The head, tail, tongue, thymus gland, and all viscera of each slaughtered animal, and all blood and other parts of such animal to be used in the preparation of meat food products or medical products, shall be handled in such a manner as to identify them with the rest of the carcass and as being derived from the particular animal involved, until the post-mortem examination of the carcass and parts thereof has been completed. Such handling shall include the retention of ear tags, backtags, implants, and other identifying devices affixed to the animal, in such a way to relate them to the carcass until the post-mortem examination has been completed.

The official State-Federal Department backtag on any carcass shall:

Be removed from the hide of the animal by an establishment employee and placed in a clear plastic bag. The bag containing the tag shall be affixed to the corresponding carcass.

The bag containing the tag shall be removed from the carcass by an establishment employee and presented with the viscera to the Program inspector at the point where such inspector conducts the viscera inspection.

Brucellosis and tuberculosis ear tags, herd identification ear tags, sales tags, ear bangles, and similar identification devices shall be removed from the animal's hide or ear by an establishment employee and shall be placed in a clear plastic bag and affixed to the corresponding carcass.

The bag containing the tag shall be removed from the carcass by an establishment employee and presented with the viscera to the Program inspector at the point where such inspector conducts the viscera inspection.

In cases where both types of devices described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section are present on the same animal, both types may be placed in the same plastic bag or in two separate bags.

The circuit supervisor may allow the use of any alternate method proposed by the operator of an official establishment for handling the type of devices described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section if such alternate method would provide a ready means of identifying a specific carcass with the corresponding devices by a Program inspector during the post-mortem inspection.

Disposition and use of identifying devices.

The official State-Federal Department backtags will be collected by a Program inspector and used to obtain traceback information necessary for proper disposition of the animal or carcass and otherwise handled according to instructions issued to the inspectors.

The devices described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section shall be collected by the Program inspector when required to obtain traceback information necessary for proper disposition of the animal or carcass and for controlling the slaughter of reactor animals. Devices not collected for these purposes shall be discarded after the post-mortem examination is complete.

Plastic bags used by the establishment for collecting identifying devices will be furnished by the Department.