Sec.22-278-A1. Definitions

As used in this section and in sections 22-278-A2 to 22-278-A14, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(1) "Animal" means a sheep or goat, including lambs and kids;

(2) "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)" means the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture;

(3) "Approved laboratory" means a laboratory approved by the state veterinarian and USDA to conduct scrapie testing;

(4) "Area veterinarian in charge (AVIC)" means the veterinary official of APHIS who is assigned by the administrator of APHIS to supervise and perform the official animal health work of APHIS in the state concerned;

(5) "Breed association and registries" means organizations that maintain the permanent records of ancestry or pedigrees of animals (including the animal's sire and dam), individual identification of animals, and ownership of animals;

(6) "CFR" means the United States Code of Federal Regulations;

(7) "Commingle" means animals grouped together and having physical contact with each other, including contact through a fence. Commingling includes, but is not limited to, sharing an enclosure, sharing the same section in a transportation unit where there is physical contact and residing in other flocks for breeding or other purposes;

(8) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Agriculture or the Commissioner's designated agent;

(9) "Dealer" means any person, firm or corporation who sells, offers for sale or arranges the sale of sheep or goats for another person, firm or corporation.

(10) "Department" means the Connecticut Department of Agriculture;

(11) "Designated scrapie epidemiologist (DSE)" means a state or federal veterinarian designated by USDA/APHIS and the state veterinarian to make decisions about the use and interpretation of diagnostic tests and field investigation data and the management of scrapie affected flocks;

(12) "Exposed animal" means: (1) Any animal that has been in the same flock at the same time as a scrapie-positive female animal, excluding limited contacts; or (2) any animal born in a flock after a scrapie-positive animal was born into that flock or lambed in that flock, if born before that flock completes the requirements of a flock plan; or (3) any animal that was commingled with a scrapie-positive female animal during or up to 30 days after she lambed, kidded, or aborted, or while a visible vaginal discharge was present, or that was commingled with any other scrapie-positive female animal for 24 hours or more, including during activities such as shows and sales or while in marketing channels; or (4) any animal in a noncompliant flock;

(13) "Exposed flock" means any flock in which a scrapie-positive animal was born or lambed or any flock that currently contains a female high-risk, exposed, or suspect animal, or that once contained a female high-risk, exposed, or suspect animal that lambed in the flock and from which tissues were not submitted for official testing and found negative. A flock that has successfully completed a post-exposure management and monitoring plan following the exposure shall not be considered an exposed flock;

(14) "Flock" means all animals that are maintained on a single premise and all animals under common ownership or supervision on two or more premises with animal interchange between the premises. Changes in ownership of part or all of a flock do not change the identity of the flock or the regulatory requirements applicable to the flock. Animals maintained temporarily on a premise for activities such as shows and sales or while in marketing channels shall not be considered a flock;

(15) "Flock identification" means a unique number assigned to a premise. The flock identification number is associated with an address or legal land description;

(16) "Flock of origin" means the flock in which an animal most recently resided in which it either was born, gave birth, or was used for breeding purposes. The determination of an animal's flock of origin may be based either on the physical presence of the animal in the flock, the presence of official identification on the animal traceable to the flock, the presence of other identification on the animal that is listed on the bill of sale, or other evidence, such as registry records;

(17) "Flock plan" means a written flock management agreement approved by the state veterinarian, signed by an accredited veterinarian and the flock owner or a representative of the flock owner who can bind the flock owner to the agreement;

(18) "High-risk animal" means a sexually intact animal, excluding male sheep that have tested RR at codon 171 and AA at codon 136 using an official genotype test, that is: (1) The progeny of a scrapie-positive dam; or (2) born in the same flock during the same lambing season as progeny of a scrapie-positive dam, unless the progeny of the scrapie-positive dam are from separate contemporary lambing groups; or (3) born in the same flock during the same lambing season that a scrapie-positive animal was born, or during any subsequent lambing season, if born before that flock completes the requirements of a flock plan; or (4) an exposed female sheep that has not tested QR, HR, or RR at codon 171 using an official genotype test;

(19) "Infected flock" means the flock of origin of a female animal that the state veterinarian or APHIS representative has determined to be a scrapie-positive animal; or any flock in which a state veterinarian or APHIS representative has determined that a scrapie-positive female animal has resided unless an epidemiologic investigation conducted by the state veterinarian or APHIS representative shows that the animal did not lamb or abort in the flock. A flock will no longer be considered an infected flock after it has successfully completed the requirements of a flock plan;

(20) "Limited contact" means incidental contact between animals from different flocks off the flock's premises such as at fairs, shows, exhibitions and sales; between ewes being inseminated, flushed, or implanted, or between rams at ram test or collection stations. Limited contact does not include any contact, incidental or otherwise, with animals in the same flock or with an animal during or up to 30 days after she lambed, kidded or aborted or when there is visible vaginal discharge;

(21) "Official certificate of veterinary inspection" means an official document issued by an USDA/APHIS representative, state animal health official, or an accredited veterinarian at the point of origin of an interstate movement of animals;

(22) "Official identification" means an identification number issued by USDA or a state animal health authority, that complies with a numbering system approved by the USDA, and a tag, mark or device approved by the USDA for use in identifying individual sheep and goats;

(23) "Owner" means a person, partnership, company, corporation, or any other legal entity who has legal or rightful title to animals;

(24) "Permit" means an official document issued in connection with the movement of animals that is issued by a state animal health official;

(25) "Premise" means each geographically distinct place or location where sheep or goats are housed, maintained, congregated or kept;

(26) "Premise identification" means a unique number assigned to a premise using a system approved by the USDA. The premise identification number is associated with an address or legal land description;

(27) "Scrapie" means a non-febrile, transmissible, insidious, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system, and is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) found in sheep and goats;

(28) "Scrapie eradication program" means the cooperative state-federal program administered by USDA/APHIS and States to control and eradicate scrapie;

(29) "Scrapie flock certification program (SFCP)" means the cooperative federal-state-sheep and goat industry program for the control of scrapie;

(30) "Scrapie-positive animal" means an animal for which a diagnosis of scrapie has been made by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories or other approved laboratory;

(31) "Source flock" means a flock in which the state veterinarian or APHIS representative has determined that at least one animal was born that was diagnosed as a scrapie-positive animal at an age of 72 months or less. A flock shall not be considered a source flock after it has successfully completed the requirements of a flock plan;

(32) "Suspect animal" means an animal that is: (1) A sheep or goat that exhibits any clinical signs of scrapie and that has been determined to be suspicious for scrapie by a veterinarian or the state veterinarian or APHIS representative; (2) a sheep or goat that has tested positive for scrapie or for the proteinase resistant protein associated with scrapie on a live-animal screening test or any other test, unless the animal is designated a scrapie-positive animal; or (3) a sheep or goat that has tested inconclusive or suggestive on an official test for scrapie;

(33) "State Scrapie Board" means a certification board consisting of a state animal health official(s), a USDA representative(s) and sheep and goat industry representatives established for the purpose of oversight of the Scrapie Flock Certification Program, including making decisions to admit flocks to the Scrapie Flock Certification Program and to change flock status in accordance with the Scrapie Flock Certification Program standards;

(34) "State veterinarian" means the Connecticut state veterinarian;

(35) "Trace" means all actions required to identify a flock of origin or destination.

(36) "USDA" means the United States Department of Agriculture;

(37) "USDA/APHIS" and "USDA/APHIS/VS" means the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services; and

(38) "Veterinarian" means a licensed and accredited veterinarian approved by a state animal health authority to practice in their state.

(Adopted effective September 5, 2007)