Scrapie Eradication Program in Montana: What Sheep and Goat Producers Need to Know

If you raise sheep or goats in Montana, scrapie compliance is not optional — it is a legal requirement that directly affects how you buy, sell, and move your animals. Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats, and because there is no cure or treatment, the entire regulatory framework is built around identification, traceability, and elimination of infected flocks before the disease can spread.

Montana producers operate within a cooperative State-Federal-industry structure that carries real obligations at every stage of flock management. Whether you are a small hobby producer or a large commercial operation, understanding your specific duties under the National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP) keeps you compliant, protects your animals, and supports the broader goal of declaring the United States scrapie-free. This guide walks you through each layer of that regulatory framework as it applies to your Montana operation.

What Is Scrapie and Why It Is Regulated in Montana

Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. First recognized as a disease of sheep in Great Britain and other countries of Western Europe more than 250 years ago, scrapie has been reported throughout the world. In the United States, the disease has persisted at low levels for decades, making a coordinated eradication effort essential.

There are two types of scrapie: classical and nonclassical. Nonclassical scrapie, also referred to as atypical, Nor98, or Nor98-like scrapie, appears to occur sporadically and has been found in sheep of all common genotypes and goats. It is either not transmissible or poorly transmissible under natural conditions. Because of this, the scrapie eradication program focuses on classical scrapie.

The presence of classical scrapie in the U.S. sheep and goat population affects the industry economically through production losses, lost exports, and increased production and disposal costs. Public health concerns related to the transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to humans have resulted in efforts to eradicate all TSEs in food-producing animals. These economic and public health stakes are why Montana, like all other states, is required to maintain an active scrapie control program.

Control of scrapie is complicated because the disease has an extremely long incubation period without clinical signs of disease. An animal can be silently infected and spreading the disease for years before showing any outward symptoms, which makes rigorous record-keeping and identification all the more critical for Montana producers.

Montana’s Role in the National Scrapie Eradication Program

Surveillance for scrapie in the United States is conducted through the National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP), a cooperative State-Federal-industry program. The NSEP has two major components: a regulatory eradication program called the Accelerated Scrapie Eradication Program (ASEP) and a voluntary certification program called the Scrapie Flock Certification Program (SFCP).

The definition of a Consistent State applies to states conducting an active state scrapie control program that meets certain requirements, and the current list of Consistent States includes all 50 states — including Montana. Being a Consistent State means Montana has committed to enforcing reporting laws, monitoring quarantines, and educating producers engaged in interstate movement of sheep and goats.

Each Consistent State must designate at least one APHIS or State animal health official to coordinate scrapie program activities and to serve as the designated scrapie epidemiologist in the state, and must also educate those engaged in the interstate movement of sheep and goats regarding identification and recordkeeping requirements.

Since 2002, the prevalence of scrapie has decreased significantly through existing eradication efforts, largely as a result of effective slaughter surveillance. Since slaughter surveillance started in FY 2003, the percent of cull sheep found positive at slaughter — once adjusted for face color — has decreased 99 percent. Despite this progress, the work is not finished. The most recent cases of scrapie found in the U.S. were sampled at slaughter — a sheep tested in Wisconsin in 2021 and a goat in Indiana in 2019 — and officials were unable to trace these animals to their farms of origin, indicating it is likely there are still farms with cases of scrapie.

If you operate a sheep or goat operation in Montana, your participation in identification, reporting, and testing is a direct contribution to reaching national disease freedom. Montana producers interested in Montana’s broader livestock and wildlife regulations will find that scrapie rules intersect with other state animal health frameworks.

Official Animal Identification Requirements in Montana

Producers are required to follow federal and state regulations for officially identifying their sheep and goats. Producers must also keep herd records showing what new animals were added and what animals left the herd or flock. Official identification is the cornerstone of the entire program because it is what makes tracing diseased animals back to their flock of origin possible.

The animals listed below are required by federal and/or state regulations to be identified as part of the National Scrapie Eradication Program before they enter interstate commerce or if ownership changes. Some states have ID requirements that are stricter than federal requirements, so exceptions listed under federal rules do not apply in all states. Always verify Montana-specific requirements with the Montana Department of Livestock before assuming a federal exemption applies to your operation.

Approved Identification Methods

You have several options for officially identifying your sheep and goats under the NSEP. Producers should consider the different devices available — including metal or plastic tags, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and RFID implants (there are restrictions on the use of implants) — and choose what works best for them.

