Agriculture Department, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
We are amending the regulations for the importation of equines. These changes include increasing the number of days horses exported from regions free from contagious equine metritis (CEM) are allowed to spend in a CEM-affected region and enter the United States without testing from 60 days to 90 days; requiring an import permit for horses transiting through CEM-affected regions; adding requirements for health certifications to ensure health certifications properly attest to the health of the imported horse; requiring that horses transiting Central America or the West Indies comply with the same regulations that apply to horses directly imported from these regions; and adding requirements for shipping containers used in transporting horses. We are also adding a number of miscellaneous changes to the regulations such as clarifications of existing policy or intent, and corrections of inconsistencies or outdated information. Many of these changes will better align our regulations with international standards and allow us and the equine industry more flexibility. The changes will also add further safeguards that protect against introducing or disseminating pests or diseases of livestock into the United States.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 9 CFR Part 93 [Docket No. APHIS-2016-0033] RIN 0579-AE62 ( printed page 62993) AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We are amending the regulations for the importation of equines. These changes include increasing the number of days horses exported from regions free from contagious equine metritis (CEM) are allowed to spend in a CEM-affected region and enter the United States without testing from 60 days to 90 days; requiring an import permit for horses transiting through CEM-affected regions; adding requirements for health certifications to ensure health certifications properly attest to the health of the imported horse; requiring that horses transiting Central America or the West Indies comply with the same regulations that apply to horses directly imported from these regions; and adding requirements for shipping containers used in transporting horses. We are also adding a number of miscellaneous changes to the regulations such as clarifications of existing policy or intent, and corrections of inconsistencies or outdated information. Many of these changes will better align our regulations with international standards and allow us and the equine industry more flexibility. The changes will also add further safeguards that protect against introducing or disseminating pests or diseases of livestock into the United States. DATES: Effective October 16, 2023. FOR F…
Other Federal Register documents from the same docket.
Citation: 88 FR 62993
