State Regulations for Massachusetts
*** GENERAL REQUIREMENTS ***
Effective Date: December 10, 1999
Last Update: December 20, 2005
MASSACHUSETTS
Health Requirements Governing the
Admission Of Livestock and Poultry
For More Information on Current
Regulations Please Contact
Bureau of Animal Health
251 Causeway Street, Suite 500
Boston,
Massachusetts 02214-2151
Telephone: (617) 626-1795
FAX: (617) 626-1850
For Entry Permits
Cattle 626-1797
Swine 626-1797
Poultry 626-1796
***GENERAL REQUIREMENTS***
All livestock poultry, waterfowl and animals, including cats, dogs and other
pets imported into Massachusetts by any person, firm, corporation, except for
the purpose of immediate slaughter, shall be accompanied by an official health
certificate stating that the animals are healthy, free of symptoms of infectious
or transmissible disease and internal and/or external parasites and exposure to
any infectious, contagious disease, internal or external parasites. All
cattle, swine, sheep, goats must be identified by either an
official eartag, tattoo, or registration
number. Certificates of health are valid for 30 days. (All animals
transported into Massachusetts for slaughter must be accompanied by USDA
approved waybills, back tag certificates and identified by eartags,
back tags or other USDA approved identification.)
Titers:
No titer resulting from any accepted test for brucellosis shall be accepted
for entry. No titers at suspicious or positive levels for any infectious
disease of any livestock, animals or poultry shall be accepted for entry.
Note:
Cattle, swine, sheep, goats, llamas or equines entering Massachusetts for
the purpose of consignment sale must be listed on individual health
certificates. Animals from herds, droves or flocks under quarantine or
from areas under quarantine for any disease shall not be accepted for entry.
All species of animals for research under 6 months of age, destined for an
official research facility and destined for slaughter or euthanasia after
completion of the research are exempt from tests upon permission of the Chief
Veterinary Health Officer of Massachusetts.
In addition all livestock animals and poultry must meet one or more of the
following requirements:
*** CATTLE***
All bovine animals, except for immediate slaughter, driven, shipped or in
any way transported into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from any point
outside thereof must be accompanied by a
shipping copy of a Valid Health Certificate indicating state and herd
status. In addition, and Advanced Notice to Bring in Cattle is required.
A copy of the Health Certificate approved by the Chief Livestock Health
Official of the state of origin indicating said cattle have conformed to the
following requirements must be sent to our Bureau promptly.
Brucellosis
(1) From Class Free
States - No Test Required
(2) Class A, B, C – Call for
Requirements
Tuberculosis (no age exceptions)
(1) Accredited Free Herd or State - No Test Required
(2) Other- Negative TB test within the last 12 months
Exhibition cattle shall be accompanied by a health certificate only.
Cattle for immediate slaughter (72 hrs.) are exempt, but must have met USDA
requirements for interstate movement to slaughter (waybill and permanent
identification).
***HORSES & OTHER EQUIDAE***
A health certificate signed by an accredited veterinarian must accompany all
shipments of horses, mules and asses into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
(1) For equines imported into
the state, the health certificate must declare the animal or animals free from
all contagious or infectious diseases and must state that equines are negative
to a USDA approved test for Equine Infectious Anemia (Coggins
or Elisa) done at an approved laboratory within the previous twelve (12) months. The
certificate must state that these equines do not originate from a quarantined
area, or an area where a contagious or infectious disease has been officially
diagnosed. No Pending EIA tests are accepted. The Health
Certificate must show a temperature recording of the animal that must be within
the normal range. The Health Certificate must also identify the lab
performing the EIA test, the accession number of the test, the result of the
test and the date the sample was drawn. Each animal must be individually
identified by name, tattoo, color, markings, scars, brands hair whorls or other
unique identification. The health
certificate is void after thirty (30) days.
Foals 6 months of age and under are exempt from the EIA test
requirement provided they are accompanied by their dams and the dam has the
approved negative test.
(2) Equines to be auctioned, sold or
offered for sale must have been negative to a USDA approved test for
Equine Infectious Anemia within the previous six (6) months of such sale or auction. All other
requirements as above in (1) apply.
*** HOGS ***
All swine shipped or in any way transported into the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts from any point outside thereof must be accompanied by a Valid Health Certificate with the number of
the Notice to Import Swine issued by the Chief of the Bureau of Animal
Health. The official copy of the Health Certificate approved
by the livestock official of the state of origin shall be forwarded to this
Bureau promptly. The
Certificate must state that to the best of the issuing veterinarian's knowledge
they have not been fed raw garbage and the animals are free from evidence of
infectious and contagious disease and have not recently been exposed to any
infectious, contagious or parasitic disease.
All swine (including pot-bellied pigs or other "pet" type) must
also comply with the following:
(1) Brucellosis
a. All swine imported into Massachusetts
must be blood test negative to brucellosis
within 30 days prior to importation unless coming directly from a
validated brucellosis-free herd or state. Validation number of state
status must appear on the health certificate.
