Import permits for ruminants and for ruminant test specimens for diagnostic purposes; and reservation fees for space at quarantine facilities maintained by APHIS.

9 C.F.R. § 93.404
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01
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(a) Application for permit; reservation required. (1) For ruminants and ruminant test specimens for diagnostic screening purposes intended for importation from any part of the world, except as otherwise provided for in §§ 93.417, 93.422, and 93.424, the importer shall first apply for and obtain from APHIS an import permit. The application shall specify the name and address of the importer; the species, breed, number or quantity of ruminants or ruminant test specimens to be imported; the purpose of the importation; individual ruminant identification, which includes a description of the ruminant, name, age, markings, if any, registration number, if any, and tattoo or eartag; the region of origin; for cattle, the address of or other means of identifying the premises of the herd of origin and any other premises where the cattle resided prior to export, including the State or its equivalent, the municipality or nearest city, and the specific location of the premises, or an equivalent method, approved by the Administrator, of identifying the location of the premises; the name and address of the exporter; the port of embarkation in the foreign region; the mode of transportation, route of travel, and the port of entry in the United States; the name and address of the quarantine facility, if the ruminants are to be quarantined at a privately owned quarantine facility; the proposed date of arrival of the ruminants or ruminant test specimens to be imported; and the name of the person to whom the ruminants or ruminant test specimens will be delivered and the location of the place in the United States to which delivery will be made from the port of entry. Additional information may be required in the form of certificates concerning specific diseases to which the ruminants are susceptible, as well as vaccinations or other precautionary treatments to which the ruminants or ruminant test specimens have been subjected. Notice of any such requirement will be given to the applicant in each case. (2) In addition to the requirements in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the importer must submit the following information along with the application for an import permit: (i) For sheep or goats imported for immediate slaughter, or for restricted feeding for slaughter: (A) The slaughter establishment to which the animals will be imported; or (B) The designated feedlot in which sheep and goats imported for restricted feeding for slaughter will be maintained until moved to slaughter. (ii) For sheep and goats imported for purposes other than immediate slaughter or restricted feeding for slaughter: (A) The flock identification number, if imported to a flock, and the premises or location identification number, of the flock or other premises to which the animals are imported as listed in the Scrapie National Database. (B) For sheep and goats from regions not free from classical scrapie, the importer must provide documentation that the animal has reached and maintained certified status in a scrapie flock certification program determined by the Administrator to provide equivalent risk reduction as the Export Category of the U.S. Scrapie Flock Certification Program. The documentation must specify the address, or other means of identification, of the premises and flock of birth, and any other flock(s) in which the animals have resided. (3) An application for permit to import will be denied for domestic ruminants from any region designated in § 94.1 of this chapter as a region where foot-and-mouth disease exists. (4) An application for permit to import ruminants may also be denied because of: Communicable disease conditions in the area or region of origin, or in a region where the shipment has been or will be held or through which the shipment has been or will be transported; deficiencies in the regulatory programs for the control or eradication of animal diseases and the unavailability of veterinary services in the above mentioned regions; the importer's failure to provide satisfactory evidence concerning the origin, history, and health status of the ruminants; the lack of satisfactory information necessary to determine that the importation will not be likely to transmit any communicable disease to livestock or poultry of the United States; or any other circumstances which the Administrator believes require such denial to prevent the dissemination of any communicable disease of livestock or poultry into the United States. (5) In specific cases, a permit may be issued for ruminants that would otherwise be prohibited importation due to TSEs pursuant to this subpart, if the Administrator determines the disease risk posed by the animals can be adequately mitigated through pre-entry or post-entry mitigation measures, or through combinations of such measures. These measures will be specified in the permit. If it is determined prior to or after importation that any pre-entry or post-entry requirements were not met, or the ruminants are affected with or have been exposed to TSEs, the ruminants, their progeny, and any other ruminants that have been housed with or exposed to the ruminants will be disposed of or otherwise handled as directed by the Administrator. Importers seeking a permit pursuant to this paragraph (a)(5) must send their request to the Administrator, c/o Strategy and Policy, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, or via the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/live_animals.shtml. (6) The Administrator may issue permits under paragraph (a)(5) of this section for male sheep determined to be AA at codon 136 and either RR, HR, KR, or QR at codon 171 and for female sheep determined to be AA at codon 136 and RR at codon 171 by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories or another laboratory approved by the Administrator. Such sheep must meet all requirements in this part for import other than the requirement that they originate in a flock or region free of classical scrapie. The permit will provide for post entry confirmation of the animal's scrapie susceptibility genotype and/or genetic testing for identity. (7)(i) The importer or importer's agent shall pay or ensure payment of a reservation fee for each lot of ruminants to be quarantined in a facility maintained by USDA. For ruminants, the reservation fee shall be 100 