Official Identification
All sheep and goats, including wethers, must be officially identified upon movement from one flock/herd to another and before they are commingled with sheep and goats from other flocks and herds. Official tags are available to Minnesota producers after registering for the National Scrapie Eradication Program using this online form.
Please be aware, the USDA has made changes to the official identification guidelines. Review the USDA’s sheep and goat official identification web page or contact the USDA at 1-866-873-2824 for more information about obtaining official flock/herd ID tags and applicators.
Producers should never allow other producers to use their official scrapie ID tags. If an animal loses an ear tag, it can be replaced with an official scrapie tag assigned to the producer; as long as records indicate the animal’s origin. When the animal’s origin is unknown, producers should not use their assigned scrapie tags to replace the lost ID. For more information regarding lost ear tags, contact the Board at 651-201-6809.
Record Requirements
Anyone who applies official identification that has been assigned to a producer must maintain the following records:
- Date the identification was applied.
- Number of sheep and goats identified.
- Identification numbers applied.
- Name and address of the flock of birth, if different from the current flock.
Anyone who applies official identification that is not assigned directly to the producer must maintain the following records:
- Date the identification was applied.
- Number of sheep and goats identified.
- Serial tag numbers applied.
- Name and address of the flock where the animal currently or most recently resided.
All records pertaining to the movement of sheep and goats must be maintained for at least five years after the sale or disposition of the animal. Records must be available for inspection and copying at any reasonable time by an authorized agent of the Board.
Owner/Hauler Statements
The USDA’s Scrapie Final Rule, effective April 24, 2019, requires that any sheep or goat (excluding wethers under 18 months) moving in slaughter channels or moving without official identification have an owner/hauler statement in transit.
When is an owner/hauler statement (OHS) required?
In each of the below situations, sheep or goats are required to move with a completed OHS that includes all federally required information.
Movement within Minnesota
The following groups of sheep and goats are excluded from the requirement to move with an OHS: wethers under 18 months, animals that have never been in slaughter channels, and animals that have never been in interstate commerce.
Sheep and goats that were born on a Minnesota farm where they have resided only with other animals born into that flock/herd are considered to have never been in slaughter channels or interstate commerce. Therefore, these animals may move without an OHS to a state or state/federal approved livestock market without official identification if they are officially identified at the market before being commingled with sheep or goats from other flocks, and if all required information from the OHS is captured upon arrival at the market. The seller will be liable for any incurred charges associated with market personnel identifying the animals upon arrival.
An OHS is required for movement to the following Minnesota destinations, unless an exclusion above applies:
- A state or state-federal approved livestock market.
- A slaughter establishment.
- A state-approved terminal feedlot.
- An individual’s premises for personal slaughter.
Importation into Minnesota
Please see our ‘Import Regulations’ page for a complete set of requirements. An OHS is required for:
- Sheep or goats under 18 months of age (excluding wethers) in slaughter channels moving from a farm of origin to a state/federal approved livestock market. Note: The only sheep or goats that may be imported to a state/federal livestock market without official identification are those under 18 months in slaughter channels that will be slaughtered by 18 months of age.
- Sheep or goats (excluding wethers under 18 months) moving to a federally inspected slaughter establishment.
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An owner/hauler statement requires the information below.
There is no required form. Please see the link to the right ‘Owner/Hauler Statement Template’ as one option that may be used for sheep and goats entering Minnesota or moving within Minnesota.
- Name, address, and phone number of the owner and, if different, the hauler.
- Date the animals were moved.
- Flock identification number or PIN assigned to the flock or premises of the animals.
- If moving individually unidentified animals or other animals required to move with a group/lot identification number, the group/lot identification number and any information required to officially identify the animals.
- Number of animals.
- Species, breed, and class of animals. If breed is unknown, for sheep the face color and for goats the type (milk, fiber, or meat) must be recorded instead.
- The name and address of point of origin, if different from the owner’s address, and the destination name and address.
- For imported animals the destination must be a federally inspected slaughter establishment or a state/federal approved livestock market (where animals will be sold only to an authorized slaughter buyer or a state approved terminal feedlot). Must include a statement that the animals are in slaughter channels. Within Minnesota only, the destination must be a state or state/federal approved livestock market, a state approved terminal feedlot, a slaughter establishment, or an individual for personal consumption. For animals moving within Minnesota in slaughter channels, the OHS must include a statement that the animals are in slaughter channels.
- Signature of owner or hauler.