Scrapie Eradication Program in Utah: What Sheep and Goat Producers Need to Know
July 11, 2026
If you raise sheep or goats in Utah, scrapie compliance is not optional — it is a legal requirement that touches every aspect of how you identify, move, and manage your animals. Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats, and its continued presence in the United States has real consequences for producers, including restricted export markets and added production costs.
Utah producers operate within a layered framework of federal and state rules designed to track and eliminate the disease. Understanding exactly what is required of you — from ear tags to quarantine protocols — helps you stay compliant and protects the value of your flock or herd.
What Is Scrapie and Why It Is Regulated in Utah
Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative TSE disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats, first recognized in Great Britain and other countries of Western Europe more than 250 years ago, and has since been reported throughout the world. In the United States, scrapie has primarily been reported in the black-face meat breeds and their crosses.
Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system of sheep and goats, is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, and infected flocks typically experience significant production losses. The economic stakes extend beyond individual farms: the U.S. sheep and goat industry continues to experience export losses and increased production and disposal costs because the United States is not free of scrapie.
Scrapie is difficult to detect — it can take 2 to 5 years for an animal to show signs of disease, and current diagnostic tests require brain or lymphoid tissue. Animals typically live 1 to 6 months after they begin to show signs. This long incubation period is precisely why regulations focus so heavily on identification and traceability.
Visible signs you should watch for include intense rubbing, incoordination that progresses to an inability to stand, and death. Other signs may include head tremors, head pressing or “star gazing,” significant weight loss with no decrease in appetite, and wool pulling. In goats specifically, additional signs may include difficulty milking and premature kidding.
Scrapie is caused by an abnormal prion protein. Prions are very resistant to destruction by cooking, rendering, normal heat sterilizing methods, and many detergents — making them extremely difficult to eliminate once they are in the environment. Most animals are infected as young lambs or kids, but adult animals can get it too, and apparently healthy animals infected with the disease agent can spread it.
Because Utah is home to a significant sheep and goat agricultural sector, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) actively enforces both federal and state-level scrapie rules. Compliance is not just about avoiding penalties — it protects the long-term viability of your operation and Utah’s broader livestock industry. You can also explore other aspects of Utah’s diverse animal life, including roadkill laws in Utah that affect how livestock-related incidents on public roads are handled.
Utah’s Role in the National Scrapie Eradication Program
The National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP) is a cooperative State-Federal-industry program working to eradicate classical scrapie from the United States and meet World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) criteria for disease freedom. Utah participates in this program as a Consistent State, meaning the UDAF enforces identification and movement requirements that align with or exceed federal standards.
To date, the program has eliminated scrapie in 99 percent of U.S. sheep and goats, and the program is now conducting targeted sampling of subpopulations that have a higher prevalence of scrapie than the general sheep and goat population to find the remaining cases.
The National Scrapie Eradication Program 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). As a Utah producer, you are subject to ASEP requirements by law, while the SFCP offers an optional pathway to achieve and demonstrate certified scrapie-free status.
USDA-APHIS has completed a standards update that officials believe will be more efficient in disease eradication and more consistent in the identification and record-keeping requirements for sheep and goats. Utah’s State Veterinarian at the UDAF has emphasized that in order to declare the United States “scrapie-free,” there must be evidence of testing in all sheep and goat populations — which is why Utah’s role in consistent statewide enforcement matters.
Surveillance is conducted through the NSEP, a cooperative State-Federal-industry program working to eradicate classical scrapie from the U.S. and meet World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) criteria for disease freedom. The UDAF works alongside USDA-APHIS Veterinary Services to coordinate testing, tagging, and quarantine actions within the state.
Official Animal Identification Requirements in Utah
At the state level, the UDAF requires all goats in Utah to be enrolled in the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program. The same requirements apply to sheep. Federal law mandates that all goats leaving their birth premises — whether for sale, show, or transport — must have official identification. In Utah, this typically means your animals must be tagged with USDA-approved ear tags or tattoos that include your flock’s official premises identification number (PIN).
All sheep and goats must have official ID when moving off their premises of origin, with limited exceptions. Understanding which animals require tagging and which qualify for exceptions is critical to staying compliant.
