IIt is the exporter's responsibility to ensure that the animal meets the importing country requirements.

A permit and export health certificate are required. Information is available from the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Note: Where an importing country issues an import permit, the exporter must ensure the animal meets any requirements in the permit.

Health certificate

I the undersigned, ____________________________________, being a Department of Agriculture Veterinary Officer, after due inquiry, do hereby certify that:

1. Australia is free of
• foot-and-mouth disease (FMD),
• surra,
• scrapie,
• goat pox,
• Brucella abortus and
• Brucella melitensis.
2. Bovine tuberculosis is a notifiable disease in Australia.
3. No cases of disease caused by Schmallenberg virus have been detected or reported in Australia.
4. The embryos originate from an embryo collection (EC) unit that is approved by the Government of Australia. Embryos were collected, processed, and stored according to the guidelines and standards of the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS) Manual and the OIE Terrestrial Animal Code, Chapter 4.8, Collection and Processing of in Vivo Derived Embryos from Livestock and Equids, pending shipment to the United States.  Information regarding the embryos is included in the "Attachment to Veterinary Certificate".
5. The donor animals were born, raised, and continuously resident in Australia or were part of Australia's national herd for a minimum period of time.  Paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2 describe how the United States defines "part of the national herd" and the length of time the animals must be part of the national herd.
   
   1. 5.1  If the donors were legally imported from countries recognized by USDA as free of FMD, then these animals must have been free of any import quarantine restrictions and able to move freely within Australia's national herd for a minimum of 60 days prior to beginning the qualifications necessary for the collection of germplasm for export to the United States.
   2. 5.2. If the donors were legally imported from a country not recognized by USDA as free of FMD, then the donor animals must have been free of any import quarantine restrictions and able to move freely within Australia's national herd for a minimum of 90 days prior to beginning the qualifications necessary for the collection of germplasm for export to the United States.
6. During the 60 days prior to the collection of germplasm for export to the United States, the donors were not corralled, pastured, or held with animals that are not of equal health status or under any restrictions which would make them ineligible for export to the United States.
7. During the 12 months prior to the collection of germplasm for export to the United States, there has been no evidence to indicate that the donors have been on farms affected with, or exposed to, tuberculosis, Brucella abortus and/ or Brucella melitensis.
8. There has been no clinical evidence of any infectious disease in the embryo collection unit herd on the dates of embryo collection.
9. Testing: 
1. 9.1  Arboviruses: The donor dams were EITHER
1. 9.1.1. Kept continuously on properties located in a region free from Akabane and Aino for a minimum of 60 consecutive days before commencement of, and during, collection of the embryos. The dates of residence in the embryo collection center will be included on the export health certificate.
2. 9.1.2. OR were tested on two occasions, the first test at or near the time of collection (within 30 days prior to collection), and the second test between 30 and 180 days after collection of the embryos, using the following tests:
1. 9.1.2.1. Akabane - Negative to a serum neutralization test at 1:4 serum dilution.
2. 9.1.2.2. Aino - Negative to a serum neutralization test at a 1:10 serum dilution.
3. 9.1.3. OR were tested negative for Akabane and Aino by a virus isolation test or PCR on blood samples collected at the start and conclusion of, and at least every 7 days during embryo collection for this consignment.
10. Donor male(s)
    
1. 10.1 If natural breeding or fresh semen was used to fertilize ova to produce embryos for export, then the donor sire must meet the test requirements of Section 4 of this protocol.
2. 10.2 If artificial insemination is used, the donor male(s) was/were eligible to export semen to the United States in accordance with the criteria set forth in the USDA APHIS "Protocol for the Importation of Goat and Sheep Semen from Australia" The semen export health certificate for the donor male(s) is attached.
11. Tests of all donors shall be conducted in laboratories designated and approved by the Australian Government to conduct the tests.
12. Embryos were stored in a locked area or in the custody of the official veterinarian until shipped to the United States.  The final audit of embryos in this consignment was performed under my supervision and the embryos have been placed in a new/disinfected shipping container and sealed with Government of Australia seals. Seal No: ########
    Issued at: Department of Agriculture, 255 Melrose Drive, Tullamarine, 3043, Victoria, AUSTRALIA

Documentation

A declaration by the Artificial Insemination Centre (AIC) veterinarian is required for this export.

This template provides the format for the Embryo Transfer Veterinarian (ETV) Declaration for the export of sheep and goat embryos to the United States of America [DOCX 38 KB] [PDF 246 KB].

Protocol negotiated November 2018. Health certificate agreed 21 September 2019.

Entry last reviewed 29 June 2020