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Animal Health Rules

Animal Health Requirements and Recommendations

ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANIMALS FOR EXHIBITION, INCLUDING COMMERCIAL EXHIBITION

This document provides the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) animal health requirements and recommendations for all animal exhibitions in the Commonwealth including Pennsylvania County and Community Fairs. All exhibitors are encouraged to check with the management of each fair in advance to ensure compliance with all fair requirements. Each Fair and exhibition will need to abide by the requirements sections for in state and out of state animals, and are strongly encouraged to adopt the recommendations based on their own perceived liability and risk for the exhibition and its audience.
Fair management is requested to maintain records and are asked to provide contact information of owners of all animals which are exhibited to PDA upon request. Please note, there are sales slips/records requirements, and documentation needed to move with sheep and goats after a sale.
It remains our goal to continue poultry exhibitions in 2023. We will continue to monitor reports of avian influenza cases that may occur in the United States that could put our poultry industry at risk.
The following Animal Owner or Caretaker‘s Verification of Veterinary Consultation Relationship statement for the animals and poultry being exhibited must be included with a signature line for the owner or caretaker on the fair registration form: “I attest and affirm that a “veterinarian consultation relationship” – as that phrase is defined in the Animal Exhibition Sanitation Law found at 3 Pa.C.S.A. § 2501 et seq. and any amendments thereto – “exists with regard to any animals I will be exhibiting.” Animals entering with a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) are exempt from this statement requirement.
PLEASE NOTE: There are ID requirements specific to the Farm Show complex: Cattle, swine, market sheep (in addition to other ID) and market goats(in addition to other ID) must be identified with a 15 digit 840 iso compliant RFID ear tag. The only exception to this will be for cattle who were identified using a 900 series 15-digit iso compliant tag placed before January 1, 2015. No other exceptions will be granted. Please distinguish between 840 tags with RFID capabilities versus 840 tags that do not have those capabilities prior to placing identification in your animal.
PDA strongly recommends that animals returning home from fairs and shows be isolated from other members of the herd or flock for a minimum of three weeks to help prevent the spread of disease and recommends that exhibitors of all animals discuss the health of their animals, including vaccine recommendations, with a veterinarian on a regular basis. PDA also encourages animal and poultry owners to register their premises so they can be contacted in a disease emergency situation. Call 717-836-3235 to register a premises.

Cattle

Section 3: Pennsylvania Cattle:
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. Sexually intact cattle shall be identified by an official ear tag or other unique identification device approved by PDA. Official identification includes:
▪A USDA issued National Uniform Ear tagging System (NUES) tag: or
▪A 15 digit Animal Identification Number(AIN( ear tag Starting with “840”; or
▪Other identification approved by the PDA (brands and breed registrations with tattoos are not acceptable).
▪ID requirements specific to the Farm Show complex: All cattle entering the complex must be identified with a 15 digit 840 iso compliant RFID ear tag. The only exception to this will be for cattle who were identified using a 900 series 15-digit iso compliant tag placed before January 1, 2015. No other exceptions will be granted. If you intend to exhibit at the complex, please distinguish between840 tags with RFID capabilities versus 840 tags that do not have those capabilities prior to placing identification in your animal.
Recommendations:
1. In addition to the identification for sexually intact cattle, all non-sexually intact cattle including steers and spayed heifers should be identified with forms of ID consistent with# 1 in requirements above.
2. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this should be written on the CVI.
3. A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian for animals 3 months of age and older (observe appropriate slaughter withdraw time). Market cattle consigned for immediate slaughter can be exempt.
4.Rodeo: It is recommended that rodeo cattle of all ages be negative on an official tuberculin test within 60 days prior to the start of the fair unless they are members of and originate from an accredited tuberculosis-free herd. The cattle can be accompanied by the negative test report or the tuberculosis test results can be recorded by the veterinarian on a CVI.

