visitors since August 30, 1996.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE IMPORTATION OF
ANIMALS INTO THE STATE OF
For more information on current regulations please contact:
Dr. Mary J. Lis, State Veterinarian
Bureau of Regulation and Inspection
Connecticut Department of Agriculture
PHONE: 860-713-2505
FAX: 860-713-2515
Revised
The following statement must be on
Official Interstate Health Certificates for all horses and livestock (including
bison, cervidae, and camelids)
entering the state of
"The animals represented on this
health certificate have not originated from a premises or area under quarantine
for Vesicular Stomatitis. I have examined the animals
and have found no signs of Vesicular Stomatitis."
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
1.Official Interstate Health Certificate Required.
All cattle, buffalos, cervidae,
camelids, goats, sheep, swine, equines, ratites, and
poultry including chickens, turkeys, guineas, waterfowl and pet zoological or psittacine birds must be accompanied by a copy of an
official interstate health certificate.
One copy of such certificate, approved by the official having
jurisdiction over the disease of domestic animals in the state from which such
animals or poultry are shipped or brought, shall be forwarded to the
Connecticut State Veterinarian.
2.Prior Import Permit Required.
The official interstate health certificate and all
copies thereof shall have included thereon an import permit number obtained
from the Commissioner of Agriculture by the consignee. Phone 860-713-2504
between
3.Exception To Prior Permit Requirement.
All cattle, goats, sheep and swine for immediate
slaughter at an official establishment under Federal Inspection are exempt from
the permit requirement. All animals
for immediate slaughter shall be accompanied by a bill of sale or certificate
of assignment made out by the consignor, showing the name of the consignee and
the destination. All equine are
exempt from prior permit requirements.
4.All Species.
Animals originating in herds or flocks under
quarantine, for any reason are not eligible for entry except under permit for
immediate slaughter.
CATTLE
DAIRY AND BREEDING CATTLE:
1. All
imported female cattle shall be:
a. from
certified brucellosis free herds.
b. from
negative herds in Class A States.
c. from
herds under State-Federal supervision negative to official blood tests within
thirty days of exportation of the individual animals.
d. identified
by eartag, registration number or registration
tattoo.
e. reported
to the commissioner in writing within 48 hours of arrival in
f. held
in quarantine until released by the Commissioner of Agriculture following
required retesting.
2. The
following animals, at the time of importation, shall be negative to an official
test for brucellosis within 30 days before importation:
a. Bulls
and non brucellosis vaccinated female cattle 6 months of age and older .
b. Official
calfhood vaccinates 18 months of age and older.
c. Goats
over 3 months of age.
Adult vaccinates are not eligible for entry.
Animals vaccinated when more than 359 days of age with
diluted brucella abortus
vaccine are not eligible for entry.
TUBERCULIN TEST REQUIRED.
Dairy and breeding cattle and goats shall be certified
as:
1. from herds negative to a tuberculin test within 12 months
prior to entry. The animals to be
imported must have been included in the herd test.
2. if the herds from which animals are to be imported do not
meet the 12 month test requirement above, the animals to be imported shall be
tuberculin tested within 60 days prior to entry.
3. animals from herds which have, at any time, been affected
with tuberculosis are not eligible for entry.
FEEDER CATTLE:
Steers: Requirements same as for breeding cattle except a test for brucellosis is not required. The official health certificate must
indicate a negative test for tuberculosis within 60 days prior to shipment.
Heifers, cows, and bulls: Requirements same as for breeding
animals.
Livestock for exhibition: Requirements the same as for
breeding animals
HORSES AND OTHER EQUIDEA
An official interstate health certificate within 30
days prior to entry and an official Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) test
certificate stating that such equine have been officially tested and found to
be negative within a period of 12 months prior to entry is required.
Equine without an EIA certificate, or which tested
positive may be shipped into the state for research purposes, or immediate
slaughter after obtaining a special permit from the State Veterinarian.
All equines presented for public auction shall have a
health certificate issued by a licensed, accredited veterinarian and cosigned
by the State Veterinarian within 10 days prior to the auction and a certificate
indicating a negative reaction to an EIA test within 60 days prior to the
auction.
SWINE
Swine imported for other than immediate slaughter
shall originate in a brucellosis validated free herd and a pseudorabies
qualified free herd and if over 3 months of age shall be negative to a blood
test for brucellosis and pseudorabies within 30 days
of importation (barrows are exempt from the 30 day brucellosis test).
SHEEP
See General Requirements 1, 2, 4. All sheep must have USDA approved
official identification.
GOATS
See General Requirements 1, 2, 4. All goats must have USDA approved
official identification.
