Shipping in and out of Virginia...

[Camelot Farms]

There has been a lot of discussion amongst some of sellers and buyers regarding the shipping of eggs and birds into and out of Virginia.
I just wanted to post the rules from the:

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER SERVICES
DIVISION OF ANIMAL & FOOD INDUSTRY SERVICES, STATE VETERINARIAN’S OFFICE
(sorry for the caps, I cut and pasted the name so I would be sure to have it right...lol)

1.
(In the case of the hatching egg) the hatching egg originates from a breeder flock that participates in and meets the requirements of the “U.S. Avian Influenza Clean” program of the National Poultry Improvement Plan and (in the case of the day-old chicken, day-old game bird, or day-old turkey) the hatchery from which the day-old chicken, day-old game bird, or day-old turkey originates only handles hatching eggs that originate from breeding flocks that participate in and meet the requirements of the “U.S. Avian Influenza Clean” program of the National Poultry Improvement Plan; and
2.
The person holds a permit for such shipment from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Permits may be obtained by calling 540/209-9120); and
3.
A statement certifying that the breeder flock shipping hatching eggs and all breeder flocks supplying eggs to the hatchery shipping day-old chickens, day-old game birds, or day-old turkeys participate in and meet the requirements of the “U.S. Avian Influenza Clean” program of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, and the permit number shall be entered in block #10 of VS Form 9-3.

So it appears that the best place to get your eggs from (if you live in VA) is from an NPIP certified breeder who also holds the permit mentioned in qualifier #2.

Hope this helps some of you out there.
The website that I obtained this from is...

http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/pdf/aiproclamation.pdf

Happy Hatching everyone!

 

[TennesseeTruly]

 

[pips&peeps]

Your information only applies as a "AVIAN INFLUENZA (H5 and H7) PROCLAMATION"

Here is the information I found a couple weeks ago:

2VAC5-140-90. Poultry.
A. Pullorum-typhoid. Hatching eggs and poultry shall not be imported into the Commonwealth of Virginia unless such eggs or poultry originate exclusively from flocks participating in the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) or the National Turkey Improvement Plan (NTIP) (CFR, Title 9, Chapter I, Parts 1 to 199).
These programs shall be under the supervision of the official state agency ofNPIP or NTIP, the livestock health official, or other authorized government
agency of the state of origin certifying them to be free of Pullorum-typhoid.
B. Mycoplasma Gallisepticum. Hatching eggs and poultry shall not be imported into the Commonwealth of Virginia unless such eggs or poultry originate from flocks that are designated free of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum by the livestock health official of the state of origin. Each importer of hatching eggs or poultry into Virginia shall secure from the State Veterinarian an approval number, after having provided evidence that the flocks of origin are free of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum. This approval number shall appear on shipping labels or containers of each lot shipped into Virginia.C. Approval numbers.
1. Each shipper of hatching eggs or poultry must first secure an approval number from the State Veterinarian. This approval number must appear on each shipping label or on each container of hatching eggs or poultry shipped into Virginia.
2. Applications for approval numbers must be made on forms provided by the State Veterinarian. Each application must require the following information on each flock from which the hatching eggs or poultry originate:
a. The name and address of each flockowner;
b. The species (i.e., chickens or turkeys) and the number of birds in each flock;
c. The date of the most recent Pullorum-typhoid test;
d. The total number, or the percentage, of positive reactions to the most recent Pullorum-typhoid test;
e. The Pullorum-typhoid status attained; and
f. Such additional information as the State Veterinarian may require.
3. Such applications, when completed, must be forwarded to the official
state agency, the state livestock health official, or other competent and recognized authority of the state of origin for verification, approval and signature; and then forwarded to the State Veterinarian for final approval. Hatching eggs or poultry shall not be shipped into Virginia until final approval has been granted and the approval number is received.
D. Exceptions. This chapter shall not apply to hatching eggs or poultry passing directly through the Commonwealth of Virginia in interstate commerce, nor to poultry imported into the Commonwealth of Virginia for immediate slaughter and consigned directly to a poultry processing establishment that is approved and inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture or by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Here is my link: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/pdf/2%20VAC%205-140.pdf

I have this information because I made myself a book on each State's shipping regulations. So your information is in addition to the above.

 

[Camelot Farms]

So the Mycoplasma thingy is not part of other state's NPIP process so they would also have to get the Mycoplasma clearance in addition to the already stringent NPIP.

Does anyone out there know how to get this additional certification?


PS Pips, you should copy your booklet and market it here on BYC. I bet you would get some takers!
Or sell it in digital form and sell the download and save yourself copying and mailing costs... just a thought...

 

[pips&peeps]

No, it's not and Virginia isn't even an MS & MG clean state. I talked to the head nut there when I verified the information and he said they were trying to change that portion of the regulations. He thought it would take about a year to do it.

There is no MS & MG clean classification for Subpart E in the NPIP program. (which is the exhibition and waterfowl people/backyard breeders)

The only way I would think one would get around it is to only ship started birds that have been tested clean into VA. You could do a swab or a blood titer test and have to keep the birds seperate from your flock until shipment.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If I remember right, Virginia had an outbreak of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum a while back and passed a pretty stringent law to try to prevent it again. Pretty sure it did some significant damage to commercial poultry in Virginia.

I think the reason it is not a part of the NPIP is that the test for this is a lot more complicated than the test for Pullorum.

I would think your county extension agent would be a good source for information on that permit.

 

[Camelot Farms]

Thanks Pips.

That is a huge help to those of us in VA and those who are interested in attempting to ship in and out of VA by standards.

I dont think anyone is particularly annoyed that NPIP folks cant ship here without jeopardizing their status.
I personally just like to understand why something can or cannot be done.

Just being blacklisted without understanding is not useful to those if us who are somewhat lower on the learning curve.

I now feel better prepared to advocate for change within the State Dept of Agriculture.
They may have it on their 'to-do' list but if we keep reminding them about it, they may actually let it get to the top of the list. lol

Thanks again!
Kim

 

[pips&peeps]

It's a simple test and probably cost the same or less as the pollorum testing.

It's the way the law is worded is the problem, as I stated there is no MS or MG Free Classification for Subpart E.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here are a couple of exerpts from the link shown below so you can see the context. It is always possible there is a simple reliable test available that I did not find.


"MG infection can be subtly present in a flock. It is therefore recommended only to consider a flock as negative when the test has been repeated several times and has given a negative result each time. Before officially designating a flock as being infected or not infected, consult your poultry pathologist. Plate testing is a screening method only. Do not destroy a flock based upon results of testing with this antigen."


"The serum plate MG test should be considered a basic screening test for antibodies. Under normal circumstances, the rate of nonspecific reactions is low. However, nonspecific reactions may occasionally be high for a variety of reasons.

The hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test is too cumbersome for routine screening use. Positive HI reactions are generally accurate, however, "

http://www.drugs.com/vet/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-nobilis-antigen-test-kit.html