The North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian and State Board of Animal Health are reminding producers that any cattle brought into the state must be officially identified.

The state board says that includes sexually intact cattle of any age from any state, except for nursing calves accompanying their dam. Spayed heifers must have a statement from a veterinarian verifying the animals have been spayed to be exempt.

According to the State Board of Animal Health, official identification includes:

• Brucellosis vaccination tags, which are orange
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service official metal identification tags, which are silver
• Legible breed-registered tattoos
• USDA-approved radio frequency identification or International Organization for Standardization-compliant numbers
• National Dairy Herd Improvement Association tags

The state board requires all official identification to be listed on the certificate of veterinary inspection. Each certificate of veterinary inspection for cattle entering the state also must have an importation permit number, which is available from the board at (701) 328-2655.

""It's important that cattle capable of entering the breeding herd be accurately identified,"" says Charlie Stoltenow, NDSU Extension veterinarian and consulting veterinarian to the board. ""The most important reason is that they can be located in the event of an animal health emergency. It is also important to note that it is the livestock community that desires these requirements as a means of protecting the public and animals."

Anyone who imports cattle, even just for feeding purposes, must comply with the identification requirements, says Susan Keller, state veterinarian.

The state's animal importation requirements are available on the North Dakota Department of Agriculture Web site at http://www.agdepartment.com/Programs/Livestock/BOAH/AnimalImportation.htm. Anyone with questions on importation requirements or who suspects cattle may have entered North Dakota in violation of the importation requirements should contact Keller at (701) 328-2655.

Agriculture Communication