(a) In order to be approved as a tagging site the person responsible for the tagging site must agree to administer the tagging of livestock at their location in accordance with the following requirements:

(1) Obtain official identification eartags only as directed by the commission.

(2) Unload animals requiring official identification only when the owner or the person in possession, care, or control of the animals agrees to have the animals officially identified in accordance with approved tagging site protocols.

(b) Requirements for officially identifying animals:

(1) Officially identify animals required to be identified before commingling with animals from different premises, or use a backtag or other method to accurately maintain the animal's identity until the official eartag is applied. The official identification can then be correlated to the person responsible for shipping the animal.

(2) Apply only official eartags to animals not already officially identified.

(3) Do not remove official identification devices unless authorized by commission personnel.

(c) Maintain tagging records using forms or electronic systems as directed by animal health officials to include at a minimum:

(1) The name, street address, city, state, and zip code of the owner or person responsible for the animals tagged.

(2) The official identification numbers of the tags applied associated with the owner or person responsible for the animals.

(3) The date the official identification eartags were applied.

(d) Provide the records to the commission if requested.

(e) Ensure the security of official eartags and distribution records by:

(1) Maintaining a record of all official identification eartags received, distributed, and applied at the tagging site for a minimum of five years.

(2) Keeping the inventory of tags and records in a secure place accessible only to tagging site personnel.

(3) Immediately reporting any lost or stolen tags to the commission.

Source Note: The provisions of this §50.2 adopted to be effective October 7, 2013, 38 TexReg 6913