TAHC Rules

1. Poultry and Goats
Texas Animal Health Commission
Rene Garza, Laredo Supervising Inspector
Jose Gutierrez, Laredo Sub Supervising Inspector
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2. Overview
• About TAHC
• Sheep and Goats: Scrapie
• Poultry: Avian Influenza
• Texas Fowl Registration Program
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3. Texas Animal Health Commission
Established in 1893 and charged with protecting the state’s
domestic animals “from all contagious or infectious diseases
of a malignant character.”
TAHC Remains True to its Charge:
• Assure livestock and poultry health
• Disease control and eradication
• Prevent production losses
• Maintain trade avenues
• Prepare for and respond to emergency situations involving
animals
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4. TAHC Region Offices
6 region offices
strategically located
across the state

5. Sheep and Goats
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Scrapie

6. Scrapie
• Fatal, degenerative disease that affects the nervous
system of sheep and goats
• Classified as a transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy (TSE)
• Not transmittable to humans
• Clinical signs can include:
• Altered behavior or temperament
• Lack of coordination or swaying
• Abnormal gait such as hopping or high-stepping
• Weight loss
• Trembling or falling due to sudden stimuli
• Pulling of wool or “scraping” along fences and other objects
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7. Scrapie
• Animal disease traceability (ADT) plays a role in
mitigating the spread of scrapie
• Although ADT does not prevent disease, an efficient and
accurate traceability system reduces the number of animals
and response time involved in a disease investigation
• In turn, reduces the economic impact on owners and affected
communities
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8. Scrapie
Identification Requirements
• All sheep and goats must have official identification when
moving off their premises of origin, unless they are one of
the following:
• Sheep and goats moving with a group I.D. and owner/hauler
statement which includes:
• Sheep and goats under 18 months of age in slaughter channels; and
• Sheep and goats of any age shipped directly to a slaughter
establishment that has agreed to act as an agent for the owner to apply
official I.D. All the animals in a section of a truck must be from the same
flock of origin
• Sheep and goats that are castrated and under 18 months of age
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9. Scrapie
Official Identification
• Official I.D. for sheep and goats include:
• Plastic flock I.D. tags
• Scrapie 840 RFID ear tags
• Metal flock I.D. tags
• Registered tattoos and 840 electronic implants are
accepted as official I.D. tags with the exception of
sheep and goats in slaughter channels or that are
moving through a livestock market or buying station
• Back tags allowed for direct to slaughter
movements of earless animals, and, with approval,
aggressive animals where it may be too dangerous
to tag
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10. How to Get Official ID
• Step 1: Owners must be assigned a nationally unique
number.
• To request a scrapie flock I.D. contact the TAHC Animal
Disease Traceability Team at animal_id@tahc.texas.gov or
512-719-0733.
• Step 2: Order official I.D. tags.
• USDA will provide up to 100 plastic flock ID tags to producers
who have not received free tags from USDA in the past. Call
Call 866-USDA-TAG.
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11. Poultry: Avian Influenza
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12. Avian Influenza (AI)
• Influenza type A virus that infects domestic poultry, fowl
and birds, such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, ducks,
geese and guinea fowl
• Many strains categorized into two classifications:
• Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI)
• Occurs naturally in wild migratory waterfowl and shorebirds without
causing illness
• Can infect domestic poultry creating little or no signs of illness.
• Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
• Extremely infectious, often fatal to chickens, and can spread rapidly
from flock-to-flock
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13. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza:
United States
• Since January 2022, the USDA has reported multiple
findings of HPAI in the wild bird population across the
United States
• On February 9, 2022, the USDA announced the
confirmation of HPAI in a commercial turkey flock in
Dubois County, Indiana
• As of May 23, 2022, the USDA has confirmed HPAI in
35 states across the United States
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15. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza:
Texas
• On April 2, 2022, the USDA and TAHC confirmed HPAI
in a commercial pheasant flock in Erath County, TX
• Since May 4, 2022, the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department has confirmed two cases of HPAI in wild
birds in TX
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16. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza:
Biosecurity
• Poultry owners should practice strong biosecurity to
help reduce the chances of birds being exposed to HPAI
• Eliminate opportunities for birds to interact with wild birds
• If you have birds at home, do not visit another farm, home or
facility that also has birds
• Remember that vehicles can be sources for disease
transmission
• Early detection can help prevent the spread of disease
• Report sick (with HPAI clinical signs) and dead birds
immediately
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17. Texas Fowl
Registration Program
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18. Texas Fowl Registration Program
• A seller, distributor, or transporter of live domestic or exotic
fowl in this state must register with the TAHC. The
registration requirements apply to the following groups:
• A seller (sells at a location other then premises of origin, etc.),
distributor, or transporter.
• To register, applicants must complete and submit the TAHC
fowl registration application form and a TAHC Inspector will
schedule an inspection
• The application for the certificate of fowl registration is valid for 12
months from the date the permit is issued
• The registrant must maintain proof of registration at each
location where an activity that requires registration takes
place.
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19. www.tahc.texas.gov
Thank you
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Rene Garza
Jose Gutierrez