The Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule that, effective Oct. 16, will make a number of amendments to its horse import regulations to allow more flexibility for permitted imports and better align with international standards. These changes include the following.
- increasing from 60 to 90 days the amount of time allowed for horses to be in a region affected with contagious equine metritis without testing upon their return to the U.S.
- requiring an import permit for horses transiting through CEM-affected regions and horses imported from regions affected with African horse sickness
- adding requirements for health certifications (e.g., requiring identifying information regarding the horse or horse test specimens, importer, and exporter to be listed on the certificate, and requiring that horses be accompanied by documentation that a pre-export exam occurred within 48 hours of export)
- requiring that horses transiting Central America or the West Indies comply with the same regulations that apply to horses directly imported from these regions, given the greater risk of equine diseases of concern from these areas
- adding requirements for shipping containers, including disinfection requirements and measures to ensure horses are transported safely
- removing Los Angeles and Miami from the list of air and ocean ports designated for the importation of horses
- clarifying that APHIS will refuse entry to horses arriving in the same shipment as horses dead upon arrival
APHIS notes that it has decided to maintain, rather than remove, the requirement for horses permanently imported from Canada to undergo inspection at the port of entry. It is also not requiring additional details in documentation for imported Spanish pure breed horses from Spain and racing thoroughbred horses from France, Germany, Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
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