(2) Pseudorabies
a. All Breeding swine must enter directly from qualified pseudorabies-free herds and have been negative to a
USDA-approved test for pseudorabies conducted within
30 days prior to entry.
b. Feeder/Immediate Slaughter swine
must originate from qualified pseudorabies-free herds
or monitored herds in qualified pseudorabies-free
states only.
c. Swine vaccinated against PRV
(any type of vaccine) are not accepted for entry into Massachusetts.
***SHEEP AND GOATS***
All sheep and goats except for immediate slaughter shipped or in any way
transported into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from any point outside
thereof must be accompanied by a health certificate approved by the livestock
official of the state of origin, except for immediate slaughter, and shall be:
(1) Free of scabies, lice, foot-rot, sore mouth, and have not
been exposed to scrapie
(2) Additional requirements for goats:
a. Must be negative to an official Brucellosis test
within 30 days, if over 6 months of age.
b. From Accredited Free State for TB - no TB test
required
1. From States
Not Accredited Free for TB - Must be negative to Tuberculosis test within 60
days.
Under the new USDA Scrapie Eradication Program that began in November of 2001,
most categories of sheep and goats entering Massachusetts will have to have official scrapie ID tags. These tags, and further information about
the categories of sheep and goats which will require the tags for interstate
movement, can be obtained from state or regional USDA/APHIS Veterinary Services
Offices, or by calling the scrapie eradication
program information line USDA APHIS VS at 866 873 2824.
The health certificate must show the status of herd for TB and Brucellosis.
*** DOGS AND CATS ***
Require health certificate, except those for exhibition purposes. Must
be vaccinated against rabies within 12 months of importation if over 6 months
of age. The health certificate to indicate non-exposure
to rabies. Dogs or cats imported into Massachusetts that are not
currently vaccinated for rabies will be required to be vaccinated within 90
days of entry or acquisition or upon reaching the age of 6 months.
***PSITTACINE***
General Requirements. All birds must
originate from healthy flocks and premises. Psittacosis is prevalent in
birds of that category and very infectious to humans. All identified
cases of psittacosis will be traced to point of origin and such sources will be
quarantined if in Massachusetts or placed on a list for USDA, US DPH action.
***DOVES AND PIGEONS***
All birds must originate from healthy flocks and premises.
***POULTRY AND HATCHING EGGS (WATERFOWL NOT INCLUDED)
No person shall import into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hatching eggs,
baby chicks or live poultry, except poultry indeed for immediate slaughter or
for exhibition subject to permit granted by the State Department of
Agriculture, unless such hatching eggs are the produce of flocks which meet,
and such baby chicks or live poultry meet, or are the first generation progeny
of flocks which meet, the minimum requirements for pullorm
passed or pullorum clean grades of poultry, as
established by the Commissioner of Agriculture, or the equivalent thereof.
The following rules are in place for the importation into Massachusetts
of all hatching eggs and day-old chicks or poultry.
(1) The Commonwealth
of Massachusetts will accept for
entry only hatching eggs and day-old chicks or poultry which originate directly
from flocks whose parent birds are under the USDA-NPP testing program.
(2) No eggs or chicks marketed under a hatchery name and which
are produced on other premises may enter unless said premise fully qualifies
under (1) above. All requests for entry under (2) must be in writing and must
cover all breeds which are produced on said premises.
***RATITES (OSTRICHES, EMUS, RHEAS)
Call Fisheries and Wildlife: Area Code (617) 626-1575.
*** LLAMAS (CAMELIDAE),
ELK, DEER (CERVIDAE)***
Have consignor also contact Fisheries and Wildlife for elk and deer.
1. All of the above shall be individually identified by either
eartag, tattoo, or microchip which shall be
listed on the state of origin health certificate. Please note if the
microchip is used, new owner must have a reader that is available for
identification by private, state or federal regulatory personnel.
2. Same shall have a prior entrance permit issued by the Massachusetts
Bureau of Animal Health.
(1) Brucellosis-negative test within 30 days
(2) Tuberculosis negative test within 60 days (single cervical
site for cervidae; axillary
site for camelidae; both according to USDA-APHIS
recommendation)
(3) Bluetongue-negative test within 30 days if from endemic area
(accept test being virus isolation negative)
***RABBITS***
General Requirements
***ZOO, FUR-BEARING AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS***
Must comply with all Federal Regulations and, when applicable, the rules and
regulations of Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
***AQUATIC SPECIES/AQUACULTURE***
For information regarding the transportation of fish, commercial and
recreational fishing regulations, as well as the regulations for other aquatic
species, please visit the following website:
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/index.html
For information on Inland fish only,
please contact:
Kenneth Simmons
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Field Headquarters
Westboro, MA
01581
Phone: 508-792-7270 x 134
FAX: 508-792-7275
ken.simmons@state.ma.us
*** Please Note: The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
reviews fish importation requests relative to parasites and pathogens on a case
by case basis. An importation permit is required
and it may or may not stipulate a health certificate.