The National Scrapie Eradication Program is a Mandatory Federal Program

To participate, a producer must first have a scrapie number, which is assigned by the USDA, Veterinary Services office and a National Premises number, assigned by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Call ODA at 503.986.4680.

All sheep must be tagged when leaving the premises or if sold to another owner. ONLY sheep under 18 months of age and in slaughter channels are exempt from tagging requirements.

Currently, USDA-APHIS will provide up to 80 plastic flock tags, free-of-charge, to qualifying producers. The no-cost metal tags previously provided to producers will be phased out in summer 2019. During the phase out, APHIS will continue to provide up to 100 serial metal tags free-of-charge to producers who haven’t received APHIS-provided tags within the previous 24 months. The applicator for the metal tags must be purchased from the National Band & Tag Company (859.261.2035).

Allflex USA

Premier 1 Supplies

Shearwell Data USA

To request the official APHIS tags, call 1.866.873.2824. Producers need to have a Scrapie number to place an order.

If you are a new Oregon producer and need to obtain a Scrapie number, contact Dr. Leonard Eldridge at Leonard.E.Eldridge@usda.gov or 360.753.9430.

Recordkeeping Requirements:

Certain information must be retained for 5 years after the animal is sold or disposed of. Information to be retained includes:

  • Official Identification number
  • Date official ID was applied
  • Breed, sex, age of animal
  • Year of birth or date the animal was acquired
  • Name and address of previous owner (if applicable)
  • Date sold
  • Name and address of buyer

More Information:

OSGA offers a 10-minute overview of the scrapie eradication program below. The video is a good introduction for new producers, 4-H /FFA members, or as a quick review of the basic requirements of the tagging program and the responsibilities of every producer.

 

 

The American Sheep Industry Association offers a more extensive one-hour educational program explaining the National Eradication Program at sheepusa.org/ResearchEducation_OnlineEducation_Scrapie.