USDA tags scrappie tags

[OneFineAcre]

Here, we don't have to have the tags if they are tattooed and registered. So long as they have a way to track them down, which is great because I hate tags.

Same here.
We have to have our certification and premise ID when we go to shows.

 

[goatboy1973]

Here, we don't have to have the tags if they are tattooed and registered. So long as they have a way to track them down, which is great because I hate tags.

Yeah, I don't like tags or tagging an animal either but darn it sure helps me keep records easier.

 

[babsbag]

I don't do tags either since my goats are tattooed but the more goats I get and the more they look similar at a glance the more I am thinking tags, but not ear tags, collar tags. I have never seen a dairy goat with an ear tag. How would a person tag a La Mancha? We tattoo the tail web but can't do a tag there.

 

[Hens and Roos]

got our tags the end of last week- we need them for the kids to show at 4-H fair.

 

[misfitmorgan]

I don't do tags either since my goats are tattooed but the more goats I get and the more they look similar at a glance the more I am thinking tags, but not ear tags, collar tags. I have never seen a dairy goat with an ear tag. How would a person tag a La Mancha? We tattoo the tail web but can't do a tag there.

La Mancha are either tagged in the tail web or tattooed on the tail....you just tattoo your farm id and the scrapie number then dispose of the tag....we clip them shut with the pliers and keep them in a small tupperware in our feed room. I could not put a tag in the tail web i would be way to paranoid the buck would rip it out during rut.

 

[Legamin]

We have been involved in the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program for a year now. There is a bit of paperwork to complete in the form of a questionnaire but once it is complete, the tags are sent to your address along with an Alflex ear tag applicator all FREE. By participating in this program, you are helping the government trace an animal from its source to the current owner in the event that this animal was to show signs or get diagnosed with scrapies or another zoonotic disease (disease that you can catch from an animal). Also, by participating in this program, you expand the marketing possibilities of your goats because more and more buyers and sales and shows are requiring this.

Just a note of response to your information. I recently signed up for this program and the initial 200 tags were free but the applicator is made by a private company whose ONLY product is the tag applicator. It cost $35.00 and took just a week to receive after ordering. I asked about a free applicator and the FDA Scrapies rep. Informed me that they no longer provide the free applicator and they are considering charging for the initial tags after 2025. I hope that they were misinformed but it jived with the information on their web site.
If I am somehow misinformed please let me know. I am helping a young couple get started with sheep and I want to be sure to provide accurate information for them. I think this should be done by EVERY sheep owner as it can get out of control and decimate wide populations when it is ignored or ‘sold on’ quickly by bent sheep owners who just dont want the losses.

 

[Legamin]

Yes, it can affect any breed of sheep or goat. In sheep, some are genetically resistant to the disease. You can select for Scrapie resistant sheep by purchasing an RR ram and breeding him to your unknown ewes. Or having all your sheep genotyped and culling the QQ stock.

Sheep that are RR at Codon 171 are genetically resistant to two of the I believe three strains of Scrapie. QR sheep are genetically resistant to at least one strain. QQ sheep at Codon 171 are susceptible to the disease if exposed to it. Generally if your sheep are QR or QQ it is recommended to have them tested at Codon 136 (which is the genetic susceptibility to another strain of Scrapie). For the most part, all RR sheep are AA at Codon 136. QR & QQ sheep can be AA, AV, or VV at Codon 136.

To my knowledge there is no genetic resistance test for goats. However, it is not as common in goats as it is in sheep.

Usually Scrapie is passed through birthing fluids and bedding/soil touched by birthing fluids.

While it is a serious, fatal disease, it is not overly common. Most sheep don't have it. Especially now with the Scrapie Eradication program in place (www.eradicatescrapie.org), there have been fewer and fewer Scrapie cases every year.

Whether buying a sheep or a goat, you should ask and see if they are involved in the Scrapie Eradication program (voluntary or mandatory). Regardless, if you buy any animal it is a legal requirement they have a Scrapie ID tag put in by their farm of origin (where they were born). That way they can be traced back to the potential source (remember how Scrapie is primarily passed through birthing fluids?) and further investigation can take place.

Wow! Sounds like you’re on top of this. If you see my question about Scrapies I would love to get your comments.
Do you have your vet do all the testing or do you draw your own samples and send them in? I am starting a very specific and delicate breeding program with extraordinary high standards and would love to eradicate or isolate all QQ’s prior to breeding the species. I will be soon breeding for competition against some very experienced breeders with deep pockets (which mine are decidedly not) and I think it would be an advantage to at least do this simple step so that I can certify my lambs as RR. There are about 1000 breeding specimens of this breed left in the world and they need every possible advantage against future disease.

 

[Legamin]

Okay, total noob here, but I went to that link and could not find anywhere where you can actually get tags for your farm. Also, under the "how to comply" tab, it lists steps that need to be taken and step two is "Request a flock ID number from your local APHIS Veterinary Services office." I am sort of scratching my head here that they are not a little more specific. What is APHIS and how would I find my "local APHIS Veterinary Services Office"?

As of this year the USDA will provide free plastic Scrapies numbered tags…but not farm specific tags. If you want to get farm specific tags on which you can put other farm information all on one mini-tag you can find them at

Scrapie Ear Tags - Premier1Supplies

Ear tags that meet the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program requirements for sheep and goats.

www.premier1supplies.com

This is PremierOne Supply and they are reasonable in price with good quality