Effective Date of Rule: Immediately.

     Purpose: To remove the provision allowing the movement of cattle from a Class A state into restricted feedlots of Washington without testing or brucellosis vaccination.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 16-54-082.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: Chapters 16.36 and 34.05 RCW.

     Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the public interest.

     Reasons for this Finding: Currently, department rules allow cattle from Class A states destined for restricted feedlots as exempt from the brucellosis import testing and vaccination requirements. This emergency rule is necessary in order to meet the federal requirements for importation of cattle from a Class A state. According to federal regulation, all cattle from Class A states must be brucellosis tested before entering the state except those going to slaughter or quarantine feedlots. Quarantined feedlots are not allowed in class free states such as Washington. This amendment will bring Washington state into compliance with federal regulations. Due to Idaho state's loss of status from "Class free" to "Class A" on January 12, 2006, this immediate action is necessary in order to prevent exposure of Washington cattle to brucellosis.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: January 13, 2006.

Valoria H. Loveland

Director

by William E. Brookreson

Deputy Director

     (1) Tuberculosis. All beef and dairy cattle must originate from herds not under quarantine in a not less than modified accredited area. The state veterinarian may require a negative tuberculosis test within thirty days of import for cattle (including bison) from the states classified as modified accredited or accredited free if Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) has been cultured from a herd in that state within the previous twelve months. All Mexican cattle imported from Mexico within three years of date of importation to Washington must show proof of a tuberculosis retest at least one hundred twenty days after import to the United States. Such cattle without proof of retest must be held on the premises of destination under Hold Order/Quarantine in Washington and kept separate from all other cattle for not less than one hundred twenty nor more than one hundred eighty days from the date of entry and retested for tuberculosis during the one hundred twenty to one hundred eighty-day period.

     All dairy cows and bulls six months of age or older must test negative for bovine tuberculosis within sixty days prior to entering Washington. These dairy cattle must be identified with a USDA silver identification ear tag or a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. Dairy heifers and bull calves under six months of age entering Washington must obtain a permit and upon entry will be issued a hold order/quarantine requiring the animals to proceed directly to a premise or designated facility and to be held separate from all other cattle until they test negative for bovine tuberculosis after six months of age. Dairy heifers and bull calves under six months of age must be identified with a USDA silver identification ear tag or a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. Dairy cattle that originate in an accredited tuberculosis free herd as defined by USDA in 9 CFR Chapter 1, Part 77 (January 1, 2005) and for which both an accredited herd number and date of last tuberculosis test are shown on the official interstate health certificate or certificate of veterinary inspection, dairy steers and spayed heifers being imported to restricted feedlots to be fed for slaughter, dairy cattle consigned to federally inspected slaughter plants for immediate slaughter, and dairy cattle consigned to a state federally approved livestock market to be sold directly to slaughter only are exempt from bovine tuberculosis testing under this section.

     (2) Brucellosis health certificate requirements. All domestic bovine animals (including bison), except those consigned to restricted feedlots, to federally inspected slaughter plants for immediate slaughter, or beef breed cattle, slaughter only dairy breed cattle, or dairy breed cattle from Oregon, Montana, and Idaho consigned to a state-federal approved livestock market, shall be accompanied by an official interstate health certificate and shall meet the following requirements:

     (a) Brucellosis test.

     (i) Cattle from class free and A states.

     (A) Sexually intact heifers from brucellosis quarantined herds in class free and A states shall not be imported into the state of Washington except for immediate slaughter at a federally inspected slaughter plant.

     (B) Cattle other than those referred to in (a)(i)(A) of this subsection from class free or A states which are test eligible, unless destined ((for a restricted feedlot or)) for immediate slaughter at a federally inspected slaughter establishment, or cattle from a free state destined for a restricted feedlot must be negative to an official brucellosis test conducted within thirty days prior to date of entry. Cattle not considered test eligible include:

     (I) Calves under six months of age.

     (II) Steers and spayed heifers.

     (III) Officially vaccinated dairy cattle under twenty months of age and officially vaccinated beef cattle under twenty-four months of age.

     (IV) Cattle from a certified brucellosis free herd.

     (V) Cattle from selected brucellosis free states designated by the Washington state veterinarian.

     (ii) Cattle from Class B or C states.

     (A) Sexually intact females from other than certified brucellosis free herds in states classified B or C by the USDA shall not be imported into the state of Washington except for immediate slaughter at a federally inspected slaughter establishment.

     (B) Sexually intact males from Class B states which are test eligible, unless destined ((for a restricted feedlot or)) for immediate slaughter at a federally inspected slaughter establishment, must be negative to an official brucellosis test conducted within thirty days prior to date of entry and held on the premises of destination and kept separate from all other cattle for retest not less than forty-five nor more than one hundred twenty days from the date of the preentry test. Cattle not considered test eligible include:

     (I) Calves under six months of age.

     (II) Steers and spayed heifers.

     (III) Cattle from a certified brucellosis free herd.

