# Scrapie Premise ID???



## Mini Goat Lover (May 4, 2011)

I was just wondering what everyone thinks about a Scrapie Premise ID? The 4-H dairy goat members here are required to have one for their goats/herds in order to show at fair.

Do you think it is a good thing or a bad thing?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Pretty controversial subject you got goin here. Personally I think it stinks, especially since scrappies is very rare in goats.
It is also setting a precedence for our young ones that have to comply with ridiculous govt regulations IMO.
On the other hand since USDA sent me a box of them free with the applicator & I didnt ask I do use them for any going for the table. It makes my job easier. Customer comes I say anybody with tag. That way I dont have to say "No that one's not for sale". 
It will be interesting to hear what others take is on it.
If you are showing withan association you dont need tags, just tats & registration papers.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I have a premise ID, but I don't put the tags on. When I sell a goat across state lines I send the tag with them. Both of my vets are willing to do this. Whether the tattoo is enough depends on whether they recognize the registry. (The kinder registry is not recognized by the USDA) In NM you pretty much have to have one to do anything, and when I was talking to them about it the state vet told me if you don't get it they will assign you one anyway and you can have trouble finding out what it is. So I did it. But the tags are another issue entirely. The premise ID goes with the property and not the individual. So far having it has caused me no hassle. 

It's kind of irrelevant whether it is a good or bad thing, if you want to do something that requires it you have to have it. Personally I am sympathetic to the idea of traceability in our food supply.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I dont mind doing it just dont 100% understand why. Like nancy said it is very rare so i was thinking it was a way of a brand, like if they go to butcher and has meds in them they know who to go after but that doesnt make that much sense either since if i buy 'sally' from fred it has his tag so if i resell her it has freds tag. I just dont get it to be honest but hey i got a free tagger out of it lol


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

It isn't about policing things like meds. It's about scrapie, which is the sheep/goat version of mad cow disease, and having a hope of tracking down the source if there is an infected animal identified. It's a really hard thing to do, and it pisses everyone with livestock off, but people who don't have the benefit of farming ought to be able to sort of think their food might be safe. Not that it is anyway.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

No i know its not about policing...but i dont get it we have had more cases of mad cow and we dont have to tag them and with more people buying a back yard cow there are more cattle going threw the sale with out a brand so i wad just saying these tags might be for more then just tracking scrapies even though they are not saying so


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The real reason for it has nothing to do with our food. If people would start complying and the US can show Scrapie-free status, then we can start exporting our sheep and goat meat again. Really it's a win situation for the meat producers as the price per pound will jump up when/if that happens. The demand for sheep and goat in other countries is huge. Being able to export would bring a lot of money into the county. In order to do it though the US has to be able to say that all our sheep and goats are free of Scrapies. It's already very rare. Maybe it won't be long until it truely is gone.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I don't like having to tag them, but I do understand the reasoning and goathiker has a great point. 
Of course we just raise for them for the kids to have 4-H projects, for pets, and to sell their babies to help offset the cost of having goats a little. 
The good thing about it would be, if you have a large herd, it's a great way to identify your animals. For example the woman we bought 2 does from in the spring, all you need is the scrapie id # and she can look up the animal's info. So there is a multi good use for the tag.

What gets me is all the market animals in our state have to have a scrapie tag AND a state KUIP tag. So if you also add in your Kentucky Proud tag, that is 3 tags that these animals have to have!!! It's ridiculous 
For the kids showing market animals I think it would be a lot easier if they could have a contract that every person selling a market animal has to fill out at the time of sale that the kids would bring with them to the KUIP tagging site, that would eliminate the Scrapie tag, and they'd have the contract so they'd have all the info needed on that animal. When they do the KUIP tagging on the animals, when they insert the tag, the way these tags are designed is they push a piece of skin/hair out when inserted, and then it's collected into a bag, and they test every single animal. 

Our buck was shown and doesn't have a scrapie tag, because the program has all the information on his breeder, so he's just tattooed.
We wanted to do this with our kids 4-H doelings. But 4-H said no, they HAVE to have their scrapie tag. 
I think if you have registered animals, and register your info with the scrapie program, you shouldn't have to have that tag, but I think any unregistered animals it should be a must...


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## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

> We wanted to do this with our kids 4-H doelings. But 4-H said no, they HAVE to have their scrapie tag.
> I think if you have registered animals, and register your info with the scrapie program, you shouldn't have to have that tag, but I think any unregistered animals it should be a must...


I totally agree with you. That's part of the reason why I can't show my doe in 4-H. She's not scrapie tagged or tattoed. My mom doesn't want to ear tag her. She would rather tattoo her but all meat goats MUST have a scrapie tag to show.  If only things weren't so complicated.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I cant find the booklet that they gave me when I got my tags, but Im sure it says that a reg. animal with a tattoo does not have to have the tag. But some of the reg. animals i have have the tag and some do not. But it still does not bother me to do it, I hated it when I was just tagging them right before I sold them and needed someone to help hold them, but now I just tag them when they are little and makes life so much better, I just wish the numbers were easier to read from far away then I wouldnt have to buy the id tags but my eye site is not that good lol.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Jessica84 said:


> I cant find the booklet that they gave me when I got my tags, but Im sure it says that a reg. animal with a tattoo does not have to have the tag. But some of the reg. animals i have have the tag and some do not. But it still does not bother me to do it, I hated it when I was just tagging them right before I sold them and needed someone to help hold them, but now I just tag them when they are little and makes life so much better, I just wish the numbers were easier to read from far away then I wouldnt have to buy the id tags but my eye site is not that good lol.


That is true I believe, because our buck was shown in ABGA shows by the breeder we bought him from, and he's tattooed but has no scrapie tag. 
However, in 4-H no scrapie..no show.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Yep, that sounds like our 4h when I was in it, make their own rules. I remember every year it was a big deal showing and selling my steers since I didnt have a bill of sale because it was born and raised here.....and they wonder why the kids run to ffa as fast as they can when they get into high school.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Jessica you can get easier to read tags from Premier, they now make them so the #s are larger & your herd prefix is on the inside.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

WOW!! Thanks! That will save the little guys one less tag!


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## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

> and they wonder why the kids run to ffa as fast as they can when they get into high school.


That's exactly what I did. We're allowed to join FFA in 7th grade. I tried joining in 6th grade but they wouldn't let me. It's sad that some kids have to wait until high school to do something they love because 4-H rules are so strict.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Yeah it was high school when i could join then i had to go on home school which had no ffa so back to 4h but then my last year went independent


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## Mini Goat Lover (May 4, 2011)

I just wish 4-H wasn't so strict on it. It would make things so much easier for us.


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