Section 4: Out of State Cattle:
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. All animals must bear official animal identification. (NOTE: RFID tags will be required at District and State Dairy shows.)
3. For dairy animal entries, The Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) must include a statement that the animal(s) identified have been immunized against IBR, PI3, BRSV, and BVD.
4. Vesicular Stomatitis (VS): This applies to cattle entering Pennsylvania from states that experienced a Vesicular Stomatitis outbreak in the last 12 months. In these cases an accredited veterinarian shall determine whether the animals are free from VS, and animals shall be accompanied by a CVI with the following statement signed by the accredited veterinarian: “All animals identified on this CVI have been examined and found to be free from VS. During the past 90 days, these animals have neither been exposed to VS nor were located within 10 miles of a site where VS has been diagnosed.”
5. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this is required on the CVI.
6. Federal regulation (USDA) requires individual official animal identification for sexually intact cattle in interstate movement. Official ID will have a US shield and includes:
▪A USDA-issued National Uniform Ear tagging System (NUES) tag; or
▪A 15-digit Animal Identification Number (AIN) ear tag starting with “840”; or
▪Other official identification approved by USDA. (brands and breed registrations with tattoos are not acceptable).
▪ID requirements specific to the Farm Show complex: All cattle entering the complex must be identified with a 15 digit 840 iso compliant RFID ear tag. The only exception to this will be for cattle who were indented using a 900 series 15-digit iso compliant tag placed before January 1, 2015. No other exceptions will be granted. Please distinguish between 840 tags with RFID capabilities versus840 tags that do not have those capabilities prior to placing identification in your animal.
7. Tuberculosis testing requirements:
▪No test is required for animals originating from states or zones designated as accredited free by the USDA.
▪All animals originating from states or zones designated modified accredited advanced by the USDA must be test negative within the 60 days prior to the date of importation. The negative test results and dates of tests must be included on the CVI or the animal must be accompanied by a negative test report (a copy of the original report is acceptable).
▪All animals originating from states or zones designated modified accredited by the USDA must originate from herds in which all animals 12 months of age and older are test negative within the 12 months prior to the date of importation and the individual animals (all ages) to be imported are also test negative within the60 days prior to the date of importation and at least 60 days after the negative whole herd test was completed. The negative test results and date of test must be included on the CVI or the animal must be accompanied by a negative test report (a copy of the original test report is acceptable).
▪Special Tuberculosis Test requirement for Rodeo Cattle: All rodeo cattle and bison from out of state must be negative on an official tuberculosis test within 60 days prior to entering Pennsylvania unless they originate from and are members of an Accredited Tuberculosis-free herd within an accredited Tuberculosis-free state or zone. This requirement for rodeo cattle from out of state is in addition to all other requirements listed above for out of state cattle.
Recommendations:
1.A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian is recommended for animals 3 months of age and older (observe appropriate slaughter withdraw time). Market cattle consigned for slaughter immediately following exhibition can be exempt.

Dairy Beef
1. Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. Calves are required to be vaccinated against IBR, PI3, BRSV, and BVD using one dose of modified live vaccine or two doses of killed vaccine. (Examples: Bovishield and Pyramid).
3. It is recommended that calves be given a rabies vaccination.
4. If your steer has symptoms of ringworm within 4 weeks of Fair, you should have your animal treated by a veterinarian and a statement of date/treatment.
All members are responsible for health requirements to add value of animals for the buyer.

