USDA issues scrapie guidelines; measure offers eradication 'tools'

Bowling Green, Ky. ­

New scrapie compliance guidelines, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services (VS), take effect immediately.

The measure gives sheep/goat dealers and market operators the tools tocomply with national scrapie eradication programs using standard businessrecord-keeping procedures, reports the National Institute for Animal Agriculture.

Requirements for dealers and market operators to record and keep recordsof individual identifications have been eliminated, unless the dealer ormarket operator has applied the identification tags. Under the new guidelines,producers will still be responsible for individually identifying and maintainingrecords for sheep and goats as required when the eradication program waslaunched in August 2001.

The new guidelines call for these elements in the record:

* A. The number of animals purchased or sold.

* B. The date of purchase or sale

* C. The name and address of seller or buyers.

* D. The species and breed or class of animal.

* E. For animals officially identified with brands or ear notches,a copy of the Brand Inspection Certificate.

If the dealer or market operator applies official identification assigneddirectly to the owner of the flock of origin, then the owner must maintainthe following records:

* A. The date the animals were officially identified.

* B. The number of sheep and/or goats identified.

* C. The premises number or serial (tag) number applied.

* D. For animals born after Jan. 1, 2002, in another flock andnot already identified as to flock of birth, the name and address of theowner of the flock of birth if known.

The dealer/market should record that owner-provided tags were applied,and the premises number and sequence, as part of their business records.

For dealers or market operators who apply official identification thatis not assigned to the owner of the premises of origin, the following recordsmust be kept:

* A. Date tagged

* B. The number of sheep and/or goats tagged.

* C. The serial (tag) numbers applied

* D. The name and address of the person who currently owns theanimals.

For those animals without official identification, the following mustbe recorded:

* A. The date tagged

* B. The number of sheep and/or goats tagged.

* C. The serial (tag) numbers applied

* D. The name and address of the owner of the flock of origin.

* E. If the person who currently owns the animals is differentfrom the owner of the flock of origin, the current owner's name and address.

* F. If the owner of the flock of birth is different from theowner of the flock of origin, and if the animals were born after January1, 2002, the name and the address of the owner of the flock of birth, ifknown.

These new guidelines are effective immediately. For more informationcall (866) 873-2824.