9 CFR § 93.405 - Health certificate for ruminants.
(a) Issuance and required information. All ruminants intended for importation from any part of the world, except as provided in §§ 93.423(c) and 93.428(d), shall be accompanied by a certificate issued by a full-time salaried veterinary officer of the national government of the region of origin, or issued by a veterinarian designated or accredited by the national government of the region of origin and endorsed by a full-time salaried veterinary officer of the national government of the region of origin, representing that the veterinarian issuing the certificate was authorized to do so. The certificate shall state:
(1) That the ruminants have been kept in that region during the last 60 days immediately preceding the date of shipment to the United States, and that during this time the region has been entirely free from foot-and-mouth disease, contagious pleuropneumonia, and surra; provided, however, that for wild ruminants for exhibition purposes, the certificate need specify only that the district of origin has been free from the listed diseases; and provided further, that for sheep and goats, with respect to contagious pleuropneumonia, the certificate may specify only that the district of origin has been free from this disease;
(2) That the ruminants are not in quarantine in the region of origin; and
(3) If the ruminants are from any region where screwworm is considered to exist, the ruminants may be imported into the United States only if they meet the requirements of paragraphs (a)(3)(i) through (iv) of this section and all other applicable requirements of this part. APHIS maintains a list of regions where screwworm is considered to exist on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions. Copies of the list can be obtained via postal mail or email upon request to Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, Maryland 20737; AskRegionalization@usda.gov. APHIS will add a region to the list upon determining that screwworm exists in the region based on reports APHIS receives of detections of the pest from veterinary officials of the exporting country, from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), or from other sources the Administrator determines to be reliable. APHIS will remove a region from the list after conducting an evaluation of the region in accordance with § 92.2 of this subchapter and finding that screwworm is not present in the region. In the case of a region formerly not on this list that is added due to a detection, the region may be removed from the list in accordance with the procedures for reestablishment of a region's disease-free status in § 92.4 of this subchapter.
(i) A veterinarian must treat the ruminants with ivermectin 3 to 5 days prior to the date of export to the United States according to the recommended dose prescribed on the product's label.
(ii) The ruminants must be fully examined for screwworm by a full-time salaried veterinary official of the exporting country within 24 hours prior to shipment to the United States. If ruminants are found to be infested with screwworm, they must be treated until free from infestation.
(iii) At the time ruminants are loaded onto a means of conveyance for export, a veterinarian must treat any visible wounds on the animals with a solution of coumaphos dust at a concentration of 5 percent active ingredient.
(iv) The ruminants must be accompanied to the United States by a certificate signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official of the exporting country. The certificate must state that the ruminants have been thoroughly examined and found free of screwworm and that the ruminants have been treated in accordance with paragraphs (a)(3)(i) and (a)(3)(iii) of this section.
(b) Sheep and goats—(1) Information required. In addition to the statements required by paragraph (a) of this section, the certificate accompanying sheep or goats from any part of the world must also include the name and address of the importer; the number or quantity of sheep or goats to be imported; the purpose of the importation; the official individual sheep or goat identification applied to the animals; and, when required by § 93.435, the permanent country mark and other identification present on the animal, including registration number, if any; a description of each sheep or goat linked to the official identification number, including age, sex, breed, color, and markings, if any; the flock of residence; the address (including street, city, State, and ZIP Code) of the destination where the sheep or goats are to be physically located after importation, including the premises or location identification number assigned in the APHIS National Scrapie Database and when applicable the flock identification number; the name and address of the exporter; the port of embarkation in the region of export; the mode of transportation, route of travel and port of entry in the United States; and, for sheep or goats imported for purposes other than immediate slaughter or restricted feeding for slaughter, the certificate must specify the region of origin and, for regions not free of scrapie, the address or other identification of the premises and flock of birth, and any other flock in which the animals have resided.
