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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Sheep and goat identification is required by the Federal Scrapie Eradication Program. Permanent identification will help authorities locate and contain a disease outbreak if one ever occurs. But it also can serve as an important management tool, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer pointed out.
“Animal identification will enable our livestock industries to go on about their business in the event of a disease outbreak or, heaven forbid, a terrorist attack,” Commissioner Farmer said. “Animal identification also will make it easier for farmers to verify their animals’ age, pedigree, and other information that will help them improve their herd genetics and management.”
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture will require all sheep and goats that change ownership or enter interstate commerce to have a scrapie tag by July 1. Producers who bring sheep and goats to a stockyards without a tag after that date may be turned away or may be required to pay a fee to have their animals tagged.
Scrapie is a fatal degenerative disease that affects the nervous systems of sheep and goats.
To receive tags for sheep and goats, producers first must register their premises with the state. To register, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.kyagr.com, or contact the state veterinarian’s office at (502) 564-3956. Once a premise number is obtained, producers can contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Frankfort office at (502) 227-9651 to order scrapie tags. The tags and taggers are provided at no charge within approximately 3 weeks.
Staff of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health are available to speak to groups about the tagging program or to visit livestock markets to help producers with the registration form and answer questions. To request a visit or a guest speaker, call (502) 564-3956.
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