Equine

Section 9: Pennsylvania Equine Animals:
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this should be written on the CVI.
(NEGATIVE COGGINS TEST, RABIES VACCINE, AND CERTIFICATE OF VETERINARY INSPECTION ARE MANDATORY. Copies of tests must be attached to the stall where the animal is kept.)
3. It is mandatory that all equine animals be test negative for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) by an official test within the 12 months prior to the opening date of the exhibition. Laboratory test results should accompany each animal to its final destination (a copy of the original lab report is acceptable). The CVI shall specify the date of sample collection and EIA test results. Foals less than six months of age accompanied by a test-negative dam are exempt from EIA testing requirements. If the foal is not accompanied by the dam, a copy of the dam’s test results must accompany the foal to its final destination.
4. A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian for animals 3 months of age and older. The name of the product used, date of administration and Veterinarian administering the rabies vaccination should appear on the CVI or on a Rabies vaccination certificate and this information should correlate to a written description of the horse, and any and all forms of identification associated with the horse- such as lip, tattoos, brands, or microchips.

Section 10: Out of State Equine Animals:
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the date of importation is required.
2. Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) statement: This applies to horses entering Pennsylvania from states that experienced a Vesicular Stomatitis outbreak in the last 12 months. In these cases an accredited veterinarian shall determine whether the animals are free from VS, and animals shall be accompanied by a CVI with the following statement signed by the accredited veterinarian: “All animals identified on this CVI have been examined and found to be free from VS. During the past 90 days, these animals were not located within 10 miles of a site where VS has been diagnosed.”
3. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this is required on the CVI.
(NEGATIVE COGGINS TEST, RABIES VACCINE, AND CERTIFICATE OF VETERINARY INSPECTION ARE MANDATORY. Copies of tests must be attached to the stall where the animal is kept.)
4. All equine animals must be test negative for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) by an official test within the 12 months prior to the date of importation. Laboratory test results must accompany each animal to its final destination (a copy of the original lab report is acceptable). The CVI shall specify the date of sample collection and EIA test results.
Foals under six months of age accompanied by a dam with negative EIA official test results are exempt from EIA testing requirements. If the foal is not accompanied by the dam, a copy of the dam’s test results must accompany the foal to its final destination.
5. If an equine animal has resided in Texas or New Mexico for a cumulative total of 30 days or more within the six months preceding the date of entry into the Commonwealth, that animal must be test-negative for Babesia caballi and Theilleria equi on a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) test, or a Department-approved equivalent test, with the test occurring within the 30 days preceding entry into Pennsylvania. The date of test and the test results shall be written on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.
Recommendations:
6. A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian for animals 3 months of age and older. The name of the product used, date of administration and Veterinarian administering the rabies vaccination should appear on the CVI or on a Rabies vaccination certificate and this information should correlate to a written description of the horse, and any and all forms of identification associated with the horse- such as lip, tattoos, brands, or microchips.

Goats

Section 11: Pennsylvania Goats:
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. Individual official animal identification is required for all goats. Official ID includes:
▪ A USDA ear tag with a US shield ; which includes scrapie program tags (animals bearing identification with blue colored scrapie program tags are not permitted be exhibited in Pennsylvania- please call the department at 717-783-6851 if such a tag is encountered).or
▪ A legible tattoo with herd and individual identification recognized in an approved USDA Scrapie database a.k.a. scrapie tattoo (flock ID in the right ear--state postal code and letters/numbers--and individual animal ID in the left ear); or
▪ A breed registration tattoo if the animal is accompanied by a registration certificate and the tattoo is legible.
▪ Identification used for sheep and goats must be permanently affixed to the individual animal.
2. For post-exhibition sales the following requirements apply:
a. Market goats must be documented on sales slips which contain the following information:
▪ Official identification (as described above)
▪ Sale date
▪ Sale location
▪ Name, address and phone number of the exhibitor
▪ Hauler contact information
▪ Destination name and contact information
▪ Total number of animals in the shipment
▪ Type of goat (i.e. meat, dairy, specific breed)
▪ Signature of consignee, agent, or hauler
Those slips or a document capturing all of the above must follow the goat to their final destination (including slaughter facilities)
b. Goats which are purchased with the intent of breeding and are traveling via interstate movement must have an interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) prior to movement to the destination state.
c. A copy of the sale records slips as delineated above and a copy of any ICVIs (in b. above) must be kept by the sale organizer/extension for 5 years.
ID requirements specific to the Farm Show complex: Market goats entering the complex must be identified with a 15 digit 840 iso compliant RFID ear tag. This can be in addition to the forms of Id listed above so long as only one 840 ID is used. No exceptions will be granted. If you wish to exhibit at the complex please distinguish between 840 tags with RFID capabilities versus 840 tags that do not have those capabilities prior to placing identification in your animal.
Recommendations:
1. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this should be written on the CVI.