(2) Additional statements. The certificate accompanying sheep or goats from any part of the world, except as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section for sheep or goats imported for immediate slaughter, and in paragraph (b)(5) of this section for sheep or goats for restricted feeding for slaughter, must also state that:
(i) The sheep or goats originated from a region recognized as free of classical scrapie by APHIS; or the animals have reached and maintained certified status or equivalent status in a scrapie flock certification program or equivalent program approved by APHIS;
(ii) The sheep or goats have not commingled with sheep or goats of a lower health status, or resided on the premises of a flock or herd of lower health status, after leaving the flock of residence and prior to arrival in the United States;
(iii) Any enclosure, container or conveyance in which the sheep or goats had been placed during the export process, and which had previously held sheep or goats, was cleaned and disinfected in accordance with § 54.7(e)(2) of this chapter prior to being used for the sheep or goats;
(iv) None of the female sheep or goats is carrying an implanted embryo from a lower health status flock; or that any implanted embryo meets the requirements for import into the United States when implanted, and documentation as required in part 98 of this subchapter is attached;
(v) The veterinarian issuing the certificate has inspected the sheep or goats, and their flock(s) of residence, within 30 days of consignment for import to the United States, and found the animals and the flock(s) of residence to be free of any evidence of infectious or contagious disease;
(vi) As far as it is possible for the veterinarian who inspects the animals to determine, none of the sheep or goats in the flock(s) of residence has been exposed to any infectious or contagious disease during the 60 days immediately preceding shipment to the United States; and
(vii) The animals' movement is not restricted within the country of origin due to animal health reasons.
(3) Test results. The certificate accompanying sheep or goats from any part of the world, except as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section for sheep or goats imported for immediate slaughter, or in paragraph (b)(5) of this section for sheep or goats for restricted feeding for slaughter, must also include:
(i) The results of any testing required in the import permit; and
(ii) Any other information required in the import permit.
(4) Sheep or goats imported for immediate slaughter. For sheep or goats imported for immediate slaughter, in addition to the statements required under paragraph (a) of this section, the certificate must include statements that:
(i) The region where the sheep or goats originated is recognized as free of classical scrapie by APHIS; or
(ii) The region where the sheep or goats originated has not been recognized as free of classical scrapie by APHIS but the following criteria have been met:
(A) TSEs in sheep and goats are compulsorily notifiable to the national veterinary authority of the region;
(B) An effective classical scrapie awareness, surveillance, monitoring, and control system is in place;
(C) TSE-affected sheep and goats are killed and completely destroyed;
(D) The sheep and goats selected for export showed no clinical sign of scrapie on the day of shipment and are fit for travel;
(E) The sheep and goats have not tested positive for, and are not suspect for, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy; and
(F) The animals' movement is not restricted within the country of origin due to animal health reasons.
(5) Sheep or goats for restricted feeding for slaughter. For sheep or goats imported for restricted feeding for slaughter, in addition to the statements required under paragraph (a) of this section, the certificate must include statements that:
(i) The region where the sheep or goats originated is recognized as free of classical scrapie by APHIS; or
(ii) The region where the sheep or goats originated has not been recognized as free of classical scrapie by APHIS but the following criteria have been met:
(A) TSEs in sheep and goats are compulsorily notifiable to the national veterinary authority of the region;
(B) An effective classical scrapie awareness, surveillance, monitoring and control system is in place;
(C) TSE-affected sheep and goats are killed and completely destroyed;
(D) The sheep or goats showed no clinical sign of scrapie or any other infectious disease on the day of shipment and are fit for travel;
(E) The sheep or goats have not tested positive for, and are not suspect for, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy;
(F) The animals' movement is not restricted within the country of origin due to animal health concerns;
(G) Female sheep and goats are not known to be pregnant, are not visibly pregnant, and female animals have not been exposed:
(1) To a sexually intact male at over 5 months of age; or
(2) To a sexually intact male within 5 months of shipment;
(H) The veterinarian issuing the certificate has inspected the sheep or goats for export, and their flock(s) of residence, within 30 days of consignment for shipment to the United States, and found the animals and the flock(s) of residence to be free of any evidence of infectious or contagious disease; and
(I) As far as it is possible for the veterinarian who inspects the animals to determine, none of the sheep or goats has been exposed to any infectious or contagious disease during the 60 days immediately preceding shipment to the United States.
(c) Refusal of entry. If ruminants are unaccompanied by the certificate as required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, or if such ruminants are found upon inspection at the port of entry to be affected with a communicable disease or to have been exposed thereto, they shall be refused entry and shall be handled or quarantined, or otherwise disposed of as the Administrator may direct.