     (C) Sexually intact males from Class C states which are test eligible must be negative to two official brucellosis tests conducted prior to entry at least sixty days apart, the second test to be conducted within thirty days of entry. Those cattle shall be held on the premises of destination and kept separate from all other cattle for retest not less than forty-five nor more than one hundred twenty days from the date of the second negative preentry test. Cattle not considered test eligible include:

     (I) Calves under six months of age.

     (II) Steers and spayed heifers.

     (III) Cattle from a certified brucellosis free herd.

     (iii) Beef cattle eligible for brucellosis testing coming from class free or A states or dairy cattle coming from Idaho, Montana, or Oregon may be moved to state-federal approved livestock markets in Washington to meet entry health requirements.

     (iv) Should brucellosis infection occur in the state of Washington as a result of importation of infected animals, all future importations from the state of origin shall be required to meet import regulations of the next lower classification. State regulatory officials of that state shall be notified and the lower classification entry requirement will be in effect for twelve months following notification to the state of origin.

     (b) Brucellosis vaccinates - female dairy cattle. All female dairy cattle must be identified as official brucellosis vaccinates before entry into a dairy cow breeding herd. Except the following classes of cattle are exempt from this requirement:

     (i) Calves under four months of age.

     (ii) Those cattle, from a free state, consigned directly to a restricted feedlot.

     (iii) Spayed heifers.

     (c) Brucellosis vaccinates - female beef cattle. All female beef breed cattle must be identified as official brucellosis vaccinates before entry into a beef cow breeding herd, except the following classes of cattle are exempt from this requirement:

     (i) Calves under four months of age.

     (ii) Cattle from a free state sold or consigned to a restricted feedlot.

     (iii) Spayed heifers.

     (d) Cattle from a certified brucellosis free country may be imported if the state veterinarian, upon being assured that to allow such cattle to enter would not create any jeopardy to the livestock industry of the state of Washington, issues a special permit for such entry.

     (3) Scabies. The office of the state veterinarian may require that any cattle from a known infected area be dipped at an official dipping facility within ten days of entry and, except those consigned to a federally inspected slaughter plant for immediate slaughter within fourteen days, be accompanied by an official interstate health certificate. Ivermectin may be used as an alternative to the dipping procedure for beef and nonlactating dairy animals.

     (4) Vesicular stomatitis. The office of the state veterinarian may require that:

     (a) Any cattle be accompanied by an official interstate health certificate except those consigned to a federally inspected slaughter plant for immediate slaughter within fourteen days;

     (b) Dairy breed cattle be held separate and apart from all other cattle for a period of seven days at the point of destination and rechecked by an accredited veterinarian at the end of that period; except that dairy breed cattle from known infected areas shall not be allowed entry into the state; and

     (c) Beef breed cattle from known infected areas be held separate and apart from all other cattle for a period of thirty days either prior to entry or at the point of destination or both.

     (5) Temporary grazing permits. Herd owners desiring to move cattle into Washington for temporary grazing purposes must obtain a prior permit from the office of the state veterinarian. The state veterinarian may, if deemed necessary, require a brucellosis herd test and/or an official health certificate for any cattle entering the state for grazing purposes. Applicants must also file an approved herd plan with the office of the state veterinarian to phase out all brucellosis nonvaccinates in the herd prior to January 1, 1988. Grazing permits shall be for one specified season only and shall be valid for movement to only that destination declared on the permit. A copy of the permit shall accompany any vehicle transporting cattle into the state for such temporary grazing purposes.

[Statutory Authority: Chapters 16.36 and 34.05 RCW. 05-14-019, § 16-54-082, filed 6/24/05, effective 7/25/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 16.36.040. 99-09-023, § 16-54-082, filed 4/15/99, effective 5/16/99; 97-01-067 (Order 6009), § 16-54-082, filed 12/16/96, effective 1/16/97. Statutory Authority: RCW 16.36.040 and 16.36.096. 92-21-039, § 16-54-082, filed 10/15/92, effective 11/15/92. Statutory Authority: Chapter 16.36 RCW. 89-24-021 (Order 2021), § 16-54-082, filed 11/30/89, effective 12/31/89. Statutory Authority: RCW 16.36.040 and 16.36.050. 88-05-003 (Order 1964), § 16-54-082, filed 2/5/88; 87-08-021 (Order 1918), § 16-54-082, filed 3/25/87; 84-16-022 (Order 1838), § 16-54-082, filed 7/24/84. Statutory Authority: Chapter 16.36 RCW. 83-09-009 (Order 1792), § 16-54-082, filed 4/8/83. Statutory Authority: Chapters 16.36 and 16.44 RCW. 83-04-030 (Order 1782), § 16-54-082, filed 1/27/83. Statutory Authority: Chapters 16.36 and 16.40 RCW. 82-03-019 (Order 1752), § 16-54-082, filed 1/14/82; 81-10-047 (Order 1730), § 16-54-082, filed 5/1/81. Statutory Authority: Chapters 16.36 and 16.44 RCW. 78-06-116 (Order 1579), § 16-54-082, filed 6/7/78; Order 1540, § 16-54-082, filed 10/17/77.]

     Reviser's note: The bracketed material preceding the section above was supplied by the code reviser's office.