NAHMS 248 Sheep 2011 - General Producer Agreement

Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service

Veterinary Services

National Animal Health Monitoring System

2150 Centre Ave, Bldg B

Fort Collins, CO 80526

Form Approved

OMB Number 0579-0188

Expires: 6/30/2013

Sheep 2011

General

Producer Agreement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the State of _______________, and the Producer hereby enter into this National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Sheep 2011 PRODUCER AGREEMENT, the terms of which are set forth below.

1. APHIS and/or the State of __________________ will provide personnel who will be referred to as the Data Collector. The Data Collector and the Producer will participate together in implementing a statistically valid NAHMS study for determining national estimates of sheep-health practices and for compiling health information to enhance sheep production. The Data Collector and the Producer will complete a personal interview.

2. The Producer will assist APHIS by providing accurate information regarding sheep-health and management practices

related to the study objectives. The Producer retains the right to refuse any questions deemed inappropriate.

3. The Data Collector will keep the origin of the data confidential by recording the data with the Producer’s unique code number only. The Data Collector will not keep any key to the code after the completion of the study. The Data Collector and all other project personnel acknowledge that the Producer is providing information and samples that he/she does not customarily share and is providing it with the expectation that it will not be made public. The one exception to data confidentiality is the suspicion or diagnosis of a dangerously contagious, infectious, or exotic disease foreign to the U.S. on the Producer’s premises (e.g., foot-and-mouth disease), in which case further investigation and possible action may occur.

4. Data collected by the Data Collector will not be used for regulatory purposes. However, information on a Producer’s animals revealed from sources unrelated to the Sheep 2011 study, such as testing and inspection for movement or sale of animals or tracebacks on testing done at slaughter, may cause regulatory action to be initiated by the State or APHIS.

5. APHIS may publish, or authorize others to publish, the aggregate (summary) findings acquired from NAHMS for the benefit of the sheep industry, allied private industry, and other interested groups, but will ensure that the identity of the Producer is withheld. APHIS may not publish, or authorize others to publish, individual responses. APHIS may perform additional testing, or authorize others to perform additional testing of samples collected through the study, for the benefit of the sheep industry, but will ensure that the identity of the Producer is withheld.

6. After completion of data reporting by the Producer, APHIS will provide the Producer with several reports containing summary results from all participating Producers. The Producer can obtain any further information available from this study by accessing the NAHMS Web site or subscribing to the NAHMS sheep mailing list.

7. The Producer will complete a brief evaluation of the Sheep 2011 study, the results of which will be used to assist APHIS in the design and implementation of future NAHMS surveys.

8. Any changes to or waivers of the terms of this PRODUCER AGREEMENT shall be binding on APHIS and the STATE of ___________________ and the Producer only if they are put in writing by each party.

9. The effective data collection period of this PRODUCER AGREEMENT shall begin with today’s date of ____/____/____ and end no later than May 31, 2011.

Continued on next page with biological testing.

/date /date

VS Employee, U.S. Department of Agriculture, APHIS Producer or authorized representative

OR _____________ Department of Agriculture

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0579-0188. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average .5 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

NAHMS-248

Oct 2010

	Biologic Sampling by Data Collector – Fecal Pathogens	I AGREE to participate	I DO NOT want to participate
10.	Producer consents and authorizes the Data Collector to collect up to 40 samples of sheep fecal pellets from the ground. All samples will be tested for Salmonella, and the Producer will receive results as a positive/negative, usually within 1 months of collection. A subset of these samples will be tested for other fecal bacteria such as Campylobacter, Enterococcus, E. coli, and Clostridium difficile. These results will not be returned to the Producer. (Producer to initial appropriate column.)	____________	___________
	Biologic Sampling by Data Collector – Fecal Parasites
11.	A limited number of farms in each state will be selected to have sheep fecal pellets collected and tested for parasites. If selected, the Producer consents and authorizes the Data Collector to collect 10 samples of sheep feces rectally from the animal. The pooled samples will be tested for internal parasites and the Producer will receive results usually within 3 months of collection. (Producer to initial appropriate column.)	____________	___________
	Biologic Sampling by Data Collector – Blood and Nasal Swabs
12.	Producer consents and authorizes the Data Collector to collect up to 40 blood and nasal swab samples from sheep. The samples will be tested for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. Producer will receive results usually within 1 month of collection. Blood samples will also be tested for Q-fever and Producers will receive results usually within 1 month of collection. (Producer to initial appropriate column.)	____________	___________
	Biologic Sampling by PRODUCER – Scabs
13.	Producer agrees to collect fresh scabs from up to 6 sheep to be tested for Orf (sore mouth). A kit containing collection materials, instructions, and a prepaid shipping label will be sent to the Producer Producer will receive results usually within 2 months of collection. (Producer to initial appropriate column.)	____________	___________