USDA

United States
Department of
Agriculture

Animal and
Plant Health
Inspection
Service

Veterinary Services
National Center For Import And Export
Import/Export Animals
4700 River Road, Unit 40
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231

Live Laboratory Mammals and Their Material
(for research purposes)
Effective October, 1998

GUIDELINES FOR IMPORTATION #1103

Including:
transgenic/knock-out mice and rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, and their blood, tissue, DNA, extracts, antibodies, feces, sera, and antisera for research purposes. (blood, sera, antibodies, and antisera is limited to less than 1 liter)

Not including:
primates, dogs, cats, livestock*, poultry, hedgehogs, tenrecs, minipigs, monoclonal antibodies, hybridomas, cell lines, and material for commercial purposes.  (Refer to Guideline #1120 for cell/tissue cultures and their products)

Introduction:

Material derived from any animal is potentially subject to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations and must be cleared by Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protect (DHS, CBP) Agricultural Specialists at the port of arrival before entry into the United States is authorized.  However, the USDA does not have regulatory authority over the importation of live laboratory animals or laboratory mammal material that have not been inoculated with or exposed to any livestock or poultry disease agents exotic to the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has jurisdiction over live laboratory mammals and their material.  The CDC can be contacted by telephoning Area Code (404) 498-1670, (404) 498-1600 or (404) 718-2077 or faxing (404) 498-2275.

USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) regulates the importation of plants and other vegetable matter.  If the transport cage contains any plant or vegetable matter, including but not limited to potatoes, carrots, stray or hay, the importer must contact the PPQ Permit Unit at (301) 734-8758 to determine if it can be allowed entry.  PROHIBITED VEGETABLE MATTER MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE CAGE AT THE PORT OF ARRIVAL BY A DHS, CBP AGRICULTURAL SPECIALIST.

Material derived from rodents and other small mammals which: (a) have not been inoculated with, or exposed to any exotic livestock or poultry disease agents, and (b) do not originate from facilities where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or avian species is conducted, may be imported without USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services (VS) restrictions.

Procedures:

A USDA permit will not be required for the importation of live laboratory mammals provided the mammals have not been inoculated with, or exposed to any exotic livestock or poultry disease agents, and do not originate from facilities where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or avian species is conducted.  In order to facilitate correct identification of the shipment and to ensure timely delivery, USDA, APHIS , VS recommends that the following documentation accompany each shipment:

  1. A written statement confirming that the live laboratory mammals have not been exposed to or inoculated with any livestock or poultry disease agents exotic to the United States, and
  2. A written statement confirming that the live laboratory mammals do not originate from a facility where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or poultry is conducted.

A USDA permit will not be required for the importation of laboratory mammal material provided the material is obtained from laboratory mammals that have not been inoculated with, or exposed to any exotic livestock or poultry disease agents, and do not originate from facilities where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or avian species is conducted.  In order to facilitate correct identification of the shipment and to ensure timely delivery, USDA, APHIS , VS recommends that the following documentation accompany each shipment:

  1. A written statement identifying the material and naming the animal species,
  2. A written statement confirming that the material was derived only from laboratory mammals that have not been inoculated with or exposed to any livestock or poultry disease agents exotic to the United States,
  3. A written statement confirming that the material was derived only form laboratory mammals that did not originate from a facility where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or avian species is conducted, and
  4. A written statement which identifies the immunogen for antibodies/antiserum, if applicable.

USDA, APHIS, VS recommends that this document be supplied on foreign producer/shipper letterhead, with the letterhead containing the physical address of the foreign producer/shipper.  USDA, APHIS, VS further recommends that the document, written in a clear and concise manner, accompany each shipment, and be presented as a separate document for review by the DHS, CBP Agricultural Specialist at the U.S. port of arrival.  We do not recommend that the foreign producer/shipper place this document inside the shipping containers.

We further recommend that you provide a copy of this guidance to your foreign producer/shipper.

If the live laboratory mammals or laboratory mammal material to be imported can not meet these criteria, then a USDA import permit may be required.  Permit applications may be obtained several ways:

  1. On-line at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/permits/
  2. By writing to:
    USDA, APHIS, VS
    National Center for Import and Export
    4700 River Road, Unit 40
    Riverdale, MD 20737
    (301) 734-3277 telephone
    (301) 734-8226 fax

*The term livestock includes any bovine, ovine, caprine, porcine, equine, cervid, fish and shellfish.

VS - Safeguarding Animal Health
Phone (301) 734-3277, FAX (301) 734-6402

http://www.aphis.usda.gov
An Equal Opportunity Employer

 

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