Safety is a key issue as more than 230 sheep, accompanied by an entourage of security, are transported from Vermont to Ames for testing.

The sheep, suspected of harboring mad cow disease or scrapie, were loaded into livestock trailers and arrived Thursday at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories, 1800 Dayton Ave.

A security detail accompanied the sheep on the 1,250 mile trip. The cross-country transportation of live, exposed animals is likely a first, according to officials in the Department of Agriculture.

Officials coordinating the non-stop trip said animal-health officials in states along the route were notified and contingency plans were made in case of an accident or protests.

Once the sheep arrived in Ames, they were confined to a secure location within the National Veterinary Services Laboratories. The Ames Police Department is also providing extra security for the facility.

“We have been contracted to provide extra security on a 24-hour basis,” said Sgt. Mike Johns.

He said officers have been at the laboratories since March 7 and are tentatively scheduled to provide services through the first week in April. The Department of Agriculture is paying for the extra security officers.

The added security, combined with the involvement of the Department of Agriculture, has alleviated some local producers’ concerns of disease spread.

Barb Osborn, a sheep producer who has a flock about five miles from the laboratories, has little concern about the spread of disease.

“If the USDA is involved, they are going to take every precaution available to ensure the safety of local producers,” she said. “I’m not worried about my flock.”

Dale Friedrichsen, senior in agricultural systems technology, said he is confident officials have developed the safest procedures for transporting and testing the animals.

“We’re in a day and age with the technology to handle these kind of things,” he said.

Friedrichsen said he believes the laboratory testing is essential to the livestock production market in the United States.

“We’re in big trouble if it [mad cow disease] gets over here,” he said. “We have an avenue in the U.S. that is free of disease, giving us the ability to export to many markets. Hopefully we can keep it that way.”