percent of the cost of providing care, feed, and handling during quarantine, as estimated by the quarantine facility's veterinarian in charge. (ii) At the time the importer or the importer's agent requests a reservation of quarantine space, the importer or importer's agent shall pay the reservation fee by check or U.S. money order or ensure payment of the reservation fee by an irrevocable letter of credit from a commercial bank (the effective date on such letter of credit shall run to 30 days after the date the ruminants are scheduled to be released from quarantine); except that anyone who issues a check to the Department for a reservation fee which is returned because of insufficient funds shall be denied any further request for reservation of a quarantine space until the outstanding amount is paid. (iii) Any reservation fee paid by check or U.S. money order shall be applied against the expenses incurred for services received by the importer or importer's agent in connection with the quarantine for which the reservation was made. Any part of the reservation fee which remains unused after being applied against the expenses incurred for services received by the importer or the importer's agent in connection with the quarantine for which the reservation was made, shall be returned to the individual who paid the reservation fee. If the reservation fee is ensured by a letter of credit, the Department will draw against the letter of credit unless payment for services received by the importer or importer's agent in connection with the quarantine is otherwise made at least 3 days prior to the expiration date of the letter of credit. (iv) Any reservation fee shall be forfeited if the importer or the importer's agent fails to present for entry, within 24 hours following the designated time of arrival, the lot of ruminants for which the reservation was made: Except that a reservation fee shall not be forfeited if: (A) Written notice of cancellation from the importer or the importer's agent is received by the office of the veterinarian in charge of the quarantine facility 6 during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays) no later than 15 days for ruminants prior to the beginning of the time of importation as specified in the import permit or as arranged with the veterinarian in charge of the quarantine facility if no import permit is required (the 15 days period shall not include Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays), or (B) The Administrator determines that services, other than provided by carriers, necessary for the importation of the ruminants within the requested period are unavailable because of unforeseen circumstances as determined by the Administrator, (such as the closing of an airport due to inclement weather or the unavailability of the reserved space due to the extension of another quarantine). (v) If the reservation fee was ensured by a letter of credit and the fee is to be forfeited under paragraph (a)(7)(iv) of this section, the Department will draw against the letter of credit unless the reservation fee is otherwise paid at least 3 days prior to the expiration date of the letter of credit. (vi) When a reservation is cancelled in accordance with paragraph (a)(7)(iv)(A) of this section and the provisions of paragraph (a)(7)(iv)(B) of this section do not apply, a $40.00 cancellation fee shall be charged. If a reservation fee was paid, the cancellation fee shall be deducted from any reservation fee returned to the importer or the importer's agent. If the reservation fee was ensured by a letter of credit, the Department will draw the amount of the cancellation fee against the letter of credit unless the cancellation fee is otherwise paid at least 3 days prior to the expiration date of the letter of credit. (b) Permit. When a permit is issued, the original and two copies will be sent to the importer. It shall be the responsibility of the importer to forward the original permit and one copy to the shipper in the region of origin, and it shall also be the responsibility of the importer to insure that the shipper presents the copy of the permit to the carrier and makes proper arrangements for the original permit to accompany the shipment to the specified U.S. port of entry for presentation to the collector of customs. Ruminants and ruminant test specimens for diagnostic screening purposes for ruminants intended for importation into the United States for which a permit has been issued, will be received at the specified port of entry within the time prescribed in the permit which shall not exceed 14 days from the first day that the permit is effective for all permits. Ruminants and ruminant test specimens for which a permit is required by these regulations will not be eligible for entry if a permit has not been issued; if unaccompanied by such a permit; if shipment is from any port other than the one designated in the permit; if arrival in the United States is at any port other than the one designated in the permit; if the ruminants or ruminant test specimens offered for entry differ from those described in the permit; if the ruminants or ruminant test specimens are not handled as outlined in the application for the permit and as specified in the permit issued; or if ruminants or swine other than those covered by import permits are aboard the transporting carrier. (c) Wild ruminants from regions where foot-and-mouth disease exists. This paragraph (c) applies to the importation of wild ruminants, such as, but not limited to, giraffes, deer and antelopes, from regions designated in part 94 of this subchapter as countries in which foot-and-mouth disease exists. (1) Permits for the importation of wild ruminants will be issued only for importations through the Port of New York, and only if the animals are imported for exhibition in a PEQ Zoo. A PEQ Zoo is a zoological park or other place maintained for the exhibition of live animals for recreational or educational purposes that: (i) Has been approved by the Administrator in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section to receive and maintain imported wild ruminants; and (ii) Has entered into the agreement with APHIS set forth in paragraph (c)(4) of this section for the maintenance and handling of imported wild ruminants. (2) Approval of a PEQ Zoo shall be on the basis of an inspection, by an authorized representative of the Department, of the physical facilities of the establishment and its methods of operation. Standards for acceptable physical facilities shall include satisfactory pens, cages, or enclosures in which the imported ruminants can be