In her article “Sheep on the Move” in Spin Off Summer 2019, Deb Robson explains why moving sheep around the world is more complicated than you might think. Deb’s article is thorough and well documented, and a few details didn’t fit in the print edition. For the curious reader, here are detailed notes, tables, and a bibliography on how to import wool.
Diseases and Pests to Avoid
Here’s a laundry list of bugs we don’t want to move around the world. Specific testing depends on what countries the animals or germ plasm are coming from and going to. Deformities, abortion, and early mortality are common effects, with simple low productivity at the less obvious end of the spectrum. Some diseases can be transferred to humans. In a few cases, sheep are not the primary species affected but can be carriers.
Insect-borne viruses
Aino (Shuni orthobunyavirus) Akabane Bluetongue virus (BTV) Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) Schmallenberg virus (SBV)
Other viruses
Caprine arthritis and encephalitis Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Sheep pox and goat pox Maedi-visna (Ovine Progressive Pneumonia, OPP) Rift Valley Fever Rinderpest—testing not currently required because it has been declared to be eradicated, although samples are thought to still exist
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion-caused diseases
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) Scrapie
Bacterial diseases
Brucellosis—Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis, Brucella ovis Campylobacter fetus Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia—Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae Johne’s disease—Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis Leptospirosis Tuberculosis—Mycobacterium bovis
Parasite-borne diseases
Surra—caused by Trypanosoma evansi Sheep scabies or sheep scab—caused by five kinds of mites Psorogates ovis Sheep ticks
Soay sheep are associated with St. Kilda, a set of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean west of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. Some Soay have been transferred to other locations in the British Isles and to North America. Photo by Duncan McNab on Unsplash
Definitions
Prion: a protein in an abnormal (misfolded) form that causes neurodegenerative diseases; not all prions cause illness
Bacteria: microscopic living organisms, usually single-celled; they can be beneficial or cause disease; bacterial illnesses can be treated with antibiotics
Virus: microorganism, smaller than a bacterium, that can only reproduce within living cells; antiviral medications and vaccines may affect them, although antibiotics are not useful in counteracting viral diseases
USDA Animal Product Manual Tables
The following three tables provided by the United States Government give criteria for individuals or companies who want to import wool.
International Restrictions to Import Wool Sheep to the United States
(Strict criteria govern cross-border shipments of all types.)
Live sheep, embryos, and semen
Australia, New Zealand
Live sheep and semen only
Canada
Semen only
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
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To read Deb's companion article, check out the Summer 2019 issue of Spin Off.
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Deborah Robson is the fiber author of The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook and The Field Guide to Fleece, and is a former editor of Spin Off. The information here is excerpted from research for some of her Fiber Guidebooks. Her website is independentstitch.com and find her on Instagram @independentstitch.
Originally published May 21, 2019; updated August 21, 2023.