# Title 48.1 — State Board of Animal Health

## Article 48.1-11 — Sheep

## Chapter 48.1-11-01 — Sheep

Exemptions
### § 48.1-11-01-01. Definitions.

Definitions contained in title 9, Code of Federal Regulations, part 79.1 are adopted by the board
and apply to this chapter, unless otherwise defined or ordered by the board.
History: Effective July 1, 2016.
General Authority: NDCC 36-01-08
Law Implemented: NDCC 36-01-08, 36-01-12, 9 CFR 79.1, 9 CFR 161
### § 48.1-11-01-02. Importation requirements - Certificate of veterinary inspection - Identification -

Exemptions.
1. Sheep imported into the state must be accompanied by an official certificate of veterinary
inspection except:
a. Sheep originating directly from a producer's premises, not diverted en route, and
consigned to an auction market approved by the board.
b. Sheep consigned to a state or federally inspected slaughtering establishment.
c. Sheep granted an exception by the board, if in the opinion of the state veterinarian the
animals are free of contagious or infectious diseases.
d. Sheep leaving the state for exhibition or competition with a valid certificate of veterinary
inspection may return to the state with the same certificate of veterinary inspection if the
animal has not been out of the state for more than thirty days.
e. Other sheep as otherwise provided for by these rules.
2. Certificates of veterinary inspection for sheep must include an importation permit number
issued by the state veterinarian before entering the state. Sheep imported on a nationally
approved electronic certificate of veterinary inspection platform, not originating in an area
classified as infected by contagious disease, as determined by the board or state veterinarian,
may be exempt from the requirement of an importation permit number.
3. The state veterinarian may deny a request for an importation permit number if the state
veterinarian has information that sheep:

a. Have not met the disease testing, vaccination, and identification requirements set forth in
North Dakota Century Code title 36 or this title, or as otherwise required by the state
veterinarian;
b. Have not met any pre-entry quarantine conditions imposed by law;
c. Have been exposed to, may have been exposed to, is infected with, or may be infected
with any contagious or infectious disease;
d. Are from or may originate from an area or premises under quarantine or other form of
official or regulatory action relating to contagious or infectious disease; or
e. May be a threat to the health and well-being of the human or animal population of the
state, or both.
4. Sheep entering the state must be officially identified by an official scrapie tag or by another
method approved by the state veterinarian.
5. Sheep from foreign countries must be permanently officially identified with a method
prescribed by the state veterinarian and an electronic identification compatible with the federal
animal identification plan.
6. The state veterinarian may require additional disease testing, treatment, vaccination, or
identification if the state veterinarian has reason to believe that other health risks are present.
7. Sheep infected, or recently exposed to any contagious or infectious disease, may not be
imported into the state.
History: Effective July 1, 2016; amended effective July 1, 2024.
General Authority: NDCC 36-01-08
Law Implemented: NDCC 36-01-08, 36-01-12, 36-14-04.1
### § 48.1-11-01-03. Importation disease testing requirements.

1. Brucella ovis.
a. Breeding rams twelve months of age or older imported into the state must have tested
negative for brucella ovis within thirty days prior to entry;
b. The flock of origin must have a negative brucella ovis status. To qualify a flock as a
negative brucella ovis status flock, two negative tests for brucella ovis must have been
administered, forty-five to sixty days apart, during the same year, to all rams one year of
age or older, and thereafter a yearly negative test must have been administered to all
rams in the flock one year of age or older;
c. The state veterinarian may authorize the importation of registered breeding sheep and
exempt them from the initial import requirements of this subsection. Registered breeding
sheep imported by this authorization must be held under quarantine and isolated from
other sheep until they have met the requirements of this subsection;
d. Animals testing positive on a post-entry test must be euthanized and no indemnity is paid
to the owner or the animals may be immediately returned to the state of origin;
e. All tests for brucella ovis administered pursuant to this section must be tests officially
recognized or otherwise approved by the state veterinarian: and
f. Rams imported temporarily for exhibition and return to state of origin may be exempt
from the test requirement.

2. Scrapie.
History: Effective July 1, 2016; amended effective July 1, 2024.
General Authority: NDCC 36-01-08
Law Implemented: NDCC 36-01-08, 36-01-12, 36-14-04.1
### § 48.1-11-01-04. Disease control.

1. Anthrax.
a. Sheep susceptible to anthrax located on farms where anthrax has been diagnosed shall
be vaccinated. Animals must be quarantined for thirty days after the death of the last
animal or thirty days following vaccination, whichever occurs last.
b. Sale of hides removed from animals infected with anthrax is prohibited.
2. Brucella ovis.
a. Flocks may be tested to obtain brucella ovis negative flock status.
b. To qualify a flock as a negative brucella ovis status flock, two negative tests for brucella
ovis must have been administered, forty-five to sixty days apart, during the same year, to
all rams one year of age or older, and thereafter a yearly negative test must have been
administered to all rams in the flock one year of age or older.
3. Scrapie.
a. Identification.
(1) The owner of a flock or the owner's agent officially shall identify all animals upon
change of ownership to the flock of birth or the flock of origin, if the flock of birth
cannot be determined. Sheep are required to be officially identified except:
(a) Slaughter sheep (sheep in slaughter channels) less than eighteen months of
age. If a sexually intact sheep is sold at an unrestricted sale (any sale that is
not a slaughter or feeding for slaughter sale), it must be identified.
(b) Wether sheep less than eighteen months of age.
(c) Animals shipped directly to an approved slaughter facility or an approved
auction market, when all the animals in a section of a truck are from the same
premises of origin and are accompanied by an owner's statement.
(d) Animals moved for grazing or similar management reasons whenever 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.
(2) An animal that is required to be individually identified or that originates from any
area where, in the determination of the board, scrapie may exist may not be sold,
transported, received for transportation, or offered for sale or transportation in
intrastate commerce unless each animal is identified in accordance with this
section.
(3) A person may not remove or tamper with any means of identification required to be
on animals pursuant to this section while the animals are in intrastate commerce,
and, at the time of slaughter, animal identification must be maintained throughout
postmortem inspection.

(4) The recommended scrapie eradication uniform methods and rules as they appear in
publication of USDA-APHIS-VS are adopted and constitute a rule of the board,
unless otherwise ordered by the board.
History: Effective July 1, 2016; amended effective July 1, 2024.
General Authority: NDCC 36-01-08
Law Implemented: NDCC 36-01-12; 9 CFR 54, 9 CFR 79.2
### § 48.1-11-01-05. Removal or damaging of official identification or marks.

Official identification or marks may not be removed or tampered with without approval by the state
veterinarian.
History: Effective July 1, 2016.
General Authority: NDCC 36-01-08
Law Implemented: NDCC 36-01-08
