UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In Pennsylvania, producers are required to identify their sheep and goats with an official scrapie identification method before moving them off their farms. That’s important now that lambing and kidding season is in full swing, according to a Penn State Extension educator.
“This includes animals transported within the state as well as those transported across state lines,” said Melanie Barkley, livestock extension educator based in Bedford County. “The Pennsylvania law regarding scrapie identification is more stringent than the U.S. Department of Agriculture national requirement that sheep 18 months and older must have a scrapie ID if they leave the farm of origin.”
For most producers, this means animals will have a scrapie tag in their ear, Barkley added. If sheep or goats don’t have one and they are transported across state lines, producers could be fined by the USDA.
Scrapie is a fatal disease affecting the central nervous systems of sheep and goats, characterized by a lack of coordination, nervousness, aggressiveness and intense rubbing. It is thought to be caused by a virus-like agent known as a prion. This animal-identification program enables officials to trace suspected and confirmed cases of scrapie back to the farm of origin.