Vesicular Stomatitis
Alert
Arizona Permit Requirement Change
Health requirements for admitting Cattle into California
- When is an entry permit required?
- When is a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection required?
- When is a Brand Inspection Certificate required?
- Brucellosis Vaccination
- Brucellosis Test
- Trichomonosis (TRICH)
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Special Entry Permits - What is required?
- Restricted Cattle - What cattle are restricted?
When is an entry permit required?
California Entry Requirements for Cattle, January 2008 (PDF 90 KB)
Record Requirements for Moving Cattle (PDF 55 KB)
An entry permit from the Animal Health Branch, valid for 15 days is required for each shipment of:- Female cattle.
- Beef bulls more than 18 months of age.
- Dairy breeding bulls more than 6 months of age.
- Breeding cattle from less than Tuberculosis (TB) "Accredited Free" States.
- Cattle originating in Mexico
- Bulls less than 6 months of age and all steers.
- Beef bulls less than 18 months of age originating in TB free states.
- Spayed heifers.
When is a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection required?
The veterinarian issuing a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for California entry must show that the animals described meet California entry requirements. A copy of the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, with individual identification where required, shall accompany each load or part of a shipment entering California containing:
- Female dairy cattle more than four (4) months of age.
- Female beef cattle more than six (6) months of age.
- Beef bulls more than 18 months of age.
- Dairy breeding bulls more than 6 months of age.
- Any animal requiring a blood test prior to entry.
- Cattle originating in Mexico
- Cattle entering for immediate slaughter (unless necessary to meet the requirement for the identification of each slaughter animal back to its place of origin).
- Cattle exempted by a Special Entry Permit.
- Beef bulls less than 18 months originating in TB free states.
- Feeder bulls less than 6 months of age; all steers and identified spayed heifers.
When is a Brand Inspection Certificate required?
A valid Brand Inspection Certificate, with owner signed certification on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection of brucellosis vaccination and legible brucellosis tattoo for one owner branded cattle may be substituted for the individual identification on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection under certain circumstances. Call the Animal Health Branch at 916–651–6278.
Brucellosis Vaccination
Official brucellosis calfhood vaccination,indicated by a legible tattoo, is required for:
- Female dairy breed cattle over four (4) months of age.
- Female beef breed cattle over 12 months of age and requested for beef cattle over six (6) months of age.
Not Vaccinated for brucellosis:
- Dairy breed (four (4) to eight (8)) months and beef breed (four (4) to 12) months of age may be granted a Special Entry Permit to be brucellosis vaccinated on arrival (by policy within 14 days after entry).
- Dairy breed over eight (8) months of age and beef breed over 12 months of age will not be allowed to enter except with a Special Entry Permit for feeding in a registered feedlot, as registered purebred beef or dairy cattle for breeding purposes, or for immediate slaughter.
Vaccination is not required for:
- Dairy breed females under four (4) months of age and beef breed females under six (6) months of age.
- Bulls, steers, or identified spayed heifers.
Brucellosis Test
Cattle originating in "Non–Class Free" states
require copies of official forms with blood test results and
animal identification. Test records may be attached to a Certificate
of Veterinary Inspection instead of copying the same information onto
the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. (Web page link)
Negative test is not required for native cattle from Class
Free States that are:
- Calves of vaccination age entering for vaccination on arrival (Special Entry Permit).
- Vaccinated female cattle of any age with legible tattoos as evidence of vaccination.
- Bulls, steers, or spayed heifers.
- Entering for immediate slaughter.
- Dairy breed less than four (4) months of age or beef breed less than six (6) months of age.
- Vaccinated dairy breed females under 18 months of age and vaccinated beef breed females under 24 months of age.
- Bulls less than 18 months of age.
- Steers or identified spayed heifers.
- From Certified Free Herds with herd number and date of current test recorded on Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.
- Consigned directly to a Specifically Approved Stockyard (SAS). No entry from SAS into California except for immediate slaughter unless cattle meet all California entry requirements.
- Vaccinated dairy breed heifers from California returning with a Special Entry Permit to their owners in California.
- Unvaccinated beef heifers six (6) months of age and over.
- Unvaccinated heifers of vaccination age entering with a Special Entry Permit to be vaccinated on arrival.
- Vaccinated dairy females 18 months of age and over; vaccinated beef females 24 months of age and over.
- Parturient or post–parturient of any age.
- Bulls 18 months of age and over.
- If registered dairy of beef, for preserving or developing bloodlines. Will be placed under permanent Hold Order.
