[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 9, Volume 1] [Revised as of January 1, 2007] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 9CFR71.22] [Page 228] TITLE 9--ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS CHAPTER I--ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PART 71_GENERAL PROVISIONS--Table of Contents Sec. 71.22 Removal and loss of official identification devices. Official identification devices are intended to provide permanent identification of livestock and to ensure the ability to find the source of animal disease outbreaks. Removal of these devices is prohibited except at the time of slaughter. If an official identification device is lost, and it is necessary to retag an animal with a new official number, every effort should be made to correlate the new official number with the previous official number of the animal. [69 FR 64649, Nov. 8, 2004]