USDA - Swine Identification

[Commonground]

Last Modified: August 21, 2025

APHIS is offering no-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) eartags to eligible swine producers. This program will enhance the speed and accuracy of disease response efforts across the swine industry.

APHIS has awarded a contract to Merck Animal Healthto supply up to $20 million in RFID tags over the next 5 years. These tags are intended for use in the sow and exhibition swine sectors.

What sets this program apart is its direct-to-premises distribution model—tags will be shipped directly from the manufacturer to the producer, streamlining access and reducing delays.

Who Can Order

• Commercial Sow Facilities
• Exhibition Swine Facilities
• State Animal Health Officials

To qualify, requesters must:

• Have a valid premises identification number (PIN).
• Provide shipping and contact information.
• Report the number of sows or show pigs onsite.

Tag Ordering Guidelines

1–500	500
501–999	750
1,000–4,999	1,500
5,000–9,999	3,000
10,000+	6,000

The number of half duplex (HDX) RFID eartags available each year at no cost through this program varies by group.

• Sow Producers: The maximum number of tags is based on the number of sows at a premises, as shown in the table.
• Exhibition Swine Producers: You may order tags for all swine on your premises.
• State Animal Health Officials (SAHOs): You may request tags for up to 50% of your State’s breeding sow population, as reported by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Order Tags Now!
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https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/swine/swine-identification
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[Commonground]

No-Cost Swine RFID Tags for Sows and Exhibition Swine Available for Order in Fall 2025

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WASHINGTON, D.C., August 21, 2025—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announces a new initiative to provide no-cost RFID (radio frequency identification) eartags for swine beginning fall 2025. These tags will be available for sow and exhibition swine producers. Once available, producers and State animal health officials will be able to order tags on the Merck Animal Health website at www.840swinetags.com.

In July 2025, APHIS awarded a contract to Merck Animal Health to supply up to $20 million in tags to sow and exhibition swine industry segments, over the next 5 years. Modeled after the no-cost RFID cattle tag program, this effort will supply no-cost RFID tags to swine producers to boost national swine disease traceability, which is vital to supporting the safety and marketability of the U.S. swine herd. Although animal disease traceability does not prevent disease, an efficient and accurate traceability system reduces the response time involved in a disease investigation, limiting the number of farms and animals affected. This, in turn, reduces the economic impact on owners and affected communities.

Unique to this program is a direct-from-manufacturer to swine premises distribution model. Merck will receive, process, and ship orders directly to producers and State animal health officials, removing APHIS as intermediaries and expediting getting tags into producers’ hands and pigs’ ears. To order these tags, producers must have a valid premises identification number, provide shipping and contact information, and provide the number of sows onsite (for commercial sow farms) or the number of show pigs on the premises (for exhibition swine). State animal health officials will also be able to order no-cost RFID tags based on the number of sows in their State.

These RFID tags will need to be applied with a compatible tag applicator, which is not supplied through this program.

For more information about this program, including the ordering process, requirements, and number of tags that can be ordered based on sow/exhibition swine numbers, check out the web page at www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/swine/swine-identification.
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https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/pro...ws-exhibition-swine-available-order-fall-2025