Eradicate Scrapie in Goats

June 20, 2008 - Goat producers and individuals involved in the goat industry-livestock market owners, extension personnel, show coordinators, processors, etc.-are urged to obtain a copy of "Goat Identification: Visual and Electronic," a newly released slide presentation available from the National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented an accelerated National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP) eight years ago, with the goal of helping to eradicate scrapie by the year 2010. To that regard, the USDA has provided funding for this project so goat producers and those within the goat industry are informed and adhere to federal and state identification requirements.

"The first step to eradicating scrapie among the nation's goat herd is to know which animals need an official ear tag or other official identification for interstate and intrastate movement and to tag or officially identify those animals prior to movement," stated Cindy Wolf, DVM, a scrapie expert with the University of Minnesota who leads the nation's Eradicate Scrapie! charge. "This new slide set covers meat and fiber goats as well as dairy goats."

"When you finish watching this slide presentation, you will know which specific goats must be identified with an individual eartag, tattoo or microchip. You'll also be informed about record-keeping requirements, factors that contribute to optimal eartag retention and minimal infection and tissue reaction and how to obtain free official USDA eartags for individual identification."

You can obtain your free copy of the slide set on CD by contacting NIAA at 270-782-9798 or by visiting www.animalagriculture.org and clicking on the "Issues" tab at the top of the home page where you will find the "Eradicate Scrapie" link.
Reprinted in part from NIAA

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