Section 12: Out of State Goats
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) statement: This applies to states that experienced a VS outbreak in the last 12 months. In these cases an accredited veterinarian shall determine whether the animals are free from VS, and animals shall be accompanied by a CVI with the following statement signed by the accredited veterinarian: “All animals identified on this CVI have been examined and found to be free from VS. During the past 90 days, these animals were not located within 10 miles of a site where VS has been diagnosed.”
3. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this is required on the CVI.
4. Individual official animal identification is required for all goats. Official ID includes:
a. A USDA ear tag with a US shield ; which includes scrapie program tags (animals bearing identification with blue colored scrapie program tags are not permitted be exhibited in Pennsylvania- please call the department at 717-783-6851 if such a tag is encountered). or
b. A legible tattoo with herd and individual identification recognized in an approved USDA Scrapie database a.k.a. scrapie tattoo (flock ID in the right ear--state postal code and letters/numbers--and individual animal ID in the left ear); or
c. A breed registration tattoo if the animal is accompanied by a registration certificate and the tattoo is legible.
d. Identification used for sheep and goats must be permanently affixed to the individual animal.
• Tuberculosis testing requirements:
▪ No test is required for animals originating from states or zones designated as accredited-free by the USDA.
▪ All animals originating from states or zones designated modified accredited advanced by the USDA must be test negative within the 60 days prior to the date of importation. The negative test results and date of test must be included on the CVI or the animal must be accompanied by a negative test report (a copy of the original report is acceptable).
▪ All animals originating from states or zones designated modified accredited must originate from herds in which all animals 12 months of age and older have tested negative within the 12 months prior to the date of importation; and the individual animals (all ages) to be imported have also tested negative within the 60 days prior to the date of importation and at least 60 days after the negative whole herd test was completed. The negative test results and date of test must be included on the CVI or the animal must be accompanied by a negative test report (a copy of the original test report is acceptable).
5. For post-exhibition sales the following requirements apply:
a. Market goats must be documented on sales slips which contain the following information
•Official identification (as described above)
•Sale date
•Sale location
•Name, address and phone number of the exhibitor
•Hauler contact information
•Destination name and contact information
•Total number of animals in the shipment
•Type of goat (i.e. meat, dairy, specific breed)
•Signature of consignee, agent, or hauler
Those slips or a document capturing all of the above must follow the goats to their destination (including slaughter facilities)
b. Goats which are purchased with the intent of breeding and are traveling via interstate movement must have an interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection(ICVI) prior to movement to the destination state.
c. A copy of the sale records slips as delineated above and a copy of any CVIs (in b. above) must be kept by the sale organizer/extension for 5years.
• ID requirements specific to the Farm Show complex: Market goats entering the complex must be identified with a 15 digit 840 iso compliant RFID ear tag. This can be in addition to the forms of ID listed above so long as only one 840 ID is used. No exceptions will be granted. If you wish to exhibit at the complex please distinguish between 840 tags with RFID capabilities versus 840 tags that do not have those capabilities prior to placing identification in your animal.
Recommendations:
All out of state goats must meet all criteria listed above as “requirements”. PDA has no additional recommendations to prevent the introduction of contagious disease from out of state goats.