- For feeding in an approved feedlot prior to slaughter.
Trichomonosis (TRICH)
California has recently adopted changes in
California's cattle from bovine trichomonosis control program. These regulations became effective October 5, 2007. Please see the attached letter
for new
requirements.(PDF 99 KB) (Web
page link)
Bulls over 18 months of age and over entering California from unaffected herds require:
1. Official individual identification and entry permit issued by CDFA
2. One (1) negative trichomonosis test within 60 days prior to entry into California, collected after 10 days without contact with sexually mature female cattle
3. A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) stating:
"The bull(s) represented on this CVI have been tested and found to be negative for Trichomonosis, and have been confined and have not had sexual contact with females since their last negative test. Trichomonosis has not been diagnosed in the herd within the past 24 months".
Pasture-to-Pasture (P-P) bulls from unaffected herds require:
1. Official individual identification and entry permit issued by CDFA
2. One (1) negative trichomonosis test within 12 months prior to entry into California
3. Copy of trichomonosis test chart attached to the permit
4. First movement test must be completed by October 5, 2008
Bulls from herds (including P–P herds) diagnosed with trichomonosis within the past 24 months require:
1. An entry permit, Official individual identification, CVI, and three (3) negative trichomonosis tests conducted at least seven days apart but not more that 28 days apart, with the last test conducted within 60 days of entry into California.
Exceptions from Trichomonosis testing – Bulls imported for:
1. Exhibition only: Must leave California after exhibition and not have access to sexually mature female cattle at any time while in California
2. Artificial Insemination using protocols that meet Certified Semen Services standards
3. Consigned to slaughter without unloading prior to arrival at slaughter plant
Tuberculosis (TB)
TB test requirements effective January 1, 2008: (TB Web page link)
Michigan – Call for requirements.
Beef Cattle—> All beef breeding cattle over six months of age must be TB tested within 60 days prior of entry that originate from any State that is less than Accredited Free. Exceptions: Individually identified cattle going directly to officially inspected slaughter facility and cattle from TB Accredited Free herds. Call 916–651–6278.
Michigan – Call for requirements.
Special Entry Permits – What is required?
Some of these permits take time to issue; allow adequate lead time before moving cattle on these permits. Call (916) 651–6278 for information or permit form. (PDF 13 KB) or (Word Doc 37 KB)
1. Officially vaccinated dairy heifers originating in California,
returning to the same owner in California after feeding in a Class
Free State. Owner certification is required.
2. Pasture to Pasture for vaccinated beef breeding herds from Class
Free States. Owner certification is required. (Permit application PDF 26
KB)
3. Non–vaccinated, test negative, purebred, registered, cattle for
preserving or developing bloodlines. Will be placed under permanent
Hold Order until they slaughtered or leave the state.
4. Native heifers of vaccination age to be vaccinated on arrival (by
policy within 14 days). Destination must be certified. Owner
certification is required.
5. Beef Feeder Permit Program following signed agreement between
State Veterinarians of a Class Free State and California. Will allow
apparently healthy, vaccinated beef heifers under 24 months of age to
enter for feeding for up to eight (8) months and disposition. Owner
certification is required. Call for permit forms (permit form,
movement form, destination registration form).
6. Non–vaccinated cattle from any state may enter a registered
feedlot (not pasture) for feeding for up to six (6) months before
slaughter. They require a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection,
negative test and individual identification. California has no
provisions for pasturing these cattle.
7. Slaughter cattle for direct delivery to a slaughter facility with
government inspection must be identified sufficiently to ensure
tracing to the premises of origin. A properly placed USDA backtag is
acceptable in place of an eartag if the backtag number is listed and
the list is stapled to a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection or Brand
Inspection Certificate. The backtag must be traceable to the
animal's herd of origin and must be the last identification
applied before California entry and moving to slaughter.
Restricted Cattle – What cattle are restricted?
Cattle or bison, excluding steers and identified spayed females, from areas under under brucellosis quarantine by any governmental agency, domestic or foreign, shall not be allowed to enter California. Breeding cattle originating in Mexico shall meet all Federal entry requirements, plus California entry requirements. Call the Animal Health Branch for more information.
Contact us for more information:
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Animal Health and Food Safety Services, Animal Health Branch
1220 N Street, Room A-107
Sacramento, California 95814
Telephone: (916) 654-1447
Fax: (916) 653-2215
or send an email to: ahbfeedback@cdfa.ca.gov