APHIS Proposes Changes to Horse Import Regulations

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to amend its regulations on imports of equines, it said. Changes would include increasing the number of days horses exported from regions free from contagious equine metritis (CEM) are allowed to spend in CEM-affected regions before re-entering the U.S. without testing from 60 to 90 days, and new requirements for an import permit for horses transiting through CEM-affected regions. Comments are due Jan. 28.

Other changes in the proposal include new requirements for health certifications “to ensure health certifications properly attest to the health of the imported horse,” APHIS said. Horses permanently imported from Canada would also no longer need to be inspected at the port of entry, and horses transiting Central America or the West Indies would have to comply with the same regulations for horses directly imported from those regions.

APHIS is also “proposing a number of miscellaneous changes to the regulations such as clarifications of existing policy or intent, and corrections of inconsistencies or outdated information,” it said. “Many of these proposed changes would better align our regulations with international standards and allow us and the equine industry more flexibility. The proposed changes would also add further safeguards that protect against introducing or disseminating pests or diseases of livestock into the United States,” APHIS said.