Goats over three months of age shall be negative to a
brucellosis test within 30 days prior to entry. All goats shall be from herds negative
to a tuberculin test within 12 months prior to entry. The animals to be imported must have
been included in the herd test. If
the previous requirement cannot be met, the animals to be imported shall be
negative to a tuberculin test within 30 days prior to entry. Animals from herds, which have, at any
time been affected with tuberculosis, are not eligible for entry.
DOGS AND CATS
Any dog or cat imported into this state shall be
accompanied by a certificate of health issued no more than 30 days prior to
entry by a licensed veterinarian and approved by the proper livestock sanitary
official of the state of its origin, stating that such dog or cat is free from
clinical signs of any infectious, contagious or communicable disease, that such
dog or cat is not from an area under quarantine for rabies. Any such dog or cat over 3 months of age
must have proof of current rabies vaccination given by a veterinarian prior to
the date of importation and not have been exposed to rabies within the past 100
days. A copy of such health
certificate shall be forwarded promptly to the commissioner. Any person may import, from another
state any licensed dog with collar and tag, and keep the same in this state for
not more than thirty days without complying with the provision of section
22-337 or 22-338. No person firm or
corporation shall import or export for the purposes of sale or offering for
sale any dog under the age of eight weeks unless such dog is transported with
its dam and no person firm or corporation shall sell within the state any dog
or cat under the age of eight weeks.
Any person firm or corporation violating the provisions of this section
or bring in any dog into this state from an area under quarantine for rabies
shall be fined not more than $100.00 or imprisoned not more than 30 days or
both.
WOLVES
Wolves or wolf hybrids are illegal to import into
POULTRY, HATCHING EGGS and PSITTACINE BIRDS
“Poultry” means all
domesticated fowl, including chickens, turkeys, waterfowl and pet, zoological
or psittacine birds.
Each person, firm or corporation transporting into this
state any live poultry shall cause the same to be accompanied by an official
health certificate from the state of exportation and a permit issued by the
Commissioner of Agriculture in such form as he prescribes, provided each such
permit shall state the number of live poultry in each shipment or
consignment. The owner, consignee
or person having the custody of any such poultry coming into this state shall,
within 48 hours, after the arrival of such poultry at its destination, give
notice in writing to the commissioner or his authorized agent of the arrival of
such poultry, which notice shall include the date of such arrival and the
number of poultry therein. Each
shipment or consignment of live poultry brought or knowingly allowed to come
into the state shall be held in quarantine at its destination unless otherwise
ordered by the commissioner, until he causes such poultry to be released or
disposed of as herein provided. The
expense of quarantine and of examinations and tests shall be paid by the owner,
consignee or person having the custody of such poultry before the same is
released. The commissioner may
cause any of such poultry, found upon examination or test to be diseased; to be
killed, and no such poultry so killed shall be sold for food except under the
direction of the commissioner. No
such poultry imported into this state shall be sold or offered for sale or be
permitted to mingle with other poultry until the commissioner has issued a
certificate authorizing the release of such poultry. All baby chicks and hatching eggs
transported into the state shall be accompanied by a health certificate which
certificate shall certify that such chicks or hatching eggs are from a Pullorum free flock.
All psittacine birds, except budgerigars,
imported into
BISON
Same as for cattle.
LLAMAS and ALPACA (CAMELIDS)
Negative Axillary Tuberculin
test within 60 days and a negative Brucellosis test (card, BAPA or Rivanol) within 30 days at 6 months of age and older, an
official health certificate with permanent identification (eartag,
tattoo or microchip, shipper must have reader for microchips with animals) and
a permit.
CERVIDAE
CONNECTICUT GENERAL STATUTES
22-278-6.
RABBITS:
Domestic: See General Requirement 1
Wild: Permit Required Call Dept. of Environmental
Protection.
860-424-3011
ZOO, FUR-BEARING AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS
Permit required, Call D.E.P. 860-424-3011
Sec. 26-40a Possession of potentially
dangerous animals. For the purposes of this section, the
following shall be considered as potentially dangerous animals: the felidae, including the lion, leopard cheetah, jaguar,
ocelot, jaguarundi cat, puma, lynx and bobcat; the canidae, including the wolf and coyote and the ursidae, including the black bear, grizzly bear and brown
bear. No person shall possess a
potentially dangerous animal. Any
such animal illegally possessed may be disposed of as determined by the commissioner
of environmental protection. Any
person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than
one hundred dollars for each offense.
the provisions of this section shall not apply to municipal parks, zoos
and nature centers, or museums laboratories and research facilities maintained
by scientific or educational institutions or to persons possessing animals
legally on or before May 23, 1983.
SEMEN AND FROZEN EMBRYOS
See General Requirements 1, 2, 4.
BIOLOGICS, MICROORGANISMS AND PARASITES
Federal and State Permits Required, Call 860-713-2504
RATITES
Pullorum and Avian Influenza testing within
30 days and a permit. An official interstate health
certificate with permanent identification of each bird listed.
Livstok