Oregon scrapie case prompts renewed emphasis on traceability and biosecurity in US sheep industry

A recent scrapie detection in Oregon reignites focus on the importance of traceability and biosecurity measures for sheep producers across the US, highlighting ongoing risks despite decades of eradication efforts.

A scrapie detection in an Oregon sheep in late July has reset the US clock for declaring the disease eradicated, but Kansas livestock specialists say the more immediate lesson for producers is the value of traceability and biosecurity.

Kelsey Bentley, a Kansas State University extension specialist in small ruminants, said Kansas has gone more than a decade without a reported case and urged producers not to overreact. The disease, a fatal prion disorder of sheep and goats, can spread before animals show signs, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

APHIS says symptoms often do not emerge for two to five years after infection, and infected flocks can suffer meaningful production losses. The agency’s National Scrapie Eradication Programme has relied on genetic selection, surveillance and depopulation to push the disease to very low levels. A USDA factsheet cited by Ohio State University says prevalence in adult sheep sampled at slaughter has fallen by more than 99%.

Bentley said official identification remains essential, especially when animals move through commercial channels. She recommended tagging lambs and kids early, even in closed flocks, so records are in place before sale or transport.

For producers, the Oregon case is a reminder that eradication remains unfinished work, and that the identification system is as much about preparedness for other animal health threats as it is about scrapie.