The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has instituted a new program—Animal Disease Traceability Program (ADTP)—to allow livestock (including horses) to be traced in the event of a disease outbreak. ADTP will apply to all interstate transport.

How this traceability program will impact the Equine Interstate Event Permit (EIEP) program devised by states in the Southeast to ease the flow of interstate horse traffic is not addressed. The USDA traceability program requires horses to have an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) or other document acceptable to the states involved, but doesn’t specifically address the new EIEP.

The ADTP will be administered by the states with federal support. It goes into effect on March 11, 2013, but a transition period is anticipated to allow transporters to get used to the new rules.

Posted January 27, 2013