Poultry

Section 13: Pennsylvania Poultry
Requirements:
1. All Pennsylvania poultry, including chickens, entering an exhibition must bear an official PDA-issued leg band.
2. An Owner-endorsed Poultry Health Certificate or a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) must accompany all Pennsylvania poultry, including chickens and hatching eggs. The certificate must include the following:
*Name and location of exhibition; and
*Name, address, and telephone number of the owner; and
*A statement that the entries and the flock of origin are free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases; and
*Owner signature and date of that signature.
3. Avian Influenza Testing and Verification: All samples must be collected by a Certified Poultry Technician or a Category II Accredited Veterinarian.
▪All poultry, including chickens, and their hatching eggs for exhibition must originate from a flock in which a random, representative sample of a minimum of 30 birds, 3 weeks of age or older, were tested for avian influenza within the 30 days prior to opening date of the exhibition. The birds or hatching eggs must be accompanied by the most recent test report (copy acceptable). Test results must be negative. If there are fewer than 30 birds in the flock, test all birds. Untested birds shall not be comingled with or added to the tested flock after negative samples have been collected and before the show.
4. Pullorum-typhoid Testing and Verification: All samples must be collected by a Certified Poultry Technician or a Category II Accredited Veterinarian.
▪Poultry, including chickens, and their hatching eggs must originate from a flock in good standing on the NPIP Pullorum-typhoid Clean Program (and there was no break in the chain of ownership by NPIP participants) or from a flock in good standing on the PA Pullorum Equivalent Program. The birds or hatching eggs must be accompanied by the most recent test report (copy acceptable). Test results must be negative. If the rapid whole-blood plate agglutination test was done, the most recent NPIP 9-2 form or state equivalent form must accompany the birds or hatching eggs (copy acceptable). Test results must be negative. If birds are less than one year of age and all originate from an NPIP Clean hatchery, they do not have to be tested for pullorum-typhoid if they are accompanied by an NPIP 9-3 form from that hatchery and any additions to the flock were also from NPIP Clean sources. The NPIP number must be noted on the report for NPIP Pullorum-typhoid Clean flocks;
OR
▪All individual birds for exhibition and birds providing hatching eggs (maximum of 300) must have had a pullorum-typhoid test within the 90 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition. The birds must be accompanied by the most recent test report, or state equivalent form for the rapid test (copies acceptable). Test results must be negative. The following age restrictions apply:
▪Chickens shall be tested at 4 months of age or older.
▪All birds not meeting these age restrictions at the time of sampling are exempt from pullorum-typhoid testing requirements.
▪If all of the birds going to the exhibit are below the minimum testing age for pullorum-typhoid, at least 10% of birds of testing age in the flock shall be tested within the 90 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition, (Maximum 300 birds.)
5.Testing specifics/Records requirements:
a. Sample collectors and testers must maintain records of animal identification, approved rapid testing, and any other records required by the Domestic Animal Law, and any order issued by the Department for a minimum of two years and must make records available to the Department upon request.
b. National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) protocols for sample collection, including the number of swabs/tubes of viral transport media, and testing shall be followed. All samples must be tested at a NAHLN laboratory.(excluding the Pullorum-typhoid rapid whole blood plate agglutination test that may be conducted at farm)

