Summer Sheep and Goat Show Sale Requirements

By Kelly Froehlich 

Summer is on the way and with it many sheep and goat shows and sales. Do you have the right documentation to be transporting your animals? Although legal requirements and paperwork can sometimes be confusing, there are many resources available to ensure you can hit the road and meet all state and federal requirements for transporting sheep.

Identification Tags

One program producers should understand is the National Scrapie Eradication Program. Federal and South Dakota’s state law stipulates that all sexually intact sheep and goats over 18 months of age must have an official ID when moved off their premises of origin. If you plan on showing or selling sexually intact sheep and goats over 18 months of age you must have a premises ID and those sheep and goats must have an official scrapie ID tag. Furthermore, records on all sheep and goats must be kept for a minimum of 5 years after the animal is sold or otherwise disposed. To determine how to get an official premises ID or tags, please refer to the National Scrapie Eradication Program: Animal Identification and Recordkeeping Guide for Sheep and Goats Factsheet or contact the USDA Animal and Health Inspection Service at 866-573-2824. Additional educational materials about scrapie for producers can be accessed at the USDA APHIS website.

Certificate of Veterinary Inspection

Another requirement producers should be aware of if any out-of-state activities are planned is the need for a current Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). These are required for most interstate movements of sheep and goats. Your local licensed, accredited veterinarian can provide services to inspect and prepare your animals for interstate movements. While there are some exceptions to this rule, if you are planning to attend any show out of state or within South Dakota, you will need a CVI. Refer to USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service Interstate Movement website for additional information. Additionally, some states or shows also require wethers to have a CVI. So be sure to check the sale or show you are attending and your state regulations by contacting your state animal health officials. For South Dakota this is the Animal Industry Board, which can be reached at 605-773-3321 or aibmail@state.sd.us. Contacts for the state animal health officials by state can be found in this resource.

Ram Requirements

Lastly, some states require rams test negative for epididymitis (Brucella ovis) or originate from a Brucella ovis free flock. For example, South Dakota requires breeding rams 6 months of age or older to be test negative using an ELISA test within 30 days prior to entering the state, or originate from a flock free of Brucella ovis that has a test record within the past year. Again, contacting state animal health officials or consulting the show/sale rules will help determine whether this test is needed.