TENNESSEE LAUNCHES EQUINE PASSPORT PROGRAM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens today announced Tennessee’s participation in a voluntary regional program aimed at making it easier for horse owners to transport equine interstate.

The Equine Interstate Movement Permit, or “passport,” Program, is a new regional effort among participating states that eases current health certificate requirements on the movement of horses for participation in fairs, exhibitions, trail rides and other equine events.

“Tennessee is horse country. We rank second in the nation and have more than 210,000 equine of all types,” said Givens. “We’re glad to offer the new passport program to allow horse owners more freedom to transport their animals across state lines while continuing to safeguard the health of those animals and others that they may come in contact with.”

Currently, most states require horses to have a “Certificate of Veterinary Inspection” and a current negative Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) test, or Coggins test, prior to entering their destination state. Under the new voluntary program, horse owners can obtain a passport that is recognized among participating states as being equivalent to a health certificate except that the passport is valid for six months instead of the traditional 30 days.

Tennessee is among 11 states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia to join the passport program. In addition, Kentucky and Virginia are expected to recognize the program in the future.

“Horse owners can apply for the passport through an accredited private veterinarian,” said Dr. Ron Wilson, State Veterinarian. “The applications must include a copy of an original Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and a current EIA negative test result. In many instances, the veterinarian can submit the application for a passport at the same time that they submit information to our office for a health certificate.”

Passport applications are available from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture online at www.tennessee.gov/agriculture then click on “Animal Health” to access the passport program.

“While the passport allows horse owners to move between participating states for a period of six months without having to apply for a health certificate every 30 days, horses are required to be properly identified,” said Wilson.

Recognized forms of animal identification include a unique identifier lip tattoo, a unique brand, electronic implant or a digital photograph submitted in “jpeg” format. Horse owners are also responsible for keeping a record of events in which the horse participates.

To help horse owners meet the identification requirements of the passport program, the department is offering $10 credit per animal for the cost of implanting a radio frequency identification microchip. Horse owners can redeem the credit through participating and accredited Tennessee veterinarians.

To qualify for the credit or to apply for a passport, premises where horses are kept must be registered with the Department of Agriculture for the National Animal Identification System. Registering livestock premises is free and can be done at Extension, Farm Service Agency, Farm Bureau or Co-op locations across the state or by downloading the one-page form at www.tennessee.gov/agriculture/tpis.

For more information about the equine passport program or animal identification, contact the Tennessee Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian’s office at (615) 837-5120.

The New Florida Equine ID Cards For Intrastate And Interstate Movement

The Division of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is now offering laminated cards, containing digital pictures of the horse, as a voluntary alternative to the current paper EIA test document (VS Form 10-11) and the Equine Event Extension. There are two types of cards available:

1. The Negative EIA Test Verification Card will be accepted as proof of a negative EIA test within the state of Florida. The card has the same expiration date as the VS form 10-11 (coggins form). This card is not valid for change of ownership, only the original VS form 10-11 or certified lab copy of the VS form 10-11 (coggins form) can be used for this purpose. 2. The Equine Interstate Passport Card will be accepted by participating states as proof of a negative EIA test and an Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection within the previous six months, for interstate movement to equine events. This card is intended for the owner who frequents equine events in participating states. When traveling the OCVI and EIA do not need to accompany the Passport Card as it contains the OCVI, EIA, owner and veterinarian information. This card is not valid for change of ownership, only the original VS form 10-11 or certified lab copy of the VS form 10-11 can be used for this purpose.

The Equine Event Extension is a paper document which has been used in the past, and will still be offered by the State of Florida. The Event Extension, like the Passport Card, acts as an extension of the OCVI from 30 days to 6 months. For interstate travel, using the Equine Event Extension, the OCVI, current EIA and Event Extension document must be carried.

The states currently honoring the Florida Equine Passport Card and the Equine Event Extensions are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

The fees for the Equine Event Extension, Negative EIA Test Verification Cards and the Equine Interstate Passport Cards will be funded by a grant from the Division of Animal Industry through June 30, 2005. As of July 1, 2005 the Division of Animal Industry will begin charging a fee of $10 for each Equine Event Extension application and $5 for each additional animal included on the same application. The Negative EIA Test Verification Card will be $5 per application and the Equine Interstate Passport Card will carry a fee of $15 for the first horse on the application and $5 for each additional animal listed on the same application.

Requests for applications or questions about the Equine Cards can be made through our Bartow office by contacting Dr. John Irby, Bob Crawford Building, 605 E. Main St., Bartow 33830, (863)519-8507 or by contacting the Tallahassee office at, 407 South Calhoun Street, Room 331 Mayo Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0800, (850)410-0900 or by e-mailing to ecards@doacs.state.fl.us. Applications can be requested and digital images taken by individuals or veterinarians. The digital pictures required for the equine cards are the entire left side, entire right side and front view of the entire head. Each view should have approximately 10% background bordering all 4 sides of the image. The pictures can be submitted on a CD to our Bartow office with a completed application.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is now participating in the USDA sponsored National Animal Identification System (NAIS). As of July 1, 2005, anyone requesting a Florida Equine Card will be required to register the location where their horse resides. For more information on the National Animal Identification System you may log on to www.usda.gov/nais. If you have questions regarding the NAIS please email the Department at animalid@doacs.state.fl.us.

Horse Smart Card in the Works in Colorado
by: Marcella M. Reca, Staff Writer
June 2005 Article # 5776

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The horse industry in Colorado is instituting an Equine Smart Card identification program that will meet National Animal Identification System (NAIS) standards. The NAIS is being developed by the USDA and state agencies, and it is intended to identify specific U.S. animals, record their movements over their lifespans, and enable 48-hour traceback of the movements of any diseased or exposed animal. Carl Heckendorf, DVM, director of livestock disease and animal health for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, explained the Smart Card program at the National Institute of Animal Agriculture's annual meeting April 3-7 in St. Paul, Minn.

"Colorado is a brand state; many of the horses already have brand cards," began Heckendorf. "But a brand shows ownership, while a microchip will show identification." A brand is also unique to a premises, not a horse, and in the event of a disease outbreak, it is difficult to track a single horse based on a brand that could be on many horses scattered throughout the state and country.

The card will include health and brand data. Also incorporated will be radio frequency identification technology (RFID) methods and possible use of biometrics (digital iris scans) and DNA identification.

"The card will be read when there is a change of ownership, interstate movement, and movement within the state over 75 miles," said Heckendorf. These situations already require brand inspections. "When the horse is chipped, that horse will be tied to a premises, and that premises will have GPS (global positioning satellite) coordinates. The coordinates will be noted each time the card is read at a readable premises (such as a horse show) to aid in tracking."

The price of the card and who will pick up the cost of it have not been decided. The purpose of this program is not profit--officials want to make the card as cost effective as possible to ensure people will use it.

The card will also help track movement of horses in and out of Mexico, helping to prevent disease outbreak and curb horse theft. Officials would like to coordinate the card with Canada and the rest of the country.

Finally, the card will be read with computers and wireless technology, with information stored in an Internet database. Vets, government inspectors, breed registries, and owners will have limited access to the database and will only be able to change data in certain categories to keep privacy and security at a maximum. Town hall meetings are being used to get feedback from horse owners about the Equine Smart Card project, and the project was to begin in earnest in May.

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