Cattle embryos

All materials used for the production and storage of the embryos have been those authorised by DAFF and related procedures have been made with care in such a way to avoid contamination by a causative agent of infectious diseases of domestic animals.

1 JULY 1994

A health certificate stating the following is required:

• Date of semen collection
• Dates of tests
• Breeding date and freezing date of the embryo
• Age, breed, sex and registration of donor animals
• Name and address of artificial breeding centres
• Specifications of any vaccinations given to the donors including dates if done within 6 months of collection
• The details of the requirements described above.

The artificial breeding centre must be periodically supervised and directed by the government veterinary services of Australia.

The donor dam and donor sire have never been vaccinated against bovine brucellosis since it was born.

The donor dam 3 months prior to the date of collection of the embryos and the donor sire 6 months prior to the date of collection of the semen have been negative to the following tests done by the government veterinary services-

• brucellosis by serum agglutination test negative at 1:50 or less than 50 IU/ml
• bovine tuberculosis by intradermal tuberculin test
• paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) by Johnin intradermal test or complement fixation test (CFT)
• leptospirosis by agglutination lysis test less than 50% at 1:100
• campylobacteriosis by bacteriological culture test
• trichomoniasis by microscopic and cultural examination of preputial specimens/vaginal mucus
• enzootic bovine leucosis by agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID)
• bluetongue by complement fixation test (CFT), or enzyme linked immunosorbent assay ELISA, or agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID) - or certification of nonoccurrence during the
  last 2 years in the country of origin
• bovine virus diarrhoea by approved test
• infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis by approved test
• babesiosis (bigemina and bovis) by approved test or certification of nonoccurrence during the last 2 years in the country of origin
• theileriosis (parva and annulata) by approved test or certification of nonoccurrence during the last 2 years in the country of origin
• anaplasmosis (marginale) by approved test or certification of nonoccurrence during the last 2 years in the country of origin
• Akabane by approved test or certification of nonoccurrence during the last 2 years in the country of origin
• vesicular stomatitis by approved test or certification of non occurrence during the last 2 years in the country of origin

Each ampoule or straw shall be labled for identification of the donor animals. The container of the ampoules/straws should be sealed prior to shipment.

The semen distribution centre (artificial inseination centre) and the embryo transfer centre for the production of the export embryos has been periodically inspected and supervised by the veterinary authority of the exporting country.

The standards of embryos must correspond to Level A and B described in the "Hygienic Method of Extracting Embryos" determined by the IETS and the zona pellucida of the embryos must be undamaged.

Australia to be free from and with no practice of vaccination against the following diseases:

• foot and mouth disease
• rinderpest
• contagious bovine pleuropneumonia

and to be free for the past 2 years or test as described below from:

• vesicular stomatitis
• theileriosis (parva and annulata)

During the past 6 months preceding the collection of the embryos and semen, the donor animals have been reared at the premises where any of the following diseases has not been occurred-

• brucellosis
• bovine tuberculosis
• paratuberculosis (Johne's disease)
• leptospirosis
• bluetongue
• bovine viral diarrhoea
• infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis
• campylobacteriosis
• trichomoniasis
• enzootic bovine leucosis