Sanitary requirements for the importation of bovine embryos from Australia to Costa Rica.
The bovine embryos are accompanied by an international veterinary certificate issued by AQIS in which the following is certified:
1. The country or zone is free from foot and mouth disease without vaccination, rinderpest, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, bovine brucellosis and lumpy skin disease.
2. The embryo collection team is officially authorised by AQIS and under the supervision of an AQIS approved embryo transfer veterinarian. Collection and processing of bovine embryos in the facility is in accordance with the current OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
3. In the laboratory of the embryo collection unit, the processing and treatments recommended by the International Embryo Transfer Society are practised.
4. All products of animal origin that are used in instruments and solutions for collecting, washing, processing and storage of the embryos must be sterilized.
5. All the equipment and material used to collect, handle, wash, freeze and store must be new or sterilised prior to its use.
6. The embryo donors showed no signs of any OIE listed diseases affecting cattle at least 60 days prior to and 30 days after the collection of embryos.
7. The semen for impregnating the female donors was obtained from bulls coming from an artificial insemination centre approved by AQIS which met the standards stipulated in the current OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
8. The herds of origin of the female donors must be free from quarantine restrictions for diseases of cattle and not present clinical signs of bluetongue, leptospirosis, bovine brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, enzootic bovine leukosis, bovine genital campylobacteriosis, infectious rhinotracheitis, bovine pustular vulvovaginitis and trichomonosis in the last six months. There have been no clinical cases of Q fever or malignant catarrhal fever during the same period.
9. The female donors must have been resident for at least 6 months in the herd of origin and, before being moved to the collection centre, must have been isolated for 30 days.
a. Bovine brucellosis
The female donors reside in a country that is free from bovine brucellosis
b. Tuberculosis.
The female donors live in a herd that is officially free of bovine tuberculosis and were isolated in the establishment of origin for the 30 days preceding their departure for a collection unit.
10. The embryos were collected, washed, treated and stored in strict conformity with the stipulation of current OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code and the Manual of the International Embryo Transfer Society.
11. The surface of the zona pellucida of each embryo must have been examined and found intact and free of material adhering to it before freezing.
12. Each vial or ampoule must contain only one embryo.
13. The cryogenic agent used in the freezing process must not have been used in association with any other product of animal origin.
14. The frozen embryos must have been kept for at least 30 days before shipment.
The embryo:
-After the last wash the embryos were examined microscopically (under an enlargement of at least x50) to ensure that the surface of the zona pellucida was found intact and free from any matter adhering to them.
-The embryos were washed at least 10 times in accordance with the recommendations of the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS)
-Each of the washes was carried out with a dilution of 100 times the volume of the immediately preceding one.
-Two of the washes must include treatment with trypsin.
-Only embryos from the same donor cow can be washed and treated together.
-All materials used in the process were previously sterilised or are disposable.
-The whole process was carried out using sterile techniques.
-The embryos must not have been more than 8 days old at the time of collection.
The embryo collection team:
For the collection, processing and storage of the embryos, the team must conform to the technical competencies of and include a veterinary doctor accredited by AQIS.
The veterinary doctor accredited by AQIS will be the person responsible for assuring that all the requirements have been fulfilled.
The semen for inseminating the female donors was obtained from bulls coming from artificial insemination centres [that are] officially authorised and that fulfil the standards stipulated in the current OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code Chapter which relates to bovine semen.
The laboratory that processes the embryos:
There is a complete separation of clean and dirty processing areas.
During the process and storage of the embryos for export to Costa Rica, no other embryo was processed from female donors in a state of health less than the state of those corresponding to these requirements.
Additional requirements:
-The health certificate must note the following:
-Name, registration number of the embryo collection team, name and registration number of the artificial insemination centre.
-The name, registration number and breed of the progenitors of the embryos.
-Date of collection, number of embryos according to progenitors, total number of embryos in the shipment and total number of vials or ampules.
-Number of the Customs marks, straps (hoops) or other security system placed by the official inspector at the port of shipment.
-The embryos must be sent by the most direct and appropriate route from the country of origin.
