Test for CEM
May 28, 2010
USDA hopes to show the prevalence of the contagious equine metritis disease.
This voluntary program is in response to the ongoing CEM incident involving approximately 991 horses found in 48 states.
Provided by American Horse Council
The United State Department of Agriculture has announced a voluntary program to test up to 3,000 breeding stallions for Taylorella equigenitalis, the bacteria that causes contagious equine metritis, or CEM. The program will be implemented immediately by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in an effort to document that the presence of CEM is very low, if it is present at all, and to reduce or remove current testing requirements for horses and semen exported from the United States.
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This voluntary program is in response to the ongoing CEM incident involving approximately 991 horses found in 48 states. Hawaii and Rhode Island are the only states in which an exposed or positive horse has not been found.
Owners will be able to provide their stallions for testing on a voluntary basis. APHIS will pay for the diagnostic testing, but not for sample collection costs or test mares. If a stallion is found positive, the horse will be quarantined, and APHIS will pay all costs and procedures related to tracing, testing and treatment (including practitioner fees) for horses exposed to a positive stallion.
Stallion owners or accredited equine practitioners interested in participating in this program can get more information here or here.
Read the complete announcement or review some frequently asked questions and answers.
In AQHA’s FREE “Mare Care: Breeding Tips” report, equine veterinarian, Racqhel Rodeheaver, explains the process of preparing your mare, targeting a breeding date, ordering semen, inducing a follicle to ovulate, receiving and evaluating semen and much more. Download your copy today!
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June 4th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
When a stud is tested and found to be CEM free, why is he not given an export permit to ship for that breeding year? Now, as a breeder, for every shipment to Canada I have to pay for a USDA Health Certificate and for all courier services.
As an importer I get an import permit for each farm I am shipping from. I send each farm a copy and each shipment that comes to Canada contains a copy of that permit.
My question is since the stud that tested negative to CEM in the spring and is not tested during the breeding season, why is the farm require to get a new health certificate for every shipment to me. This seems to be redundant work for the shipper and extra expense for me. Is this something that can be worked on for another year? Barry Foote