On April 1, all feeder cattle imported from the U.S. will be required to be identified with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) compliant 840 radio frequency ear tags — matching the rule for breeding cattle implemented a year ago.

The 840 tag is an electronic ear tag of either half-duplex or full-duplex frequency. It bears an official identification number following the ISO 11784 standard, which includes the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard.

These tags have been recognized as equivalent to Canadian-approved tags by Agriculture Canada.