20/08/2026
Such a shame….
Just when it looked like we were nearing the possibility of bringing in live goats from the US, rather than the current way, to help diversify our current Pygmy goat genetics here in Australia…so sad.
This is why Bio Security matters!
A sheep died in Oregon without an ear tag. It will cost the US industry almost a decade of scrapie-free status
The USDA recently confirmed a case of classical scrapie in a sheep slaughtered in Oregon — the first detection in five years. That single case has reset the clock on the USA's path to official scrapie-free recognition, pushing it out to around 2033.
🕵🏼♀️ Investigators are trying to trace the animal back to its flock of origin, to find — and stop — the source of an outbreak. Scrapie is usually picked up during pregnancy and lambing. If traceback is effective, the flock of origin can be located and the disease outbreak may be stopped in its tracks. The problem: this sheep had no traceback ear tag. Without it, the trail goes cold.
Australia is currently recognised as scrapie-free. That status protects access to our sheepmeat export and domestic markets — access that would be shut down for years if scrapie ever turned up here and we couldn't trace it fast.
This is exactly why our NLIS tags and NVDs matter. Keep your NVD copies for at least seven years, and make sure every animal has an NLIS tag. It's the difference between containing an outbreak in weeks and chasing it for a decade.
💰 for 🧠 — you can help keep Australia scrapie-free and get paid for it.
Every year, Australia tests 200–300 sheep brains from animals showing suggestive neurological signs, to prove our ongoing freedom from scrapie. It's called Bucks for Brains, and it's how we back up our market access claims with real surveillance data.
If you have a sheep aged 18 months to five years showing changes in temperament, wool loss on the flank or hindquarters, rubbing, poor coordination, tremors, or difficulty rising — talk to your vet. Eligible producers receive $110 per sample (up to two animals per investigation), and vet costs are subsidised too.
📄 Full details and eligibility:https://animalhealthaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2024/09/Bucks-for-Brains-Brochure.pdf
Our market access depends on producers, vets, and traceability systems all doing their part. Tag it, keep your NVDs, and if you see the signs — get it tested.
Animal Health Australia Australian Wool Innovation Integrity Systems Meat & Livestock Australia AWI Extension VIC AWI Extension NSW AWI Extension QLD
AWI Extension WA AWI Extension SA