Section 14: Out of State Poultry
Requirements:
1. All Pennsylvania poultry, including chickens, entering an exhibition must bear an official PDA-issued leg band.
2. An Owner-endorsed Poultry Health Certificate or a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) must accompany all Pennsylvania poultry, including chickens and hatching eggs. The certificate must include the following:
▪Name and location of exhibition; and
▪Name, address, and telephone number of the owner; and
▪A statement that the entries and the flock of origin are free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases; and
▪Owner signature and date of that signature.
3. Avian Influenza Testing and Verification: All samples must be collected by a Certified Poultry Technician or a Category II Accredited Veterinarian. All poultry, including chickens, and their hatching eggs must originate from a flock in which a random, representative sample of a minimum of 30 birds, 3 weeks of age or older, were tested for avian influenza within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition. The birds or hatching eggs must be accompanied by the most recent test report (copy acceptable).Test results must be negative. If there are fewer than 30 birds in the flock, test all birds. Untested birds shall not be comingled with or added to the tested flock after negative samples have been collected and before the show.
4. Pullorum-typhoid Testing and Verification (pigeons/doves excluded): All samples must be collected by a Certified Poultry Technician or a Category II Accredited Veterinarian.
a. All poultry and hatching eggs must come from NPIP Pullorum-typhoid Clean flocks in good standing with the program (and there was no break in the chain of ownership by NPIP participants) and the birds must be accompanied by an NPIP 9-3 form;
OR
b. All individual birds and birds providing hatching eggs(maximum of 300) must have had a negative pullorum-typhoid test within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition. The birds must be accompanied by the most recent test report (copy acceptable). Test results must be negative. If the rapid whole-blood plate agglutination test was done, the most recent NPIP 9-2 form must accompany the birds (copy acceptable). Test results must be negative. The following age restrictions apply to comply with NPIP standards:
▪Chickens shall be tested at 4 months of age or older.
▪All birds not meeting these minimum age restrictions at the time of sampling must come from a flock in which all the test-eligible birds in the flock (up to 300) have been test negative within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition.
5. Testing specifics/Records requirements
a. Sample collectors and testers must maintain records of animal identification, approved rapid testing, and any other records required by the Domestic Animal Law, and any order issued by the Department for a minimum of two years and must make records available to the Department upon request.
b. National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) protocols for sample collection, including the number of swabs/tubes of viral transport media, and testing shall be followed. All samples must be tested at a NAHLN laboratory.(excluding the Pullorum-typhoid rapid whole blood plate agglutination test that may be conducted at farm)

Rabbits

Section 15: Pennsylvania Rabbits:
Requirements:
1. All animals must be free of infectious and contagious diseases.
2. The following Animal Owner or Caretaker‘s Verification of Veterinary Consultation Relationship statement for the animals being exhibited must be included with a signature line for the owner or caretaker on the fair registration form: “I attest and affirm that a “veterinarian consultation relationship” – as that phrase is defined in the Animal Exhibition Sanitation Law found at 3 Pa.C.S.A. § 2501 et seq. and any amendments thereto – “exists with regard to any animals I will be exhibiting.” The name and phone number of the consulting veterinarian must be included on the entry form.
Recommendations:
1. A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). It is highly recommended that fairs and exhibitions ask that each exhibited rabbit be listed on an intrastate CVI written within 14 days of entrance. The Certificate of Veterinary inspection shall be written by an accredited Veterinarian and contain the following statements:
“ All Rabbits in the shipment have been examined for and found free of infectious, contagious or communicable diseases including RHDV-2 and there have not been multiple mortality events or rabbits exhibiting hemorrhages within the last 90 days. The rabbits in this shipment have not been housed or exhibited with any rabbits associated with known mass mortality or hemorrhage events”
“In the last 90 days, the rabbits in this shipment, have not been exhibited in, housed in, or traveled to, any state or territory in which RHDV-2 has been diagnosed within the last 12 months. In addition, during the last 90 days, they have had no contact with any captive or wild rabbit originating from or travelled to one of those affected states or territories.”
Please note: vaccination of Pennsylvania origin rabbits should not exempt the participant from having to adhere to and attest to the above statements on the CVI.
Requirements:
The Department of Agriculture has no specific requirements for Pennsylvania rabbits at fairs. However, fair management has the authority to impose requirements designed to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. While on exhibit, report all mass mortality events and all rabbits who are ill and bleeding from eyes, nose, mouth, or have bloody stools to the department emergency line 717-772-2852 option 1. We need your help to quickly identify and stop dangerous transmissible diseases such as RHDV-2.

