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Sheep and Goat Identification

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The National Scrapie Eradication Program is providing up to 100 plastic flock ID tags

free-of-charge to first time participants in the sheep and goat identification program

until available funds are expended. Producers will need to purchase the compatible

applicator from the tag manufacturer.

We discontinued the availability of no-cost metal tags for producers on August 31,

2019. Dealers and markets may continue to receive metal serial tags at no cost until

the available funds are expended.  Flock ID tag numbers are the producer’s flock

ID assigned by APHIS or the State followed by an individual animal number. Metal

serial tag numbers have the state postal abbreviation, two letters followed by four

numbers.  Plastic serial tags have the state postal abbreviation, a letter and a

number in either order, followed by four numbers.

APHIS is working with sheep and goat organizations to encourage the use of

electronic identification to improve our nation’s ability to quickly trace exposed and

diseased animals in the event of an outbreak. 

Request Official Sheep and Goat Tags

To request official sheep and goat tags, a flock or premises ID or

both, call 1-866-USDA-Tag (866-873-2824).
1-866-USDA-TAG has a new telephone tree (implemented in February 2021) that will

gather information from the caller to direct them to the correct VS or State office to

answer their questions about sheep and goat identification.

When prompted, callers will either key in or say the numbers on their telephone

keypad corresponding to the two-letter postal abbreviation of the State or territory

where the flock or herd about which they are calling is located. For example, if they

are calling about their flock or herd in Texas, they will key in or say “8, 9” to indicate

“T, X.” If they are calling about their flock or herd in California, they will key in or say

“2, 2” to indicate “C, A.” Once the proper state is identified, the caller will be asked

to key in or say “1” to confirm that it is the correct state. If the wrong state was

inadvertently identified, the caller can key in or say “2” to return to the main menu

to identify the correct state. If more than one state is represented by the number

combination (for example, both Utah and Vermont are represented by “8, 8” for “U,

T” and “V, T” respectively) then the caller will be asked to select the correct state

from the list of options. The caller will then be routed directly to the correct person

to help them. If they don’t know the postal abbreviation or have difficulty with the

tree, they will be routed to a voicemail box where they can leave a message with

their name, phone number, and the State or territory where their sheep or goats are

located. These inquiries will be forwarded to the correct State or VS office within 2

business days. Callers should recognize that using this message feature will add

significantly to the time required to obtain an answer to their questions because

their message must be manually routed to the correct office.

Please provide any feedback about the new routing system to scrapie@usda.gov.

Producers and others who handle sheep or goats in commerce who need additional

tags or want a different type or color of tag may purchase official plastic, metal or

radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags directly from approved tag manufactures.

A flock or Premises ID is required to order tags from these sources. A National

Premises ID is also required to purchase official 840 RFID tags or implantable

devices.

For those who use the APHIS-provided tags, please note that you will need to

purchase a compatible applicator.

Plastic Shearwell tags require the V6 Sheep SET Tag Applicator. Order the

applicator by calling 1-800-778-6014 or by completing this order form: 
Shearwell Data Ltd Sheep Tag Applicator Order Form

Metal National Band and Tag official identification devices require the 505S

applicator. This applicator is available for purchase from the National Band and

Tag Company at (859) 261-2035.

The companies listed below are approved. These ear tags and devices are approved

for the official identification of sheep and goats in interstate commerce. There

are restrictions on the use of implantable devices, refer to page 55 of the National

Scrapie Eradication Program Standards

Note: SFCP tags may only be purchased by owners of flocks participating in the

Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program. Regular program tags may be purchased by

any producer who has a flock/premises ID.

Allflex USA, Inc.

PO Box 612266

2805 East 14th Street

Dallas Ft. Worth Airport, TX 75261-2266

Phone: 833-SCRAPIE  (833-727-2743)

Fax: 972-338-3445

Web:  www.allflex.global/na/product/scrapie-tags/   

Email:  scrapiefulfillment@allflexusa.com

(Plastic eartags in several colors - regular and SFCP)

Alliance ID, USA

2199 Manton Drive

Covington, Louisiana 70433

985-898-0811

800-434-2843

Web: www.microchipidsystems.com

Email: answers@microchipidsystems.com

Contact: Patrice Karwowski

(RFID 840 microchip transponders in syringes. Universal scanners)  

