Rodent Quality Assurance Monitoring Program

Requirements for the Importation of Laboratory Rodents into the United States

General Considerations

Ship the animals early in the week (Monday or Tuesday) to make sure that they do not get stuck in transit over a weekend.
Send only healthy animals, no visibly pregnant animals and no nursing pups.
Provide a readily accessable food and water source. Laboratory chow and a gel pack is recommended. Make sure to cut the plastic wrapping of the gel pack.
Do not include fruits or vegetables as food/water source. The importation of these is prohibited by US regulations (see USDA Guidelines)
Avoid shipping animals during extreme weather conditions (extreme heat, extreme cold, storms) which might affect the welfare of the animals or might disrupt air traffic.
A properly worded health certificate issued by a veterinarian must accompany each shipment.
A copy of the airbill and the health certificate should be faxed at the time the animals are shipped. This will allow us to obtain pre-clearance for the animals at the US Customs and will speed up the transit.

Health Certificate

A health certificate must acompany the animals. The certificate must be issued by a veterinarian and must contain the following elements:

A statement that the animals are clinically healthy.

The following statement:
"The animals have not been exposed to or inoculated with any livestock or poultry disease agents exotic to the United States and they do not originate from a facility where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or poultry is conducted."

Guidelines for Importation #1103

(this is a consolidation of guidelines # 1103, 1107, 1108, 1111, 1112, and 1113) April 9, 1998

Live Laboratory Mammals and their material (for research purposes) including transgenic/knock-out mice and rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, and their blood, tissue, DNA, extracts, antibodies, feces, sera, and antisera
Not including primates, dogs, cats, livestock, poultry, hedgehogs, tenrecs, monoclonal antibodies, hybridomas, cell lines, and material for commercial purposes

Introduction

Material derived from any animal is potentially subject to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations and must be cleared by USDA inspectors 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 that have not been inoculated with or exposed to any livestock or poultry disease agents exotic to the United States.

The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) has jurisdiction over these animals and should be contacted for their importation requirements The USPHS may be contacted at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Health and Safety, 1600 Clifton Road, N.E.M.S. F05, Atlanta, GA, 30333, or by telephoning Are Code (404) 639-3883 or faxing (404) 639-2294.

USDA, APHIS, Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) regulates the importation of plants and other vegetable matter. If the transport cage contains any vegetable matter, such as potatoes or carrots the importer must contact the PPQ Permit Unit at Area Code (301) 734-6799 to determine if it can be allowed entry. Prohibited vegetable matter must be removed from the cage at the port of arrival by a PPQ officer.

Material derived from rodents and other small mammals which have not been inoculated with or exposed to any exotic livestock or poultry disease agents may be imported without USDA restrictions. This applies as long as material was obtained from facilities that do not work with exotic livestock or poultry disease agents.

Procedures

A USDA import permit will not be required for live laboratory mammals if

a health certificate accompanies live mammals and states that they are clinically healthy; and
there is a statement from the shipper/producer indicating that the animals
1. have not been exposed to or inoculated with any livestock or poultry disease agents exotic to the United States; and
2. have not originated from a facility where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or poultry is conducted.

APHIS - Protecting American Agriculture
Phone (301) 734-7895
Fax (301) 734-8226
http//www.aphis.usda.gov