Sheep

Section 17: Pennsylvania Sheep:
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. Individual official animal identification is required for all sheep. Official ID includes:
• A USDA ear tag with a US shield ; which includes scrapie program tags (animals bearing identification with blue colored scrapie program tags are not permitted be exhibited in Pennsylvania- please call the department at 717-783-6851 if such a tag is encountered).or
• A legible tattoo with herd and individual identification recognized in an approved USDA Scrapie database a.k.a. scrapie tattoo (flock ID in the right ear--state postal code and letters/numbers-- and individual animal ID in the left ear); or
• A breed registration tattoo if the animals are accompanied by a registration certificate (copy acceptable) and the tattoo is legible.
• Identification used for sheep and goats must be permanently affixed to the individual animal.
3. For post-exhibition sales the following requirements apply:
a. Market sheep must be documented on sales slips which contain the following information:
• Official identification (as described above)
• Sale date
• Sale location
• Name, address and phone number of the exhibitor
• Hauler contact information
• Destination name and contact information
• Total number of animals in the shipment
• Type of sheep (i.e. meat, wool, specific breed)
• Signature of consignee, agent, or hauler
Those slips or a document capturing all of the above must follow the sheep to their destination (including slaughter facilities)
b. Sheep which are purchased with the intent of breeding and are traveling via interstate movement must have an interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection(ICVI) prior to movement to the destination state.
c. A copy of the sale records slips as delineated above and a copy of any ICVIs (in b. above) must be kept by the sale organizer/extension for 5 years.
Recommendations:
1. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this should be written on the CVI.
2. A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian for animals 3 months of age and older (observe appropriate slaughter withdraw time). Sheep consigned as market animals for slaughter may be exempt from this recommendation.

Section 18: Out of State Sheep:
Requirements:
1. A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (CVI) issued within the 30 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition is required.
2. Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) Statement: This applies to states that experienced a VS outbreak in the last 12 months. In these cases an accredited veterinarian shall determine whether the animals are free from VS, and animals shall be accompanied by a CVI with the following statement signed by the accredited veterinarian: “All animals identified on this CVI have been examined and found to be free from VS. During the past 90 days, these animals were not located within 10 miles of a site where VS has been diagnosed.”
3. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases and a statement of this is required on the CVI.
4. Individual official USDA scrapie animal identification is required. Official scrapie ID includes:
•A USDA ear tag with a US shield which includes scrapie program tags(animals bearing identification with blue colored scrapie program tags are not permitted be exhibited in Pennsylvania- please call the department at 717-783-6851 if such a tag is encountered).
or
• A legible tattoo with herd and individual identification recognized in an approved USDA Scrapie database a.k.a. scrapie tattoo (flock ID in the right ear--state postal code and letters/numbers--and individual animal ID in the left ear);
or
•A breed registration tattoo if the animals are accompanied by a registration certificate (copy acceptable) and the tattoo is legible.
5. For post-exhibition sales the following requirements apply:
a. Market sheep must be documented on sales slips which contain the following information:
•Official identification (as described above)
•Sale date
•Sale location
•Name, address and phone number of the exhibitor
•Hauler contact information
•Destination name and contact information
•Total number of animals in the shipment
•Type of sheep (i.e. meat, wool, specific breed)
•Signature of consignee, agent, or hauler
Those slips or a document capturing all of the above must follow the sheep to their destination (including slaughter facilities)
b. Sheep which are purchased with the intent of breeding and are traveling via interstate movement must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) prior to movement to the destination state.
c. A copy of the sale records slips as delineated above and a copy of any ICVIs (in b. above) must be kept by the sale organizer/extension for 5 years.
Please see rabies requirements for exhibition of sheep at the Farm show complex in the general section
Recommendations:
1. A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian for animals 3months of age and older (observe appropriate slaughter withdraw time).Sheep consigned as market animals for slaughter may be exempt from this recommendation.

