SECTION 43.22. Herd Status Plans for Cervidae

(a) Accredited Herd Plan.

(1) Animals to be tested. Testing of herds for accreditation or reaccreditation shall include all Cervidae and all other hoof stock over 12 months of age and animals under 12 months of age that are not natural additions, except that animals under 12 months of age that are not natural additions that were born in and originate from an accredited herd will not need to be tested.

(2) Qualifying standards. To meet the requirements for accredited herd status, the herd must pass at least two consecutive official tests for tuberculosis at nine to 15 month intervals with no evidence of bovine tuberculosis disclosed. Herds meeting these standards shall be issued a certificate by the Commission.

(3) Additions. Herd additions must originate directly from one of the following and have no exposure to cervids from herds of lower status:

(A) An Accredited Herd.

(B) A Qualified or Monitored Herd. Provided, the individual animals for addition were negative to an official tuberculosis test conducted within 90 days prior to entry and isolated from members of the accredited herd until negative to an official tuberculosis test conducted at least 90 days following entry.

(C) A herd not meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph. Individual animals for addition must be isolated from all other members of the herd of origin, and pass two negative official tests for tuberculosis conducted at least 90 days apart, with the second test conducted within 90 days prior to movement to the premises of the accredited herd. The additions must be kept in isolation from members of the accredited herd until negative to an official tuberculosis test conducted at least 90 days following the date of entry.

(D) Animals added under this subparagraph and subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall not receive accredited herd status for sale or movement purposes until they are negative on a retest 90 days after entry.

(4) Reaccreditation. To qualify for reaccreditation, the herd must pass a test within a period of 33 to 39 months of the anniversary date. The accreditation period will be 36 months from the anniversary date (not 36 months from the date of the reaccreditation test).

(b) Monitored Herd Plan.

(1) Requirements. Identification records must be maintained on animals over one year of age slaughtered, inspected, and found negative for tuberculosis at an approved slaughter facility or at an approved diagnostic laboratory. Such records may also include animals that have been tested negative for tuberculosis in accordance with the requirements for interstate movement. A monitored herd must identify animals over one year of age at slaughter, and animals tested negative for interstate movement at a rate to detect infection at a 2.0% prevalence level with 95% confidence evenly distributed over a three year period. No less than half of the qualifying animals must be slaughter inspected. This rate would require a maximum of 178 animals. The qualifying total herd size is the annual average of herd members over one year of age maintained during the initial test period, which period shall not exceed three years.

Attached Graphic

(2) Maintenance of Monitored Herd Status. For monitored herd status to be renewed, an annual report shall be submitted by the person, firm or corporation responsible for the management of the herd to the Commission prior to the anniversary date. This report shall give the number of animals currently in the herd and the number of animals over one year of age, identified and slaughtered at a State/Federal approved slaughter facility and animals tested negative for tuberculosis in accordance with the requirements for interstate movement during the preceding year. The number of slaughter inspections and animals tuberculosis tested in accordance with the requirements for interstate movements reported in any given year must be at least 25% of the number required to initially qualify a herd of this size for monitored herd status, provided, however, that during each consecutive three year period, 100% of the initial qualifying total shall be achieved.

(3) Additions. Herd additions must originate from one of the following:

(A) an Accredited Herd.

(B) a Qualified or Monitored Herd. Provided, the individual animals for addition were negative to a tuberculosis test conducted within 90 days prior to entry.

(C) a herd not meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph. Individual animals for addition must be isolated from other members of the herd of origin, and pass two negative official tests for tuberculosis, conducted at least 90 days apart, provided that the second test was conducted within 90 days prior to movement to the premises of the monitored herd. The additions must be kept in isolation from all members of the monitored herd until negative to an official tuberculosis test conducted at least 90 days following the date of entry. Animals added under this paragraph shall not receive monitored herd status for sale purposes until they are negative to a retest 90 days after entry.

(c) Qualified Herd Plan for Cervidae.

(1) Animals to be tested. Testing of herds for qualified herd status shall include all cervidae over 12 months of age and any animals under 12 months of age that are not natural additions, except such animals originating from accredited, qualified, or monitored herds.

(2) Qualifying Standards. To meet the requirements for qualified herd status, the herd must pass one official test for tuberculosis, within a seven month period with no evidence of bovine tuberculosis disclosed. The qualified herd status remains in effect for 12 months following the qualifying test.

(3) Additions. Herd additions must originate directly from one of the following:

(A) an accredited herd;

(B) a monitored or qualified herd, provided that the individual animals for addition were negative to an official tuberculosis test conducted within 90 days prior to entry;

(C) a herd not meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph. Individual animals for addition must be isolated from other members of the herd of origin and must have negative results to two official tests for tuberculosis, conducted at least 90 days apart, provided that the second test was conducted within 90 days prior to movement to the premises of the qualified herd. The additions must be kept in isolation from all members of the qualified herd until they are negative to an official tuberculosis test conducted at least 90 days following the date of entry.

(4) Animals added under paragraph (3)(C) of this subsection shall not receive qualified herd status for sale or movement purposes until they are negative to a retest 90 days after entry.

(d) Surveyed Herd.

(1) Requirements--Surveillance records must be maintained on all animals over one year of age harvested and inspected or tested without evidence of bovine tuberculosis:

(A) at an approved slaughter facility with state/federal meat inspection, approved diagnostic laboratory; and/or

(B) routine tuberculosis testing of individual animals or consignments performed by a designated accredited veterinarian; and/or

(C) other appropriate methods of surveillance approved by a representative of the TAHC.

(2) A surveyed herd must identify animals at a rate to detect infection at a 2.0% prevalence level with 95% confidence. This rate would require an annual survey of a minimum of one-third of the total number of animals prescribed in appendix 1 for each specified herd size.

(3) Qualification and maintenance of surveyed herd status. An annual report shall be submitted by the person, firm, or corporation responsible for management of the herd to the Commission at the time of qualifying and prior to each anniversary date. The report shall include the estimated number of breeding age animals currently in the herd and the number of animals over one year of age surveyed during the preceding year.

(e) Status of newly assembled herds. A newly assembled herd shall assume the herd status of the herd from which the animals originated. If the herd is assembled from more than one herd, it shall assume the status of the originating herd with the lowest status. A newly assembled herd shall also assume the testing schedule of the herd which status it assumes. These animals must have no exposure to cervidae from herds of lesser status than the herd of origin which is determining the status of the newly assembled herd.

Source Note: The provisions of this §43.22 adopted to be effective August 31, 1995, 20 TexReg 5857; amended to be effective October 1, 1997, 22 TexReg 11346; amended to be effective August 22, 1999, 24 TexReg 6280; amended to be effective June 14, 2007, 32 TexReg 3172