Animals That Require Official ID
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. This includes:
- All intact (non-castrated) sheep and goats of any age leaving the premises of origin
- All female sheep and goats of any age
- Male goats produced for meat or fiber that are slaughtered at over 18 months of age
- Any animal changing ownership, regardless of age or sex
Accepted Forms of Official Identification
You have several options for meeting the official ID requirement. Producers should consider the different devices available — including metal or plastic tags, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, RFID implants (there are restrictions on the use of implants) — and choose what works best for them.
| ID Type | Approved Use | Key Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic flock ID eartag | All movement and ownership changes | Must display flock/premises ID number |
| Metal serial eartag | All movement and ownership changes | No longer provided free to producers (as of Aug. 31, 2019) |
| RFID / 840 eartag | All movement; preferred for electronic traceability | Requires national premises ID (PIN) to purchase |
| 840 RFID microchip implant | Non-slaughter, non-market movement only | Must be placed in lower ear or web of tail |
| Registry tattoo | Non-slaughter, non-market movement only | Must be accompanied by APHIS-approved registration papers |
Registered animals may be identified with a registration tattoo instead of a tag, as long as the animal is accompanied by a copy of the registration certificate issued by an APHIS-approved registry listing the current owner or the registration certificate and a completed transfer of ownership form dated within 60 days that lists the current owner.
Obtaining a premises ID and official scrapie tags is free and handled through the UDAF. 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. To request tags or obtain your flock/premises ID, call 1-866-USDA-TAG (866-873-2824).
Flock Registration and Recordkeeping Requirements in Utah
Before you can obtain official scrapie tags, you must have a registered flock or premises identification number. Obtaining a premises ID and official scrapie tags is free and handled through the UDAF. The scrapie eradication program pre-dates the Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) Program. 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.
Flock ID tag numbers are the producer’s flock ID assigned by APHIS or the State followed by an individual animal number. This number system links every tagged animal directly to your operation, making disease traceability possible.
What Records You Must Keep
Producers are required to follow Federal and State regulations for officially identifying their sheep and goats, and must also keep herd records showing what new animals were added and what animals left the herd/flock. Specifically, your records should include:
- The official ID number of every animal on your premises
- The date each animal was identified (tagged or tattooed)
- Records of all animals acquired, including the source flock’s ID and acquisition date
- Records of all animals that left the premises, including the destination and date of departure
- Any replacement tag numbers linked to the original tag record
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.
If you purchase goats or sheep from a breeder, the seller is responsible for ensuring animals are properly identified before they leave the property. However, as the new owner, you are responsible for maintaining that identification and applying it to any animals born on your premises.
Good recordkeeping also supports your eligibility for the voluntary Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program and makes any regulatory inspection or disease investigation significantly easier to navigate. If you are interested in Utah’s broader agricultural regulations, you may also find it useful to review goat ownership laws in Utah for additional context on state-level livestock requirements.
Interstate and Intrastate Movement Rules for Sheep and Goats in Utah
Movement rules are among the most consequential compliance areas for Utah producers, particularly those who sell breeding stock, show animals, or participate in livestock markets across state lines. The rules differ depending on whether your animals are moving within Utah or crossing into another state.
Interstate Movement Requirements
In September 2001, the scrapie regulations were revised to 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. In addition, the revision required States 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.
For interstate movement, you will generally also need a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). 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.
Intrastate Movement Requirements
Within Utah, movement rules apply when ownership changes. Sheep or goats moving within a state that have only resided on premises and in flocks in the same state and 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 may qualify for an exemption — but this is a narrow exception that does not apply to most commercial operations.
Key Movement Exceptions
The following animals may move without individual official ID under specific conditions:
- Sheep and goats moving with a group ID and owner/hauler statement — this includes sheep and goats under 18 months of age in slaughter channels, or sheep and goats of any age shipped directly to a slaughter establishment or a federally approved market that has agreed to act as an agent for the owner to apply official ID and when all the animals in a section of a truck are from the same flock of origin.
- 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 of the animals to another premises owned or leased by the owner of the animals — 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.
Livestock markets may charge a fee to apply official identification if you are sending animals to a federally approved market that acts as an agent for tagging. Factor this into your cost planning when sending untagged animals to market.
Reporting, Testing, and Quarantine Requirements in Utah
Scrapie surveillance in Utah depends on producers and veterinarians actively reporting suspect animals and submitting samples for testing. If you observe clinical signs consistent with scrapie, you are required to act — not wait.
Who Must Report
Animal health professionals — including veterinarians, diagnostic laboratories, public health, zoo, or wildlife personnel, and others — report diagnosed or suspected cases of nationally listed reportable animal diseases to APHIS Area Veterinarians in Charge and to the State animal health official as applicable under State reporting regulations. As a producer, if you suspect an animal disease, you should contact your veterinarian to evaluate the animal or herd.
