Auburn, Nov. 28--Enforcement of new identification requirements for sheep and goats officially went into effect Nov. 19, but officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) say they will be lenient until producers gain a better understanding of the new rules.

Most sheep and some goats aged 18 months and older are required to be officially identified under the new requirements, part of a new federal program aimed at eradicating scrapie in the United States.

Although the new rules already are in effect, and many producers are still learning about the new requirements, many states are still implementing an older inspection system. With this in mind, USDA inspectors will initially focus most of their efforts on educating producers about the new requirements rather than on enforcing them.

One group that will be especially impacted by the new requirements are youngsters who participate in 4-H-sponsored youth livestock shows. Beginning Jan. 1, 2002, state regulations will require all sheep exhibited in youth livestock shows to be ear-tagged with USDA-approved tags.

Sheep also must be tagged with USDA-approved tags before a change of ownership occurs under any of the following methods:

• Sale by trade, private treaty or auction

• Transport to a livestock market

• Transport to a slaughter facility

In order to be eligible for interstate sales, breeding sheep and goats also must be accompanied with a health certificate known as a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.

However, only special categories of goats are covered by the new requirements. This includes sexually intact goats prior to transport to a show, fair, petting zoo or other exhibitions. However, no tags will be required for goats that already have registration papers and tattoos.

Goats used for milk production also are included under the new guidelines, although tagging is not required for goats with registration papers and tattoos. Likewise, goats pastured with sheep must be tagged the same as sheep, unless they have registration papers and tattoos.

Scrapie is a degenerative and eventually fatal disease affecting the central nervous system. It is associated with the presence of an abnormal protein known as a prion. It is among a class of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), all of which have been linked with this abnormal protein.

The protein is also associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or so-called mad cow disease in cattle and Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.

Although scrapie has never been linked with humans, recent publicity surrounding TSEs, coupled with limited scientific knowledge about these diseases, has heightened public concerns.

There is currently no officially approved live test for scrapie, and the only way to positively detect the disease is by conducting a postmortem microscopic examination of the brain. In addition, blood testing cannot reveal the presence of the prion, although genotyping performed on the entire blood sample can predict an animal’s susceptibility or resistance to the disease.

Experts are hopeful a live animal test requiring a biopsy of lymphoid tissue will be officially approved for official use in the near future.

While scrapie is always fatal, it may take up to six years or longer before clinical signs are even apparent.

It’s estimated the annual cost of scrapie to producers is between $20 and $25 million. This does not include lost export opportunities to two key competing countries, Australia and New Zealand, the only two countries in the world recognized as scapie-free. However, an indemnification program has been established to minimize producer risks associated with scrapie. The indemnification program is based on actual market prices, including a premium for registered animals.

While scrapie exists in the United States, it is not rampant, and eradication efforts are less costly than they would be if the disease were left unchecked.

For more information, contact Dr. Cindy Brasfield, APHIS veterinarian, at (251) 947-5218 or Dr. Tony Frazier, state veterinarian, at 334-240-7255.