Sheep and Goat Identification
The National Scrapie Eradication Program is providing up to 100 plastic flock ID tags free-of-charge to first time participants in the sheep and goat identification program until available funds are expended. Producers will need to purchase the compatible applicator from the tag manufacturer.
APHIS is working with sheep and goat organizations to encourage the use of electronic identification to improve our Nation’s ability to quickly trace exposed and diseased animals in the event of an outbreak.
We discontinued the availability of no-cost metal tags for producers on August 31, 2019. Dealers and markets may continue to receive metal serial tags at no cost until the available funds are expended. Flock ID tag numbers are the producer’s flock ID assigned by APHIS or the State followed by an individual animal number. Metal serial tag numbers have the State postal abbreviation, two letters followed by four numbers. Plastic serial tags have the State postal abbreviation, a letter and a number in either order, followed by four numbers.
Resources
Using the Telephone Tree
- When prompted, you will either key in or say the numbers on their telephone keypad corresponding to the two-letter postal abbreviation of the State or Territory where the flock or herd about which you are calling is located. For example, if you're calling about your flock or herd in Texas, you will key in or say “8, 9” to indicate “T, X.” If you're calling about your flock or herd in California, you will key in or say “2, 2” to indicate “C, A.”
- Once the proper State is identified, you will be asked to key in or say “1” to confirm that it is the correct State. If you inadvertently identified the wrong State, you can key in or say “2” to return to the main menu to identify the correct State. If more than one State is represented by the number combination (for example, both Utah and Vermont are represented by “8, 8” for “U, T” and “V, T” respectively), then you will be asked to select the correct State from the list of options.
- You will then be routed directly to the correct person to help you.
If you don’t know the postal abbreviation or have difficulty with the tree, you will be routed to a voicemail box where you can leave a message with your name, phone number, and the State or Territory where your sheep or goats are located. These inquiries will be forwarded to the correct State or APHIS Veterinary Services office within 2 business days. Note: Using this message feature will add significantly to the time required to obtain an answer to your questions because your message must be manually routed to the correct office.
Please provide any feedback about the routing system to scrapie@usda.gov.
| Title | Type | Description | Other Versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal ID and Recordkeeping for Sheep and Goats (PDF) (192.84 KB) | Factsheet | Overview of Federal regulations for animal identification and recordkeeping | Not applicable |
| Example Owner/Hauler Statement for Sheep and Goats (PDF) (165.17 KB) | Form/Template | Required documentation for sheep and goats moving through interstate commerce | Afrikaans (144.61 KB) Arabic (176.56 KB) Portuguese (141.01 KB) Spanish (143.2 KB) Turkish (207.62 KB) |
| Attention Sheep and Goat Owners! (PDF) (9.77 MB) | Poster | Summarizes key information about identification requirements and how to obtain scrapie tags | Afrikaans (16.29 MB) Arabic (16.4 MB) Farsi (16.42 MB) Portuguese (8.02 MB) Spanish (16.58 MB) Turkish (16.37 MB) |
| Federal Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree for Animals in Interstate Commerce (PDF) (87.62 KB) | Decision Tree | Supplemental visual to help animal owners and others understand the Federal regulations for sheep and goat identification | Afrikaans (45.21 KB) Arabic (109.44 KB) Farsi (117.78 KB) Portuguese (73.75 KB) Spanish (73.17 KB) Turkish (68.01 KB) |
| Finish the Fight Against Scrapie (PDF) (625.76 KB) | Flyer | Outreach handout for slaughter facilities and producers about submitting scrapie samples | Arabic (1.23 MB) Chinese (316.94 KB) Farsi (1.23 MB) Hindi (871.47 KB) Portuguese (685.79 KB) Turkish (614.62 KB) Vietnamese (651.27 KB) |
| National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP) and the Importance of Sheep and Goat Traceability (YouTube) | Video | Summarizes the history of the NSEP and the Federal requirements | Not applicable |
| National Scrapie Eradication Program Standards (PDF) (1.46 MB) | Final Rule | Cooperative procedures and standards adopted by APHIS and consistent States for eradicating classical scrapie from the United States | Not applicable |
| Sheep & Goat Official ID Basics (PDF) (82.85 KB) | Flowchart | Supplemental chart to help animal owners and others understand the Federal regulations for sheep and goat identification | Not applicable |
| What's New in Goat ID? (PDF) (4.5 MB) | Flyer | Outreach handout from the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) that helps goat owners and others understand the Federal regulations | Low resolution for email (2.77 MB) |
| What's New in Sheep ID? (PDF) (1.92 MB) | Flyer | Outreach handout from the NIAA that helps sheep owners and others understand the Federal regulations | Low resolution for email (1.38 MB) |
| Scrapie Final Rule & Revised NSEP Standards: Key Things Market Operators Need To Know (Powerpoint) (5.09 MB) | Presentation | Powerpoint presentation that gives key points to livestock market owners and producers on Federal requirements | PDF (132.13 KB) |
| Sheep and Goat Identification Requirements (Powerpoint) (18.46 MB) | Presentation | Powerpoint presentation from the NIAA that gives details about the Federal rule for sheep and goat identification | PDF (48.54 MB) |
| Official USDA Sheep and Goat Identification (PDF) (1.13 MB) | Report | Describes the quantity and number of orders for official identification distributed to or purchased by sheep and goat stakeholders from fiscal years 2008 to 2011 | Not applicable |