The accreditation standards require reporting of live or dead scrapie suspects to State and Federal authorities. Your accredited veterinarian is your primary contact for initiating this process in Utah.
How Testing Works
Producers, accredited veterinarians, APHIS representatives, and State animal health employees may collect and submit samples from adult sheep or goats. Producers may remove and submit whole heads or report deceased sheep or goats and ask for help with submitting samples.
APHIS provides shipping boxes and pre-printed, postage-paid labels at no cost to producers and accredited veterinarians. APHIS will pay for scrapie testing of up to 30 animals per flock per year.
Confirmatory diagnosis requires post-mortem tissue. Confirmatory testing for scrapie can only be achieved by applying immunohistochemistry of disease-associated prion protein (PrPSC) to tissues collected post mortem, including obex (a brainstem structure), retropharyngeal lymph node, and palatine tonsil. A live-animal diagnostic test using rectal biopsy tissue is also available for preliminary screening, though it is not confirmatory.
Quarantine and Flock Management After a Positive Finding
If scrapie is confirmed in your flock, APHIS and the UDAF will work with you to implement a cleanup plan. 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 — with effective tracing of infected animals to their flock or herd of origin and tracing and testing of exposed animals made possible as a result of identification requirements.
If scrapie develops in a flock, the risk of further spread, reintroduction of the disease, or both can be minimized through removal of genetically susceptible exposed sheep and exposed goats — and if all susceptible exposed animals are not removed, live-animal testing and removal of test-positive animals.
APHIS provides the following assistance to owners of exposed and infected flocks or herds that participate in cleanup plans: indemnity for high-risk, suspect, and scrapie-positive sheep and exposed goats that owners agree to destroy; genetic testing of sheep for scrapie susceptibility.
Genetic resistance is also a management tool. At Codon 171 — the gene most generally focused on in the U.S. — QQ animals are highly susceptible to scrapie infection if exposed; QR animals are rarely susceptible; and RR animals are resistant. Selecting genetically resistant rams can significantly reduce your flock’s long-term risk.
Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program (SFCP) in Utah
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.
Participation in the SFCP is one of the most effective ways to differentiate your Utah operation in the marketplace, particularly if you sell breeding stock or export animals. The program provides sheep and goat producers the opportunity to increase the marketability of their animals through demonstrating a negligible scrapie risk in their flock or herd.
SFCP 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.
| Category | Status | Primary Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Export | Export Monitored | Reduced movement restrictions; pathway to Export Certified |
| Export | Export Certified | Highest certification level; eligible for international export markets |
| Select | Select Monitored | Demonstrates low scrapie risk; improves domestic marketability |
What the Export Category Requires
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 (ID) requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and animal sampling requirements.
Biosecurity Standards at Shows and Sales
If you exhibit or sell SFCP-enrolled animals at shows or livestock events, specific biosecurity rules apply. The SFCP standards provide guidelines for reducing the risk of scrapie exposure while animals are at shows or in transport. Guidelines include separating enrolled animals from non-enrolled animals by a vacant pen, barn alley, or a solid barrier sufficient to prevent physical contact. Limited contact in show rings minimizes the risk of disease transmission.
At exhibits or sales, animals enrolled in the Export category may not commingle with non-enrolled pregnant animals or animals that are within 60 days post lambing or kidding. This rule protects the integrity of your certification status and reduces transmission risk at high-contact events.
How to Enroll in Utah
All flock owners may apply to enter the voluntary scrapie flock certification program by contacting the APHIS Veterinary Services office in the area they live. In Utah, you can also initiate enrollment through the UDAF. Your accredited veterinarian plays a central role: accredited veterinarians are the producers’ primary source of education about all aspects of the program, including identification, recordkeeping, and movement requirements.
For complete SFCP program standards, visit the USDA-APHIS scrapie program page or contact the UDAF directly. You can also call 1-866-USDA-TAG to be routed to the correct Utah state or APHIS office for enrollment assistance.
Staying current with scrapie regulations is part of responsible livestock ownership in Utah. Whether you are a small hobby farmer or a large commercial operation, the identification, recordkeeping, movement, and certification rules described here apply to you. For more on Utah’s agricultural and wildlife regulations, explore topics like types of snakes in Utah or types of hawks in Utah to better understand the broader ecological context in which Utah livestock producers operate.