What’s New in Sheep ID?

 March 25, 2019 Federal Regulation Changes

Group/Lot ID and Owner/Hauler Statement are required for:

• Sheep and goats in slaughter channels (except wethers under 18 months of age)

• Sheep and goats not in slaughter channels that do not have an official eartag or

other official ID (except wethers under 18 months of age).

Moving sheep or goats that are not in Slaughter channels? 

Official Individual ID (official eartag, registry or flock ID tattoo, or official Electronic Implantable ID) is required 

for sheep and goats in interstate commerce moving for purposes other than slaughter with some exceptions.1

There are additional requirements for use of tattoos and implants. View the presentation at www.EradicateScrapie.org for more information.

Official eartags, rather than other forms of official ID, are required for sheep and goats moving through markets or buying stations.

Tag it!

Created for the Goat Industry by staff at the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary 

Medicine and NIAA Staff with support from the USDA NSEP.

Other changes include:

If you engage in interstate commerce:

(WHICH MEANS if you move sheep or goats 

interstate or offer to sell them to out of state 

buyers including through a market, or buy 

sheep or goats that originated in another 

state); you need to:

• officially identify sheep and goats that you later 

sell (if they are a class that requires official ID) 

prior to moving them; or

• take your official tags and have them applied at 

another site in-state before changing ownership;

or

• take your sheep and goats to a federally approved 

market to be tagged with market tags.

If you own a premises where interstate 

commerce of goats or sheep occurs: 

(DEFINED AS: a premises which receives sheep or goats 

that have been in interstate commerce or from which 

sheep or goats move in interstate commerce)

• Sheep or goats (of a class that requires official ID)

that are not already officially identified need

to be officially identified when they are unloaded.

Call 866-USDA-TAG to 

get official tags and
1

Exceptions to individual official ID requirement: 

• Wethers under 18 months of age: NO ID or Owner/

Hauler Statement required.

• Sheep or goats in slaughter channels under 18 months

of age accompanied by an Owner/Hauler Statement and 

Group/Lot ID (may be mixed source).

• Sheep or goats moving as a single source group/lot 

accompanied by an Owner/Hauler Statement to:

>an approved livestock market.

>slaughter establishment.

>other premises of the flock listed in the National Scrapie 

Database, or 

>another site in-state where they will be officially identified

 prior to change of ownership.

Do not buy or sell sheep or goats 18 months of age or older for any purpose unless they have official ID1.

A record must be made when 

official ID is applied to a sheep or 

goat, or a sheep or goat is acquired 

or disposed. 

The record must be kept for five years after the 

 animal dies or is no longer owned by you.

National Scrapie Education Initiative

National Institute for Animal Agriculture

13570 Meadowgrass Drive, Suite 201 • Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Phone: 719-538-8843 • Fax: 719-538-8847 Email: scrapie@animalagriculture.org

Q. Sheep or goat crossing a state line and not in slaughter channels?

A. Get an ICVI: Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued by an

Accredited Veterinarian.

Exceptions: 

• wethers under 18 months of age;

• sheep or goats moving to another premises of the same flock listed in the National Scrapie 

Database;

• sheep or goats moving to a federally approved market.

Note: Some states also require an ICVI for in-state shows and wethers for exhibition.

Moving sheep or goats in

slaughter channels?

• Complete an Owner/Hauler 

Statement to accompany the animals

(except wethers under 18 months of

age); and

• Eartag sheep and goats 18 months of 

age or older unless moving them as a

single source group/lot. 

NOTE: Tattoos and electronic implants may

not be used to officially ID sheep or goats that

are in slaughter channels or that are moving 

through a livestock market or buying station.