• Official eartags: Flock ID tag numbers are the producer’s flock ID assigned by APHIS or the State, followed by an individual animal number.
• Registry tattoos: The Code of Federal Regulations part 79.2 and the National Scrapie Eradication Program Standards allow sheep and goats to be officially identified with registry tattoos for movement in interstate commerce with some exceptions.
• RFID implants: A national premises ID is required to purchase official 840 RFID tags or implantable devices.

The National Scrapie Eradication Program provides 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 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 RFID tags directly from approved tag manufacturers. To request official sheep and goat tags, a flock or premises ID, or both, call 1-866-USDA-TAG (866-873-2824).

In Montana, scrapie tags are among the official identification tools used alongside 840-series RFIDs. Official identification should always be used for official documents such as ICVIs, quarantines, and disease testing records.

Flock Registration and Recordkeeping Requirements in Montana

Before you can obtain official identification tags, you need a flock or premises ID number assigned by APHIS or the state. A flock or premises ID is required to order tags from approved sources. The scrapie eradication program pre-dates the Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) Program, and as a result, there have been changes in the premises ID numbers that may be assigned by the states and APHIS for sheep and goat premises to now include PINs and LIDs.

What Records You Must Keep

Records must be kept for five years after the animal is sold or otherwise disposed of. Ideally, producers should keep records in an electronic format, such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Your records must include the following information when you apply official ID:

• The flock ID number of the flock of origin
• The name and address of the person from whom the animal was obtained
• The official ID number applied to the animal
• The date the ID was applied
• Any subsequent ID numbers applied to the same animal

Like sheep producers, producers of goats for meat or fiber and slaughter goats more than 18 months of age are required to officially identify their animals to their flocks of birth or flocks of origin, and to maintain certain identification records for five years. This requirement, updated by the 2019 Final Rule, brought goat producers in line with the standards sheep producers had followed for many years.

The 2019 Final Rule resulted in a more effective disease eradication program, with a more flexible approach to disease investigations and affected flock management, and more consistent animal identification and recordkeeping requirements between sheep and goats. Many of the specific requirements regarding official eartags and official ID methods such as tattoos and implantable electronic ID (microchips) and on how indemnity is calculated were moved to the Scrapie Program Standards, Volume 1: National Scrapie Eradication Program.

Interstate and Intrastate Movement Rules for Sheep and Goats in Montana

Movement rules are among the most operationally significant parts of the scrapie program for Montana producers, particularly those who buy or sell animals at livestock markets or ship across state lines. The rules differ depending on whether you are moving animals within Montana or across state borders.

Interstate Movement

To control the spread of scrapie within the United States, APHIS administers regulations at 9 CFR part 79, which restrict the interstate movement of certain sheep and goats. When you move sheep or goats out of Montana to another state, you must comply with both federal requirements and the destination state’s requirements, which may be stricter.

If you are crossing state lines, you also need an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) for your animals. The ICVI must be issued by an accredited veterinarian and must include the animal’s tag number. The ICVI must include a statement by the issuing accredited or State or Federal veterinarian that the animals were not exhibiting clinical signs associated with scrapie at the time of examination.

Scrapie-positive, suspect, and high-risk animals, some exposed animals, and animals that originated in an infected or source flock require permits rather than CVIs. A permit lists the owner’s name and address, points of origin and destination, number of animals covered, purpose of the movement, and other required details. A new permit is required for each change in destination for an animal.

Intrastate Movement

The scrapie regulations require the official identification of sheep and goats not in slaughter channels — except low-risk commercial goats — and any sheep over 18 months of age in interstate commerce with some exceptions. States were also required to implement and enforce official identification of most sheep and goats on change of ownership intrastate in order to move sheep and goats interstate with minimal restrictions.

There are several limited exemptions from the identification requirement for intrastate movement. These include:

• Sheep or goats moved for grazing or similar management reasons without a change of ownership, when the animals are moved from a premises owned or leased by the owner to another premises owned or leased by the same owner — provided the premises is recorded in the National Scrapie Database as additional flock premises and commingling does not occur with unidentified animals born in another flock.
• Castrated sheep or goats under 18 months of age.
• Sheep or goats moving within a state that have only resided on premises and in flocks in the same state, where the animals and premises are owned by persons who do not engage in the interstate commerce of sheep or goats, and where the sheep or goats are of a class exempted from official ID by the state while in intrastate commerce.

Montana producers who manage livestock across multiple premises or who participate in seasonal grazing arrangements should also be aware of how the state’s broader agricultural regulatory landscape may intersect with livestock movement permits.

Reporting, Testing, and Quarantine Requirements in Montana

Detecting and containing scrapie depends heavily on timely reporting by producers and veterinarians. If you have a sheep or goat showing neurological signs, you are obligated to act quickly — not just as a matter of good practice, but as a regulatory requirement.

