By Karen Nowak

© March 2007, October 2007, November 2008

The September 2008 NAIS Business Plan states that horses which require either a test for equine infectious anemia or a health certificate for movement off their premises will also be included in Tier 1 (top priority) for NAIS.

On August 1, 2006 the Equine Species Working Group (ESWG) recommended that the current system of maintaining brand inspection records, Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVI), VS 127 permits and/or International Certificates of Veterinary Inspection be used in place of movement recording in case trace-back is needed in the event of an animal disease outbreak. They ended this particular recommendation with the following statement: “States and USDA are encouraged to move these forms into an electronic format to expedite retrieval.” This last statement is particularly revealing but first let’s look at what each document is and how this recommendation may impact us as horse owners.

A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) is an official document, issued and signed by a licensed, accredited veterinarian. The CVI provides documentation that an animal, or a group of animals, was apparently healthy and showed no signs of contagious or communicable diseases on the date the inspection took place. Their original purpose was to prevent the spread of contagious or communicable diseases from one state into another state.

CVI’s are multi-part forms. The owner gets one or two copies, one copy stays at the vet clinic, one is mailed to the State Veterinarian in the state of origin and one copy is mailed to the State Veterinarian’s office in the state of destination. The examining veterinarian records the dates and results of any tests required, and other facts about the animals, including age, breed, sex, vaccination status, and any other details required by the state of destination. The CVI also shows the name and address of the consignor (owner and shipper) and the name and address of the consignee (new owner/receiver; where they're going) and the reason they are being moved (show, sale, etc).

In the event of a disease outbreak, animal health officials use CVI’s to track the disease back to its source, and forward to potentially exposed animals or people. All states have required a CVI for animals coming from another state for many years, however, a growing number of states either have or are considering requiring that CVI’s be obtained for travel within the state.

Each state determines the health requirements and rules for CVI’s for animals entering from outside its borders as well as transport within the particular state. In many states, the CVI is valid for 30 days from the date of vet inspection. In others, it is valid for 45 days. The information is obtained from the State Veterinarian’s office.

In addition, horse owners need to carefully read the health requirements for shows or events. Some county and state fairs require a CVI within 10 days of the show/event.

A VS 127 permit is a permit allowing the movement of restricted animals. For example, a VS 127 permit is required to move a horse that tests positive for Equine Infectious Anemia from one location to another.

The two main benefits of this system are a legible copy for the owner/transporter and an immediate transfer of the information to the respective State Veterinarian offices, instead of the 14 to 30 days it often takes for copies of the handwritten CVI to be received.

These possible benefits are outweighed by the fact that the USDA Veterinary Services Project Team has designed eCVI’s to interface with the NAIS animal tracking database. If the owner has a premises ID and/or the animal has an individual ID, both will be entered on the eCVI. When the tracking databases are fully operational, the eCVI system will send a “sighting report” to the tracking database.

Last, some states now require a premises ID to obtain an eCVI. Some also require animal ID. If you are a resident of one of those states, your ability to show or ship a horse will require you to participate in NAIS. This certainly negates the USDA’s claim that NAIS is “voluntary with a capital V”!

Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

However, eCVI’s are now accepted in all 50 states. Veterinarians may subscribe directly to the GlobalVetLink service if their state does not have a specific agreement with GlobalVetLink. GlobalVetLink now has a webpage for horse owners:

http://globalvetlink.com/about/animal-owners/

You must still carry your Coggins results (VS form 10-11) and the original health certificate (CVI) with you in addition to the Equine Passport Card/Event Extension Form. Competitors must check with the state veterinarian’s office for those states they plan to travel to as requirements for date of Coggins test varies from state to state.

Equine owners carrying an equine event permit will also be required to carry an accurate, up-to-date event itinerary that documents each equine movement. A copy of the form used for NC is included below.

Violators of any requirement of the passport program are subject to the laws of the state where the violation occurs and may range from immediate return of the state of origin to revocation of passport and civil penalties or criminal prosecution.

Upon permit expiration, the complete travel itinerary must be forwarded to the office of the State Veterinarian issuing the permit.

Since the ESWG does not mention the Equine Interstate Passport Card or Equine Event Extension Forms in their recommendation, it is not clear whether these will be accepted for tracking purposes should NAIS be implemented. Horse owners who currently utilize these forms or card are advised to keep abreast of this issue as showing in other states will become a very expensive proposition should a 30 day CVI be mandated through NAIS.

In June 2008, Global VetLink launched an electronic version of the Equine Interstate Passport Card. Veterinarians in the state of Washington are approved to issue GoPass certificates for horses entering California, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. The second phase is a group of south central states: Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. GoPass will dovetail nicely into the requirements for NAIS tracking!

As part of the permit agreement, an accurate, up to date transport record is required to be kept by the owner or transporter at all times.

1. The permit number recorded below must be the same as that listed on the permit.

2. Additional sheets of itinerary may be added and attached as necessary.