[Jacob-list] Scrapie vs moving out-of-state/ tag question

[Royal Unzicker]

Linda,
I have been in the voluntary scrapie program for ten years.  Yes, I know, I am still at year one!!!   People keep MAKING me buy at least one ewe every year.   Over this ten year period I have had at least three different vets come for my yearly flock inspection and report.   The first one said it is ok to keep the tag of the original owner, wether in or out of state.   The second vet made me cut out all old tags and retag all sheep that did not have my flock tag.   The third, and present, vet said it is ok to keep the tag of the original owner as long as they were in the voluntary program.  I just had to be sure to record on my yearly report the tag number and from whom I got them,  as was always the case.   If the sheep I bought did not have a "voluntary" tag,  the vet helped me cut out the mandatory tag and  put in my flock tag.   Early on I think there was some confusion even at the state level within the same state so I can well imagine there is not total agreement from one state to another.  They may now be more in agreement on how it is to be done.   

On a related note, The first year I was in the program the state offered to do the Susceptibility to Scrapie blood test for rams.   At the time I had two Jacob rams and both were RR.  The last two years, the state vet offered to test four animals each year.  Of the eight, one ram and 7 ewes I had tested the last two years, six were RR and two were RQ.   Each animal represented a different flock/blood line.  If your scrapie tags get torn out rather frequently, advise your state vet.   In the early years I seem to lose too many, given the cost of the tags.   He reported this and I was called by the tag provider (Premier) who said they were working on a better tag.   From the last two batches of tags I got, I have lost no tags.   It may also be because I now put the tag much closer to the head.   
Royal 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Linda 
  To: Gary Anderson ; jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 7:10 PM
  Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] Scrapie vs moving out-of-state/ tag question


  You don't have to retag your sheep with your new ID, do you?  I wouldn't think you'd have to. I just got another application and guess I'll enroll later this fall.  I'm assuming, but someone correct me, please, if I'm wrong, that I do not tag, with my tags,  sheep in my flock that already have tags from enrolled flocks??  I have some sheep from out of state with the mandatory tags from flocks that are not enrolled in the voluntary program.  On those, I guess I'm supposed to leave those tags and add my tags? Hopefully, I'm allowed to cut out the lamb tags from the breeder, so that the sheep will have two tags at the most.

  Linda
   
  www.patchworkfibers.com
  Registered Jacob Sheep, Angora Rabbits, Handspun Yarn


  > Regarding state-by-state differences in the voluntary scrapie
  > certification program, tomorrow a Michigan state veterinarian will
  > carry out our first inspection since we moved from California to
  > Michigan.  As pointed out by others, the program is federal but
  > administered by individual states.  We were assigned a new premises
  > identification number (i.e., one that begins with MI instead of our
  > previous ID number that began with CA) but were allowed to maintain
  > our status established in California (i.e., our "clock" was not
  > reset).  


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