Swine

Section 19: Pennsylvania Swine:
Requirements:
1. No swine species shall be exhibited in Pennsylvania unless each animal:
▪Is accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) issued within 14days of the exhibition;
▪Is permanently identified by an official 840 series radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tag and the ear tag number is recorded on the CVI;
▪Has been visually inspected and found to be free of signs of contagious disease immediately prior to unloading at the exhibition by an accredited veterinarian or swine health monitor appointed by the fair board or livestock show committee.
▪Swine health monitors appointed by fairs or show/event organizers must undergo annual online training which can be found at the following link: Pennsylvania Show and Fair Swine Health Monitor Training (psu.edu) or the following site Extension.psu.edu/Pennsylvania-show-and-fair-swine-health-monitor-training.
-Swine health monitors must provide a current completion certificate to the fair or show staff they will be performing monitoring services for, prior to the start of the event.
2. All breeding swine exhibitions are to occur prior to the arrival of any market swine:
a. Breeding swine must be removed from the animal exhibition premises prior to any market swine arriving.
b. Breeding swine animal exhibitions shall arrive, exhibit, and depart in a period no greater than 72 hours. Time begins when the first swine arrives physically on the fairgrounds whether unloaded from a trailer or not and ends when the last hog physically leaves the premises on a trailer.
c. Swine birthing exhibitions and educational displays which are not competing may occur concurrently with market swine animal exhibition, as long as, reasonable precaution is made to ensure the biosecurity of the swine birthing exhibition or educational display.
3. All market swine exhibited in Department sponsored market shows shall move as all in and all out directly to a PDA or USDA licensed slaughter facility following the animal exhibition and may not be diverted to premises other than a recognized slaughter establishment or a slaughter market in which the sales are designated slaughter only sales.
4. Non-PDA sponsored shows including jackpot shows and 4-H round-ups, not occurring during a PDA sponsored fair or show are exempt from the terminal slaughter requirement only if the following conditions are adhered to:
a. As is stated above, the swine shall be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection issued within 14 days of the exhibition and shall be permanently identified by an 840 series radio frequency (RFID) identification ear tag.
b. Arrival, exhibition and departure of the swine occur within a 72-hour window. Time begins when the first swine arrives physically on the exhibition grounds, whether unloaded from a trailer or not, and ends when the last hog physically leaves the premises on a trailer.
c. There is no public access to the animals other than observation during competitions.
d. An Accredited Veterinarian or trained swine health monitor visually inspects the animals prior to unloading, and they are found to be free of signs of contagious disease.
e. An accredited Veterinarian or trained swine health monitor shall monitor and record the health of the pigs daily for signs of contagious disease and the accredited Veterinarian shall immediately report all suspicious disease to the State Animal Health Official.
f. A Veterinary-client-patient-relationship is established between the show committee/management staff and an accredited Veterinarian, and that Veterinarian is readily available for health monitoring, emergency coverage, treatment, follow up evaluation, and prompt reporting of suspicious disease to the State Animal Health Official.
The Bedford County Fair and it's officers, reserve the right to randomly drug test any livestock exhibited at the Bedford County Fair. Non-approved pharmaceuticals are 100% prohibited! This includes substances not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for slaughter animals that may be destined for human consumption. This includes the use of all products that are not FDA approved including but not limited to any unapproved growth stimulant, beta-agonists, diuretics, or other unapproved medication meant for human usage that are intended for performance enhancing purposes. All utilized pharmaceuticals should be in compliance with Pennsylvania standards, USDA, and/or USDA/Food Safety/safety standards.
If any substance found in the obtained sample is non-approved, then the individual exhibitor will be subject to the following penalties:
(A) Disqualified from exhibiting at the Bedford County Fair for one year.
(B) Any & all money will be forfeited.
(C) All awards (banners, buckles, etc.) must be returned to the Department Committee immediately regardless of situation or will be billed at the Committee's discretion.
(D) Will be responsible to pay any and all fees for the blood test results.

2023 PDA Animal Health Rules and Recommendations

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