When and How to Report

If you have an adult sheep or goat that is exhibiting signs of scrapie such as incoordination, severe continuous rubbing or other neurologic signs, or an adult animal that dies or is euthanized, or is being culled — even if you know the cause of death — please contact your local State or USDA APHIS Veterinary Services veterinarian or call 866-536-7593 right away.

An accredited veterinarian must immediately report to both the Veterinary Official and the State Animal Health Official all diagnosed or suspected cases of a communicable animal disease for which APHIS has a control or eradication program in 9 CFR chapter I. This reporting obligation applies directly to scrapie suspects identified in Montana flocks.

Testing Requirements

When requested by the producer, accredited veterinarians can apply official eartags, collect and submit samples for official genotype testing, scrapie testing on obex, lymph node, third-eyelid lymphoid tissue, or rectal lymphoid tissue, and issue Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for interstate movement.

Infected sheep are identified through active slaughter surveillance, reporting of suspect animals by producers and accredited veterinarians, testing of mature sheep or goats that die on farm or at other locations, and live-animal testing of higher-risk animals. Submission of samples from sheep and goats over 18 months of age found dead or euthanized on your farm is extremely important.

Quarantine Procedures

Requirements for Consistent States include reporting and investigating any scrapie-suspect animal, affected animal, or scrapie-positive animal; identifying and quarantining infected and source flocks; individually identifying certain exposed animals; and individually identifying and monitoring certain high-risk animals.

At livestock facilities, quarantine rules are strictly enforced. Any reactor, suspect, exposed, high-risk, or scrapie-positive livestock must be held in quarantined pens apart from all other livestock at the facility. The quarantined pens holding such animals must be clearly marked and cleaned and disinfected before being used by other animals. They must also have proper drainage and be constructed of materials that are substantially impervious to moisture and able to withstand continued cleaning and disinfection.

If your flock is placed under quarantine, APHIS provides assistance to owners of exposed and infected flocks or herds that participate in cleanup plans, including indemnity for high-risk, suspect, and scrapie-positive sheep and exposed goats that owners agree to destroy, as well as genetic testing of sheep for scrapie susceptibility.

Understanding how Montana handles quarantine and disease reporting for sheep and goats is also relevant context for producers who track Montana’s animal health and carcass disposal regulations more broadly.

Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program (SFCP) in Montana

Beyond meeting the baseline regulatory requirements, Montana producers can voluntarily pursue a higher level of disease assurance through the Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program (SFCP). Participation in the SFCP can improve the marketability of your animals and demonstrate a documented commitment to flock health.

The SFCP is a voluntary program that is open to all sheep and goat producers in the United States. The overall objective of the SFCP is to minimize the scrapie risk of participating flocks and herds, thereby improving the marketability of animals from participating flocks and herds and contributing to the national scrapie eradication program.

Program Categories and Statuses

The SFCP has two categories: Export and Select. The Export category has two statuses — Export Monitored and Export Certified — and the Select category has one status: Select Monitored.

The objective of the Export category is to certify participating flocks and herds as scrapie-free establishments through limiting the acquisition of does and ewes from flocks of the same or higher status, annual inspections including reconciliation of the animal inventory, official individual animal identification requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and animal sampling requirements.

SFCP Tags and Enrollment

SFCP tags may only be purchased by owners of flocks participating in the Scrapie-Free Flock Certification Program. These tags are distinct from standard program tags and signal to buyers, markets, and regulators that your animals come from a certified flock with documented disease management history.

Accredited veterinarians are the producers’ primary source of education about all aspects of the program, including identification, recordkeeping, and movement requirements. If you are considering enrolling in the SFCP, your accredited veterinarian is your best starting point for understanding the inspection schedule, sampling requirements, and documentation you will need to maintain your certification status.

To enroll or learn more about the SFCP as it applies to your Montana operation, contact the USDA APHIS National Scrapie Eradication Program or the Montana Department of Livestock’s Animal Health Division. You can also call 1-866-USDA-TAG (866-873-2824) to be routed to the appropriate state or APHIS office for Montana-specific guidance on both standard program enrollment and SFCP participation.

Montana’s sheep and goat producers play a central role in whether the United States can reach the finish line on scrapie eradication. From proper animal identification and five-year recordkeeping to timely reporting of suspect animals and voluntary SFCP enrollment, every step you take strengthens traceability across the entire supply chain. Producers looking to stay current on related Montana animal regulations — including exotic animal ownership rules or seasonal wildlife regulations — will find that Montana maintains an active and well-structured framework for animal health across species.