, 2024The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has announced significant updates to the health requirements for livestock exhibited at county and state fairs for the years 2024 and 2025. According to Staci Slager, Chief of the Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare, these changes are poised to affect cattle, swine, and poultry producers who plan to participate in the Illinois State Fair, the DuQuoin State Fair, or any county fair within the state.
Key changes include the introduction of an animal identification number ear tag (840 tag) for all beef and dairy cattle, as well as swine, starting in 2024. These tags, which can be visual or electronic in 2024, will exclusively become electronic by 2025. Furthermore, all steers will require an updated certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI), a practice already mandatory for breeding cattle. Poultry exhibitors must ensure their animals pass a pullorum typhoid test or hold a National Poultry Improvement Plan membership, with the exemption for one-day shows being removed.
The enhancements aim to bolster disease traceability, streamline livestock check-ins at fairs, and align Illinois with the health and identification standards of other major shows that use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. To support producers in complying with the new requirements, IDOA offers a program for free 840 tags for replacement cattle, with producers only covering the shipping costs.
Slager emphasizes that these measures will not only protect the livestock industry but also facilitate the ease of meeting health standards, ensuring that Illinois remains competitive and in line with national exhibition practices.
