Frequently Asked Questions About New Identification
Requirements for Sheep and Goats
Veterinary Services
August 2004
Q. When did this regulation go into effect?
A. The regulation went into effect on November 19, 2001, for
sheep and goats not known to be exposed to scrapie.
Q. Why do I have to do this?
A. t is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) goal
to eradicate scrapie in the United States to minimize ongoing losses
to the sheep industry. To eradicate scrapie, USDA’s Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) must be able to trace scrapie–infected
animals back to their flock of birth or origin and exposed sheep and
goats to the flocks where they moved after leaving an infected source
flock.
Q. What is scrapie?
A. Scrapie is a fatal degenerative disease affecting the central
nervous system of sheep and goats. Clinical signs include changes in
behavior or temperament, scratching and rubbing against fixed objects,
weight loss, loss of coordination, lip smacking, and gait abnormalities.
The presence of scrapie in the United States is a major obstacle to
establishing new export markets for sheep and sheep products.
Q. Which animals will need identification (ID) tags?
A. All breeding sheep and sheep over 18 months of age need
to be officially identified before they enter into interstate commerce
or change ownership.
Situations requiring official ID include but are not limited to the
following:
- Cull ewes and rams sold to livestock markets or dealers who are
considered to be in interstate commerce. USDA recommends owners place
official ID on these animals before they leave the farm so that animals
can be traced back to a specific farm if needed. Additionally, markets
may charge the owner of the flock for their time to keep additional
records and to apply ID if sheep are not properly identified when
received.
- All sexually intact sheep of any age going to any show, demonstration,
or exhibition “out–of–State,” or any “in–State”
show, demonstration, or
exhibition where sheep from another State might be on site.
- Breeding animals must be identified on change of ownership.
Goats that must be identified for interstate sale or show or movement
are as follows:
- Goats that must be identified for interstate sale or show or movement
are as follows:
- Sexually intact registered goats and goats used primarily for milk
production or sold for breeding or exhibition. Note: Legible registration
tattoos are acceptable for ID when the goats are accompanied by their
registration certificate or the registration numbers and registry
are listed on a certificate of veterinary inspection.
- Any other sexually intact goats that have resided on the same premises
as sheep.
Q. Where do you get the official ID tags?
A. Call APHIS’ Veterinary Services (VS) office at this
toll free number 1–866–873–2824 (1–866–USDA–TAG).
This office will assign you an official flock ID and provide USDA tags.
Q. What is the cost of the tags and what do they look like?
A. USDA provides two types of official tags free of charge.
There is a white metal tag and a white plastic tag. Producers that order
these free tags will also receive one pair of tag pliers free of charge
with their first order. Additional pliers may be purchased directly
from the company if desired. If you do not care for either of these,
additional types of official tags can be ordered at a cost to you. Please
ask for information on these tags when you call USDA. You need an official
flock ID, issued by USDA, prior to ordering these tags.
Q. How many tags should I order?
A. You should order enough tags to identify any breeding sheep
or cull sheep that will be sold within a 1–year period.
Q. Can registered tattoos be used to meet USDA's identification
requirements?
A. Yes, legible individual registry tattoos issued by breed
associations may also be used as official identification when the animal
is accompanied by its registration certificate listing the tattoo. Your
assigned tattoo prefix should be registered with your local USDA, APHIS,
VS office by calling 1–866–873–2824 (1–866–USDA–TAG).
Q. What do I do when selling an animal that is required to
be identified?
A. When selling a sheep or goat that must be
identified, the animal must be identified to the flock in which it was
last used for breeding or was born. You can do this by applying your
USDA–assigned tags to the animals and providing the purchaser
with an owner statement and retaining a copy for yourself. The owner
statement should include the owner’s name, signature, address,
and telephone number, the date the animals left the flock of origin,
the identification number assigned to the premises, the number of animals,
the breed or class of animal, the premises portion of the premises identification
if premises identification is used or the individual numbers if premises
identification is not used, and a statement that the animals were either
born or were used for breeding purposes on the premises to which the
premises identification is assigned. If you are selling animals for
slaughter only, be sure to tell the market manager and write “for
slaughter only” on the owner statement. Animals sold for breeding
must have a certificate of veterinary inspection from an accredited
veterinarian if they will be moved out of State.
If the animal is identified with flock–of–origin assigned
ID you may use the premises identification number; however, when it
is practical to do so,
recording their full ID (flock number plus individual animal number)
is recommended. A copy of this record should always go with each animal
and you should keep a copy. Remember, the goal is to know both the flock
into which an animal was born and any flocks in which the animal resided
after birth. This is to determine the origin of scrapie and eradicate
it if an infected animal is found.
Q. What if I buy sheep or goats that must be identified?
A. The easiest thing to do is to request that the seller identify
the animals and provide an owner statement. The owner statement has
all the information you are required to keep. If the seller does not
provide an owner statement, you will need to record:
1. The number of animals purchased or acquired;
2. The date of purchase or acquisition;
3. The name and address of the person from whom the animals were purchased
or otherwise acquired;
4. The species and breed or class of animal; and
5. A copy of the brand inspection certificate for
animals officially identified with brands or earnotches.
Q. What do I do when I sell one of these purchased animals?
A. If the animal was not used for breeding purposes while in
your ownership, you should provide a copy of the owner statement you
received when you
purchased the animal to the new buyer.
If you used the animal for breeding purposes, you should provide the
purchaser with your own owner statement.
If you used the animal for breeding purposes, you should provide the
purchaser with your own owner statement.
Q. How long do I need to keep records?
A. Records must be kept for at least 5 years from the date
the animal was transported or sold.
Q. I purchased an animal with an official ID already on it,
do I need to retag it?
A. Never remove any official ID. You can add your own official
ID if you wish. Again, there must be a combination of ID and records
that will allow USDA to trace a scrapie–infected animal to the
flock of birth and any flock(s) in which the animal has resided for
breeding purposes.
Q. My neighbor needs to ID some sheep and has no tags. Should
I lend her/him some of mine?
A. No. USDA assigns flock numbers to each flock. Unique flock
ID ensures that any traces involving flock ID will be traced to a single
flock.
Q. Is this part of USDA's Scrapie Flock Certification Program?
A. No. The Scrapie Flock Certification Program is a different
program available to producers who wish to take additional actions that
will allow their flocks to be certified as being free of scrapie.
Q. Will the ID tags used in Scrapie Flock Certification Program
satisfy the requirements of this new regulation?
A. Yes.
Q. What is the Scrapie Flock Certification Program?
A. The Scrapie Flock Certification Program is a voluntary USDA
program to identify flocks that are free of scrapie. The purpose of
the certification program is to provide producers a source of replacement
animals from flocks that are monitored for signs of scrapie. Owners
of participating flocks must officially identify all animals over 1
year of age with an official tamperproof eartag, maintain required records,
and agree to immediately report animals suspected of having scrapie.
Please contact the USDA, APHIS, VS office for more information or check
out the Web site (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs).
Call 1–866–873–2824 if you have any questions or go
to the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahps/scrapie/ or http://www.animalagriculture.org/scrapie.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination
in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation,
or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all
programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape,
etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice
and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office
of Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202)720–5964
(voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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