[Jacob-list] Lots of lambs/scrapie programs

[Heather Hettick]

Linda,

We had a ram die January 2001 and his brain was tested for scrapie, but I
didn't have to test a lamb we had put down later that year.  I don't think
they have a valid and reliable live test for scrapie yet.

For slaughter animals, they don't have to be tagged if they go directly to
slaughter.  For an auction situation last fall, they had me tag all intact
animals but wethers didn't have to be tagged with my scrapie tags.  I asked
the vet about the new program and if I would have to tag wethers and he said
they usually put a tag in them at the auction barn anyway.  When I sell an
animal directly to a person, I have to keep a record of where they went.  It
doesn't seem to matter if they keep registrations or are in the scrapie
program.  When a sheep leaves my farm, I just have to record where it went
or how it died.  I check with the USDA vet if I'm not sure of anything.

I would think you couldn't be considered certified scrapie free unless you
were monitored in the program.  I'm sure it's not a 100% guarantee, but I
figure it can't hurt and the costs to me are low.  Also, the vets know a lot
more about scrapie than I do and it helps to get their opinion on things
that I'm not sure about.

Heather Hettick
Moonstruck Jacob Sheep
Creston, Ohio

-----Original Message-----
From: jacob-list-admin at jacobsheep.com
[mailto:jacob-list-admin at jacobsheep.com]On Behalf Of Linda
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 5:20 PM
To: jacoblist
Subject: RE: [Jacob-list] Lots of lambs/scrapie programs




On Mon, 11 Mar 2002 14:26:47 -0500, Heather Hettick wrote:
  I have to tag my breeding stock over a year old and those I
>sell
>other than for slaughter.
>
>Heather Hettick
>Moonstruck Jacob Sheep
>Creston, Ohio
>

Is there any testing of your slaughter animals to certify them as scrapie
free?  If
you sell to someone that is not in the voluntary program and lose track of
that
animal, what happens to your flock certification?

For example, say you sell a sheep to someone that does not keep up
registrations.
The sheep ends up going through a sale barn and on to slaughter - or dies at
someone's farm where they just dig and hole and bury it.  How does that
sheep show
up on your records?  You don't know that it was scrapie free as there is no
record
of where it ended up -  or do you?  If I don't bring or sell in any sheep
for five
years and have no deaths (except by slaughter) and records to prove it, does
that
mean that my flock is scrapie free (even if I'm not in the program)?

Linda




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