The Yukon government is implementing a new regime to manage domestic sheep and goats in the territory to prevent the transmission of disease to wild populations.

The new rules will require the registration of all domestic sheep and goats for the first time, along with new requirements for fencing. They will take effect Jan. 1, 2020, the government announced Tuesday.

Matt Ball of the territorial agricultural branch told the Star officials will be working with the farming community to discuss how best to achieve the standards set out in the new rules. An example is the type of fencing that would ensure no contact between domestic and wild populations.

Under the new rules, domestic sheep and goats would undergo regular testing for the presence of disease, he explained.

Ball said any importation of the domestic animals from Alberta, B.C. or elsewhere would need to be declared and recorded.

Currently, farmers can bring sheep and goats into the territory without having to inform any authorities.

Containment to ensure livestock does not leave the property is the key, he said.

Ball said most farmers already do a good job of fencing their animals.

The new rules will elevate the Yukon to having among the highest standards in the country to protect wild sheep and goat populations, he said.

“We are leading the country with this approach,” Ball said.

“This is really positive in terms of the protection of wild sheep and goats.”

He estimates there are about 200 domestic sheep and 250 domestic goats in the territory currently.

The director of agriculture said the transmission of disease – particularly a nasty bacterial disease that causes respiratory disease, including pneumonia – can be devastating for the wild populations.

In today’s world, for instance, a Yukon farmer who wants to tether a goat in open range for grazing, where there is no fencing, is permitted to do that.

Under the new rules, Ball said, that would not be allowed; the area where the goat is tethered would have to be fenced.

In announcing the new rules, the government has committed to providing $752,000 over six years to hire an inspector, provide annual testing and provide compensation for animals which have to be destroyed.

The money would also provide funding for required fencing, says the announcement.

Ball said a larger portion of the funding will come in the earlier years, with a focus on testing, compensation and fencing.

As far as he knows, there have been no cases of disease among the existing populations of domestic goats and sheep.

“This is a precautionary approach that has been looked at for the last couple of years,” he said.

Ball said it’s about balancing the interests of the farming industry with the assurance that wild populations will not become affected.

Enforcement of the “control order” would fall to Environment Yukon and its chief veterinary officer.

“We share our environment and our lives with wild and domestic animals, and they are an integral part of the lives of many Yukoners,” Environment Minister Pauline Frost said in a statement accompanying Tuesday’s announcement.

“The spread of respiratory disease could devastate Yukon’s iconic thinhorn sheep population, and we need to take preventative measures.

“We will continue to support our livestock owners to keep all our animals safe and healthy.”