maintained so as not to be in contact with the general public and free from contact with domestic livestock; natural or established drainage from the PEQ Zoo which will avoid contamination of land areas where domestic livestock are kept or with which domestic livestock may otherwise come in contact; provision for the disposition of manure, other wastes, and dead ruminants within the PEQ Zoo; and other reasonable facilities considered necessary to prevent the dissemination of diseases from the PEQ Zoo. The operator of the PEQ Zoo shall have available the services of a full-time or part-time veterinarian, or a veterinarian on a retainer basis, who shall make periodic examinations of all animals maintained at the PEQ Zoo for evidence of disease; who shall make a post-mortem examination of each animal that dies; and who shall make a prompt report of suspected cases of contagious or communicable diseases to an APHIS representative or the State agency responsible for livestock disease control programs. (3) Manure and other animal wastes must be disposed of within the PEQ Zoo park for a minimum of one year following the date an imported wild ruminant enters the zoo. If an APHIS veterinarian determines that an imported ruminant shows no signs of any communicable disease or exposure to any such disease during this 1-year period, its manure and other wastes need not be disposed of within the zoo after the 1-year period. If, however, an APHIS veterinarian determines that an imported ruminant does show signs of any communicable disease during this 1-year period, an APHIS veterinarian will investigate the disease and determine whether the ruminant's manure and other wastes may safely be disposed of outside the zoo after the 1-year period has ended. (4) Prior to the issuance of an import permit under this section, the operator of the approved PEQ Zoo to which the imported ruminants are to be consigned, and the importer of the ruminants, if such operator and importer are different parties, shall execute an agreement covering each ruminant or group of ruminants for which the import permit is requested. The agreement shall be in the following form: ________, operator(s) of the zoological park known as ____________________ (Name) located at ____________________ (City and state), and ____________________ (Importer) hereby request a permit for the importation of ________ (Number and kinds of animals) for exhibition purposes at the said zoological park, said animals originating in a region where foot-and-mouth disease exists and being subject to restrictions under regulations contained in part 93, title 9, Code of Federal Regulations. In making this request, it is understood and agreed that: 1. The animals for which an import permit is requested will be held in isolation at a port of embarkation in the region of origin, approved by the Administrator as a port having facilities which are adequate for maintaining wild animals in isolation from all other animals and having veterinary supervision by officials of the region of origin of the animals. Such animals will be held in such isolation for not less than 60 days under the supervision of the veterinary service of that region to determine whether the animals show any clinical evidence of foot-and-mouth disease, or other communicable disease that is exotic to the United States or for which APHIS has an eradication or control program in 9 CFR chapter I, and to assure that the animals will not have been exposed to such a disease within the 60 days next before their exportation from that region. 2. Shipment will be made direct from such port of embarkation to the port of New York as the sole port of entry in the United States. If shipment is made by ocean vessel the animals will not be unloaded in any foreign port en route. If shipment is made by air, the animals will not be unloaded at any port or other place of landing, except at a port approved by the Administrator as a port not located in a region where foot-and-mouth disease exists or as a port in such a region having facilities and inspection adequate for maintaining wild animals in isolation from all other animals. 3. No ruminants or swine will be aboard the transporting vehicle, vessel or aircraft, except those for which an import permit has been issued. 4. The animals will be quarantined for not less than 30 days in the Department's Animal Import Center in Newburgh, New York. 5. Upon release from quarantine the animals will be delivered to the zoological park named in this agreement to become the property of the park and they will not be sold, exchanged or removed from the premises without the prior consent of APHIS. If moved to another zoological park in the United States, the receiving zoological park must be approved by the Administrator in accordance with paragraph 6 of this agreement. 6. The Administrator will approve the movement of an imported animal subject to this agreement if the Administrator determines that the animal has spent at least one year in quarantine in a PEQ Zoo following importation without showing clinical evidence of foot-and-foot mouth disease, or other communicable disease that is exotic to the United States or for which APHIS has an eradication or control program in 9 CFR chapter I, and determines that the receiving zoological park is accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), or the receiving zoological park has facilities and procedures in place related to preventing the spread of communicable animal diseases (including but not limited to procedures for animal identification, record keeping, and veterinary care) that are equivalent to those required for AZA accreditation. The Administrator will approve the movement of a carcass, body part, or biological specimen derived from an imported animal subject to this agreement if the Administrator determines that the animal has spent at least one year in quarantine in a PEQ Zoo following importation without showing clinical evidence of foot-and-foot mouth disease, or other communicable disease that is exotic to the United States or for which APHIS has an eradication or control program in 9 CFR chapter I, and determines that the carcass, body part, or biological specimen will be moved only for scientific research or museum display purposes. (Signature of importer) Subscribed and sworn to before me this ____ day of ____, ____. (Title or designation) (Name of zoological park) By (Signature of officer of zoological park) (Title of officer) Subscribed and sworn to before me this ____ day of ____,____ (Title or designation)

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