EZid, LLC

4412 W 4th Street Road

Greeley, CO 80634

970-351-7701

877-330-3943

Web: www.EZidAvid.com
Email: Sales@EZidAvid.com

Contact: Elsie McCoy

(RFID - Avid Microchip transponder implants and scanners)

National Band & Tag Company

721 York St., P.O. Box 72430

Newport, KY 41072-0430, USA

Phone: 859-261-2035

Fax:  859-261-8247

Email: tags@nationalband.com

Web: www.nationalband.com/

Contacts:  Kevin Haas, Sarah Fields

(Metal tags in white, green, orange, mauve and bright metal) 

Premier 1 Supplies LLC

2031 300th St 

Washington, IA 52353 

Phone: 800-282-6631 

Fax: 800-346-7992 

Email:  info@premier1supplies.com

Web page: www.premier1supplies.com/c/ear-tags-and-tattoo-supplies/ear-tagsfor-usda-scrapie-eradication-program

Contact: Customer Service

(Plastic eartags in several colors- regular and SFCP)

Shearwell Data USA

Phone: 1-800-778-6014

Email: salesusa@shearwell.com

Web: www.shearwell.com

Contact: Customer service

(RFID and Plastic eartags in several colors - regular and SFCP)

Identification Educational Materials

Fact Sheet

Animal ID and Recordkeeping for Sheep and Goats (173.22 KB)  

Example Owner/Hauler Statements
Example Owner/Hauler Statement for Sheep and Goats - Afrikaans (144.61 KB)

Example Owner/Hauler Statement for Sheep and Goats - Arabic (176.56 KB)

Example Owner/Hauler Statement for Sheep and Goats - English (165.17 KB)

Example Owner/Hauler Statement for Sheep and Goats - Portuguese (141.01

KB)

Example Owner/Hauler Statement for Sheep and Goats - Spanish (143.2 KB)

Example Owner/Hauler Statement for Sheep and Goats - Turkish (207.62 KB)

Posters

Scrapie Tag Poster - English (9.77 MB)

Scrapie Tag Poster - Afrikaans (16.29 MB)

Scrapie Tag Poster - Arabic (16.4 MB)

Scrapie Tag Poster - Farsi (16.42 MB)

Scrapie Tag Poster - Portuguese (8.02 MB)

Scrapie Tag Poster - Spanish (16.58 MB)

Scrapie Tag Poster - Turkish (16.37 MB)

Identification Decision Trees

Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree - English (87.62 KB)

Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree - Afrikaans (45.21 KB)

Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree - Arabic (109.44 KB)

Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree - Farsi (117.78 KB)

Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree - Portuguese (73.75 KB)

Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree - Spanish (73.17 KB)

Sheep and Goat Official Identification Decision Tree - Turkish (68.01 KB)

Popular Links

Import of Live Sheep, Goats and Germplasm

National Scrapie Eradication Program

Scrapie Disease Information

Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program

Scrapie Sample Submission

Interstate Animal Movement Requirements

Educational Materials
Finish the Fight Against Scrapie

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - Arabic (1.23 MB)

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - Chinese (316.94 KB)

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - English (625.76 KB)

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - Farsi (1.23 MB)

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - Hindi (871.47 KB)

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - Portuguese (685.79 KB)

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - Turkish (614.62 KB)

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie - Vietnamese (651.27 KB)

Other Materials

National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP) and the Importance of Sheep and

Goat Traceability (video on APHIS YouTube)

Official USDA Sheep and Goat Identification (1.13 MB) - report on quantity of

and number of orders for official identification (ID) distributed to or purchased

by sheep and goat stakeholders

National Scrapie Eradication Program Standards (1.46 MB) – 2019 final

Sheep & Goat Official ID Basics Flow Chart (82.85 KB)

NIAA Goat ID Flyer:  (high resolution for printing (4.5 MB)) (smaller size file for

e-mail (2.77 MB))

NIAA Sheep ID Flyer: (high resolution for printing (1.92 MB)) (smaller size file for

e-mail (1.38 MB))

Key Points for Livestock Market Operators (PowerPoint (5.09 MB)) (pdf (132.13

KB))

NIAA Sheep and Goat ID Requirements (PowerPoint (18.46 MB)) (pdf (48.54 MB)

)

Registry Tattoos Approved for Use as Official ID for the Scrapie Program