Ignorance of Livestock Importation Rules No Excuse

Severe drought conditions in parts of North Dakota are causing livestock producers to consider sending their cattle to pasture in another state.

Those cattle will need to comply with the other state’s livestock importation regulations before they can cross state lines, according to North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow.

For information on the regulations in each state and U.S. territory, go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Veterinary Services Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs/.

When producers are ready to bring their cattle back home, those animals also will have to comply with North Dakota’s livestock importation regulations, Stoltenow says.

In addition, North Dakota landowners planning to rent pasture to out-of-state cattle producers are responsible for making sure the out-of-state livestock meet North Dakota’s importation requirements.

North Dakota’s regulations are available on the USDA Veterinary Services’ Web site. More information also is available on the North Dakota State Board of Animal Health’s Web site at http://www.agdepartment.com/Programs/Livestock/BOAH/AnimalImportation.htm or from Susan Keller, state veterinarian, at (701) 328-2655.

Stoltenow reminds producers who plan to transport their livestock across state lines that they need to remember three things:

• Each state controls its own livestock importation rules.
• Producers are responsible for learning about and complying with those rules.
• Ignorance of those rules is not an excuse for violating them.

NDSU Agriculture Communication