Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 38, September 20, 2024
A. Definitions. For purposes of this section,
the following definitions shall apply.
"Accredited Veterinarian" means an individual who is
currently licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the State of Arizona and
is an Accredited Level II by the United States Department of Agriculture,
Animal Plant Health Inspection Service.
"Approved Laboratory" means any laboratory designated and
approved by the State Veterinarian for examining T. foetus
samples and reporting all results to the State Veterinarian.
"Bull" means an intact male bovine 12 months of age and older
and is not confined to a drylot dairy.
"Change of Ownership" means when a bull is sold, leased,
gifted, or exchanged and changes premises for breeding purposes in
Arizona.
"Commingle" means cattle of opposite sex in the same
enclosure or pasture with a reasonable opportunity for sexual contact.
"Direct to Slaughter" means transporting an animal from site
of testing to a sale yard or directly to a slaughter plant without unloading or
commingling prior to arrival.
"Official T. foetus bull test" means the
sampling of a bull by a licensed, accredited veterinarian. Such test must be
conducted after at least 7 days separation from all female bovine. The bull and
sample must be officially and individually identified and documented for
laboratory submission. The official laboratory test shall be a polymerase chain
reaction (PCR), or other technologies as approved by the State Veterinarian and
adopted through a Director's Administrative Order. The test is not considered
official until results are reported by the testing laboratory.
"Official T. foetus laboratory testing"
means the laboratory procedures that shall be approved by the State
Veterinarian for identification of T. foetus.
"Positive T. foetus bull" means a bull that
has had a positive official T. foetus bull test.
"Tritrichomonas foetus" OR "T. foetus" means
a protozoan parasite that is the causative agent to the contagious venereal
disease Trichomoniasis.
B.
Testing requirements for Official T. foetus.
1. All Arizona origin bulls sold, leased,
gifted, exchanged or otherwise changing possession for breeding purposes in
Arizona shall be tested for T. foetus via Official T. foetus
bull test prior to sale or change of ownership in the state, unless going to
direct slaughter. T. foetus testing shall be performed on
bulls prior to change of ownership of that bull.
2. The Official T. foetus
test shall be collected by an Accredited Veterinarian and performed though an
Approved Laboratory.
3. Pooled
testing is not an official test.
4.
The T. foetus negative test is valid for 60 days after the
test is performed, providing the bull is kept separated from all female
bovine.
C. Positive bull
identification.
1. When a positive T.
foetus bull is identified, the Accredited Veterinarian shall notify
the producer upon receipt of the positive test results.
2. Regardless of
R3-2-402,
the Accredited Veterinarian and Approved Laboratory shall notify the State
Veterinarian of a positive T. foetus bull within 24 hours of
receiving the results. The State Veterinarian's Office, working in coordination
with the regional livestock inspection staff, shall to the best of their
ability notify the regional bovine producers about the positive test within 14
days upon notification of positive test. The State Veterinarian and/or
livestock inspection staff is not required to reveal any details of the test
just that there is a positive test in the region.
3. The Accredited Veterinarian that performed
the test shall return to place of testing to verify the Official Identification
of the positive bull.
4. The
Accredited Veterinarian, or a person under direct supervision of the
Veterinarian, shall brand the bull with an official "S" brand adjacent to the
tailhead on the right hip.
5. If
the bull testing positive is not at the premises where the T.
foetus testing occurred, the Accredited Veterinarian will immediately
notify the State Veterinarian's Office.
6. If an Accredited Veterinarian is unable to
return to the premises in a time that is reasonable for sale of the bull, the
producer shall take the positive
T. foetus bull directly to
the regional livestock sale yard.
a. The
producer shall immediately notify the sale yard of the positive T.
foetus bull. Failure to notify the sale yard of the positive
T. foetus bull will result in a violation of this rule and the
producer shall be subject to the penalties of A.R.S. §
3-1205(D).
b. Prior to sale at the sale yard, a
Livestock Officer shall verify the official identification of the positive
T. foetus test bull.
c. After the official identification is
verified, the bull shall be branded with an official "S" brand adjacent to the
tailhead on the right hip. The branding shall be done under direct supervision
of a Livestock Officer or Livestock Inspector.
7. If a bull arrives at a livestock auction
without an Official T. foetus bull test, the bull shall be
quarantined at the auction and tested at the expense of the owner or shall be
branded with an "S" brand and be sold only for slaughter.
D. Disposal of bull testing positive.
1. A bull testing positive for T.
foetus or branded with the official "S" brand shall go direct to
slaughter or shall be placed under State Quarantine and fed in a restricted
feeding pen within a designated feedlot according to
R3-2-406.
2. The T. foetus positive
bull shall not be commingled with any other female bovine. The bull shall go
from the testing premises to direct slaughter or to the restricted feeding pen
within 30 days of the positive T. foetus test.
3. All remaining herd bulls shall be under a
Trichomonas Herd Management Program overseen by the Herd Veterinarian until two
negative T. foetus tests are performed and
documented.
4. "S" branded bulls
purchased at a sale yard shall go direct to a slaughter plant without unloading
or commingling prior to arrival.
E. Trespassing or Stray Bulls
1. In the event of a trespassing or stray
bull, the herd owner who locates the bull, may request an Official T.
foetus bull test for that bull. In the event of a positive Official
T. foetus bull test, Sections B and C of this rule shall
apply.
2. The cost of the
veterinary services and Official T. foetus bull test shall be
the responsibility of the herd owner. In the event of a stray bull, the animal
will be subject to A.R.S. §§
3-1401
et seq.
