Revised
June, 2008

Administration:   These statutes are administered by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry, State Office Building, 301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509. Telephone: (402) 471-2351.

Revisions:   The provisions of these statutes were last revised during the 2003 Nebraska Legislature.

Rules:   No regulations are currently in effect relative to these statutes.

54-1401   Terms, defined.
54-1402   Sheep; treated for scabies; not to be sold for slaughter; lapse of time; designated by Department of Agriculture.
54-1403   Sheep; diversion from slaughter prohibited; feeding, breeding, and exhibition; certificate of veterinary inspection; permit.
54-1404   Sheep; auction markets; requirements.
54-1405   Sheep; moved intrastate; requirements.
54-1406   Sheep; moved to a county in a scabies eradication area; requirements.
54-1407   Sheep; inspection, examination, treatment; enter upon premises; without interference; report animal exposed or affected with scabies.
54-1408   Sheep; infected with scabies; quarantine; dipping; cost; violation; penalty.
54-1409   Animals; scabies; treatment.
54-1410   Director of Agriculture; rules and regulations.
54-1411   Violations; penalty.

54-1401. Terms, defined.   A scabies-free area shall be a county or group of counties in which a systematic inspection of all flocks of sheep including feedlots has been completed and no scabies is found to exist.

Scabies eradication area shall be a county or group of counties in which a systematic inspection of all flocks of sheep is being carried out but has not been completed.

Scabies quarantined area or premises shall be where scabies now exists or has existed and the required dipping procedures have not been completed.

All exposed flocks shall be quarantined and absolutely no animals removed from the premises until the flock has been dipped once in a permitted dip maintained at a required strength under the supervision of a state or federal inspector in accordance with the directions issued by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry.

Exposed flocks shall mean flocks where no scabies exist but animals have been exposed to sheep affected with scabies.

All infected flocks shall be quarantined and absolutely no animals removed from the premises until the entire flock has been dipped twice ten to fourteen days apart in a permitted dip maintained at a required strength under the supervision of a state or federal inspector in accordance with the directions issued by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry.

Infected flocks shall be flocks in which scabies exists or flocks to which animals have been added from a known infected source.

54-1402. Sheep; treated for scabies; not to be sold for slaughter; lapse of time; designated by Department of Agriculture.   Sheep that have been treated for scabies shall not be sold for slaughter until the elapse of a specified amount of time which shall depend upon the method of treatment as designated by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry.

54-1403. Sheep; diversion from slaughter prohibited; feeding, breeding, and exhibition; certificate of veterinary inspection; permit.   Sheep directed for slaughter in Nebraska shall not be diverted en route. Sheep for feeding, breeding, and exhibition purposes from scabies- certified-free states shall be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection meeting the requirements of section 54-788, certifying that they are apparently free from disease. Sheep for feeding, breeding, and exhibition purposes from states designated as scabies eradication areas or from states where scabies exists and which are not designated as scabies eradication areas shall be dipped once in a permitted dip maintained at a required strength under the supervision of a state or federal inspector in accordance with the directions issued by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry within ten days from their entry into Nebraska. Sheep from a scabies eradication area shall be accompanied by a permit, and the number of the permit shall be recorded on the certificate of veterinary inspection which shall accompany the shipment.

54-1404. Sheep; auction markets; requirements.   All sheep released from auction markets must be accompanied by form P-10 Nebraska permit to move livestock provided by the Department of Agriculture on which shall be designated the number of animals, purpose and destination of the shipment. An original and one copy of this form must be mailed to the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Any auction market that handles sheep to be sold for purposes other than direct to slaughter must maintain approved dipping facilities.

If yarding facilities are maintained which are sufficient to prevent commingling with other sheep and these facilities are not used for any other purpose, sheep from counties within an area designated as scabies free may be released without dipping. Sheep dipped within ten days prior to arrival at auction markets and where such dipping is supported by approved certification, may be released without further dipping. Sheep not in the above two categories must be dipped in a permitted dip maintained at a required strength under the supervision of a state or federal inspector in accordance with the directions issued by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry within ten days of release.

54-1405. Sheep; moved intrastate; requirements.   Sheep to be moved in Nebraska from one farm or ranch to another farm or ranch must not be diverted en route. Sheep being moved to a county within an area designated as scabies free may move without restriction if from a county of the same status or under special permit from the State Veterinarian if the native flock has been inspected and found free by a state or federal inspector or accredited veterinarian prior to movement. In the alternative, sheep may be moved on permit after being dipped in a permitted dip maintained at a required strength under the supervision of a state or federal inspector in accordance with the directions issued by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry within ten days prior to movement.

54-1406. Sheep; moved to a county in a scabies eradication area; requirements.   Sheep to be moved to a county within an area designated as a scabies eradication area: (1) May be moved without restrictions if from a county designated as scabies free; (2) If from a county within an area designated as a scabies eradication area and the entire flock has been inspected under a systematic inspection program and found free, sheep may move without further requirements; or (3) Must be dipped in a permitted dip maintained at a required strength under the supervision of a state or federal inspector in accordance with the directions issued by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry within ten days prior to movement.

54-1407. Sheep; inspection, examination, treatment; enter upon premises; without interference; report animal exposed or affected with scabies.   In accordance with sections 54-701 to 54-705, any officer, agent, employee or appointee of the Department of Agriculture or the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Disease Eradication Division, shall have the right to enter upon the premises of any person or persons for the purpose of making inspections of any animals found to be infected with or exposed to scabies and to declare, deliver and enforce any and all quarantines.

It shall be the duty of any owner or custodian of any flock or portion of a flock of sheep to make such sheep available for inspections, examinations or necessary treatments whenever any inspector or person employed or authorized by the Department of Agriculture shall find it necessary to inspect, examine, or treat such animals.

It shall be the duty of any owner or custodian of any sheep to report to the Bureau of Animal Industry when any animal is suspected of being exposed to or affected with scabies.

54-1408. Sheep; infected with scabies; quarantine; dipping; cost; violation; penalty.   When animals are found to be infected with or exposed to scabies they shall be held in quarantine at a place to be prescribed by the Department of Agriculture until treated or dipped and the premises cleaned and disinfected as deemed necessary by the department. The cost of dipping or otherwise treating such animals as deemed necessary by the department shall be borne by the owner thereof.

Any conveyance or yarding facility must be cleaned and disinfected following transportation or yarding of any sheep known to be infected with scabies before being used for transport or holding any other sheep.

Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a Class III misdemeanor.

54-1409. Animals; scabies; treatment.   Whenever any domestic animal or animals are found to have scabies and are required by the Bureau of Animal Industry to be treated on account of such scabies, such treatment shall be applied as directed by the Bureau of Animal Industry, under the immediate supervision of an authorized veterinarian or other designated inspector. The treatment of scabies and mange or both, in the instance of livestock shall be in the following manner:

(1) The treatment, unless otherwise designated by the Bureau of Animal Industry, shall be by dipping in a bath or vat which shall be of sufficient size and so arranged as to permit complete immersion of the animal to be treated in the dipping fluid; and

(2) Treatment, unless otherwise directed by the Bureau of Animal Industry shall be by immersion in a permitted dip maintained at a required strength under the supervision of a state or federal inspector in accordance with the directions issued by the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry.

54-1410. Director of Agriculture; rules and regulations.   The Director of Agriculture is authorized to make, promulgate, amend, repeal, and enforce necessary rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of sections 54-1401 to 54-1411.

54-1411. Violations; penalty.   Any person violating any of the provisions of sections 54-1401 to 54-1411 for which a specific penalty is not otherwise provided shall be deemed guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor.