Texas to Modify Livestock Entry and Cattle ‘Change of Ownership’ RulesTexas animal health comission, Texas cattle, cattle, livestock, BrucellosisThe Texas Animal Health Commission is accepting public comments on rules proposals that would make the state’s entry requirements more consistent with national standards, remove the Brucellosis test requirement for change of ownership of adult sexually intact cattle, and add a requirement that cattle be permanently and officially identified when there is a change of ownership.Texas is accepting public comments on rules proposals that would make the state’s entry requirements more consistent with national standards, remove the Brucellosis test requirement for change of ownership of adult sexually intact cattle, and add a requirement that cattle be permanently and officially identified when there is a change of ownership.newslineTexas to Modify Livestock Entry and Cattle ‘Change of Ownership’ RulesPosted: Feb. 24, 2012, 8:25 p.m. EST The Texas Animal Health Commission is accepting public comments on rules proposals that would make the state’s entry requirements more consistent with national standards, remove the Brucellosis test requirement for change of ownership of adult sexually intact cattle, and add a requirement that cattle be permanently and officially identified when there is a change of ownership. The commission is amending the rules to clarify and modify interstate entry requirements for sheep, goats and swine. The first amendment will waive the prior requirement for an entry permit and certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) for swine consigned directly to slaughter or consigned to a specifically approved livestock market from their farm of origin. The proposed changes would also no longer require an entry permit for sheep and goats consigned from USDA-sanctioned “Consistent States,” defined as states that have an active scrapie surveillance and control program. The commission is also removing a requirement related to vesicular stomatitis (VS). Under current rules, when VS has been diagnosed in another state, the veterinarian issuing the CVI must write on the certificate that any equine, bovine, porcine, caprine, ovine or cervidae entering Texas from that state have not been exposed to the disease. The commission is removing the requirement because it determined other state’s quarantine and movement restriction safeguards were adequate to ensure exposed animals are not moving. The Texas requirement prohibiting entry of certain livestock from an area under quarantine for vesicular stomatitis will be left in place to protect Texas livestock, the commission said. The commission is also removing the requirement that swine imported into Texas for feeding, breeding or exhibition purposes must be accompanied by a CVI certifying that swine have not been exposed to hog cholera, also known as Classical Swine Fever. The disease has been eradicated from the U.S. for several years, eliminating the need for this requirement, according to the commission. The commission proposed amendments to remove the brucellosis test requirements for change of ownership of adult sexually intact cattle, and to add a requirement that cattle be permanently and officially identified when there is a change of ownership. Due to a lack of funds to supplement the cost of testing at livestock markets, the commission in August stopped enforcing the requirement for a brucellosis test for a change of ownership. The agency is proposing to amend the rule to officially end the test requirement. However, because the test was historically tied to applying permanent, official identification to cattle, the practice of permanently identifying cattle was also lost when the commission stopped enforcing the rule. The commission is now proposing to require that all cattle that are parturient or post parturient or 18 months of age and older, except steers and spayed heifers, be identified with commission-approved, permanent identification when changing ownership. The movement-related proposals are open for public comment until 5 p.m. on March 18, 2012, while the cattle brucellosis and identification rules are open for comment until 5 p.m. on April 17, 2012. Comments can be sent by mail to Carol Pivonka, Texas Animal Health Commission, 2105 Kramer Lane, Austin, Texas 78758; by fax at (512) 719-0721 or by email to comments@tahc.state.tx.us.<HOME>http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/images/vpn-tab-image/farm-vet-300px.jpg2/24/2012 5:23 PM
