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About Scrapie

Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. It is among a number of diseases classified as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). Infected flocks that contain a high percentage of susceptible animals can experience significant production losses. Over a period of several years the number of infected animals increases, and the age at onset of clinical signs decreases making these flocks economically unviable. Animals sold from infected flocks spread scrapie to other flocks. The presence of scrapie in the United States also prevents the export of breeding stock, semen, and embryos to many other countries. TSEs are the subject of increased attention and concern because of the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, the link between BSE and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in people, and feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE) in cats in Europe. See Fact Sheet for more detail.

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Exhibition Information

All sheep and goats for exhibition must have official identification that must be kept on the animals.

Information on Scrapie Flock Certification may be obtained through the USDA at (916) 854–3900.

California Department of Food and Agriculture Permits may be obtained at (916) 651–6278.

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Scrapie Regulations

Everyone raising sheep and goats in California requires official identification issued by the USDA. More...

You may obtain official tags from the USDA/APHIS/VS office at (916) 854–3900. If you apply official ID, you must retain records on those animals for 5 years, including the date you identified the animals and the identification numbers applied, such that animals may be traced back to their flock/herd of origin.

Official Identification (official eartags, official tattoos, official electronic identification, or official premises identification numbers) are required when sheep and goats change ownership, except:

• Lambs and kids less than 18 months of age in slaughter channels that have not lambed, kidded, aborted, or are pregnant;
• Low risk goats (those not exposed to scrapie or to any sheep, unless low risk commercial sheep);
• Castrated animals less than 18 months of age that are not for exhibition.
• Scrapie Regulation, October 8, 2003 (PDF 31 KB)

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Current Scrapie Health Requirements

• Sheep Requirements Updated August 2007
  (English PDF 37 KB)   (Spanish PDF 46 KB)
  

• Goat Requirements Updated August 2007
  (English PDF 37 KB)   (Spanish PDF 46 KB)

• Link to Domestic Goat page
• Link to Sheep page

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Scrapie Disease Updates

• CDFA Scrapie Fact Sheet, June 2006 (PDF 33 KB)
• Eradicate Scrapie: National Scrapie Education Initiative
• A Guide to the National Scrapie Eradication Program for Veterinarians Order CD (June 2009) – Dowload (PDF 648 KB)
  • Scrapie Vet Guide – A Pictorial Guide to Collecting Samples for Scrapie Testing (June 2009 PDF 6 MB)
• How to Comply – Poster showing in 8 steps how to comply with the new scrapie eradication program. (PDF 103 KB)
• What You as a Producer Need to Know About the New Scrapie Eradication Program – Details you need to help eradicate scrapie.
  English (PDF 192 KB)    Spanish (PDF 158 KB)
• The ABC's of Genetic Based Flock Clean-up and Monitoring Plans – New plans apply to scrapie infected source and exposed flocks. Explains how genetic resistance to scrapie can be used to minimize the risks of acquiring the disease as well as eliminating it from flocks
  English (PDF 52 KB)    Spanish (PDF 72 KB)
• Requirements for going to "The Show" English (PDF 132 KB)     Spanish (PDF 156 KB)
• Scrapie Genetic Testing Announcement - Announcement of plan to expand genetic testing for interstate movement of scrapie-exposed sheep. (PDF 22 KB)
• Questions and Answers about Scrapie and the National Eradication Program. (PDF 22 KB)

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Links and Scrapies Related Materials

Press Releases

• USDA Scrapie Record Keeping November 1, 2002

Documents

• Help Stop Scrapie USDA Veterinary Services Scrapie Program  
• Scrapie Materials

Industry

• American Dairy Goat Association
• American Sheep Industry Association
• California Wool Growers Association

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Contact us for more information:
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Animal Health and Food Safety Services, Animal Health Branch
1220 N Street, Room A-107
Sacramento, California 95814
Telephone: (916) 654-1447
Fax: (916) 653-2215
or send an email to: ahbfeedback@cdfa.ca.gov