Health Certificate No ......................

HEALTH CERTIFICATE FOR EXPORT OF OVINE OR CAPRINE SEMEN

FROM MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

1. EU Member State of provenance and competent 

authority:

2. Health certificate No.

A. ORIGIN OF SEMEN

3. Approval number of the semen collection center (hereinafter ‘SCC’).............................................

4. Name and address of the SCC: 5. Name and address of the consignor:

6. Country and place of loading: 7. Means of transport:

B. DESTINATION OF SEMEN

8. Name and address of the consignee:

C. IDENTIFICATION OF SEMEN

9.1 Name of 

donor 

ram/buck

9.2 

Species/ 

Breed

9.3 

Age

9.4 Identification

Number

9.5 

Number of

straws

9.6 Date 

of 

collection

9.7 Collection 

code(s) on straws

9.8. Seal number(s) of container(s):.........................................................................................

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Health Certificate No ......................

D. HEALTH INFORMATION

10. Section A (to be signed in Sections 12-14 by the Semen Collection Center Veterinarian):

I, the undersigned Center Veterinarian of the described semen collection center, hereinafter ‘SCC,’ certify that:

10.1 The SCC where the donor(s) represented in this consignment was (were) collected are currently 

approved in accordance with Chapters I and II of Annex D of Council Directive 92/65/EEC. 

10.2 The ovine or caprine semen donors, and any teaser animals, were established as residents of the SCC in 

accordance with Chapter II of Annex D, Council Directive 92/65/EEC, as amended (including any 

related applicable requirements under Council Directive 91/68/EEC); and in accordance with any 

additional U.S. import requirements as specified in this certificate.

10.3 During the period of semen collection involved, the SCC has continuously been under my supervision, or

that of another veterinarian designated by the national government of the EU Member State of origin;

and whose information has been verified by me.

10.4 The premises where the semen is collected, and the flocks/herds of origin of the donors and all contact 

animals, are located in an area at least 50 kilometers from any known occurrence of FMD or rinderpest, 

and have remained within the area for at least 90 days prior to and 30 days following collection of the

semen for export to the United States.

10.5 The donor and teaser animals have been part of the national flock/herd of (the EU 

Member State) for at least 60 days prior to collection of semen for export to the United States, and are 

not otherwise subject to movement restrictions or quarantines due to disease. If imported from any 

country considered by APHIS as affected with foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest, the donor animals 

have been part of the national flock/herd for at least 90 days prior to collection of semen for export to 

the United States, and are not otherwise subject to any movement restrictions or quarantines due to 

disease.

10.6 The following certifications are made with respect to any sheep or goats resident in the SCC:

a. The animals are permanently identified to enable traceback to their flock/herd of origin.

b. The animals have been isolated as a group, without further additions, for a period of at least 30 

days prior to the first collection of semen for export to the United States (hereafter 30-day preentry quarantine). During this time, there were no clinical signs of communicable diseases.

c. Immediately prior to the first collection of semen for export to the United States, the donors 

were inspected by the SCC veterinarian and found to be clinically free of contagious diseases.

d. There was no clinical evidence of infection of the animals by bluetongue virus during the 60 

days prior to and during the period of collection of semen for export to the United States.

10.7 Scrapie: 

a. Insofar as can be determined after due inquiry, the dams or sires of the semen donors have never 

been affected with scrapie.

b. The animals have been kept since birth in flocks/herds in which no case of scrapie had been 

confirmed during their residency.

c. The animals showed no clinical signs of scrapie at the time of semen collection, or prior to the 

export of semen to the United States.

10.8 The following certifications are made with respect to bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis [Note: strike

out sections that are not applicable where a choice is given]: 

 Either1

:

The animals have been resident in the SCC for less than one year, and come from a flock/herd of origin 

that was tested negative for bovine tuberculosis2 and brucellosis3 on two occasions, at least 60 days 

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Health Certificate No ......................

apart. The first test was within one year prior to entry into the SCC; with the second test occurring 

during the 30-day pre-entry quarantine period before their admission into the SCC; and no clinical, 

microbiological, or serological evidence of these diseases was found during the 24 months prior to 

export of the semen to the United States; 

 OR 

The animals have been resident in the SCC for more than one year, and were tested negative for bovine 

tuberculosis2 and brucellosis3 during annual herd tests at the SCC. 

10.9 The animals are certified as stipulated below, or were tested using the following technical criteria for 

other specific tests [Note: strike out sections that are not applicable where a choice is given]:

a. Schmallenberg virus: the semen for export to the United States was either1

:

Collected prior to June 1, 2011; 

OR

The semen in the consignment was collected after June 1, 2011 from donors that were negative 

to two serum neutralization tests (using a 1:16 cutoff titer) for Schmallenberg virus, with the first 

performed within 30 days prior to collection, and the second between 28 and 60 days after 

collection. Tests were performed in a laboratory approved by the National Competent Authority.

b. Bluetongue virus: the donor animal was either1

:

kept in a BTV free country or zone, as recognized by USDA APHIS, since birth or for at least 60 

days prior to shipment to the United States 

OR

tested negative by an ELISA test for the BTV group on blood serum during the pre-entry 

quarantine period, and at least every 60 days after, with one test occurring 21-60 days after 

semen collection; 

OR

tested with a whole blood PCR test for BTV group with one negative test at the beginning and 

conclusion of the collection period, and at least every 28 days during the period of semen 

collection; 

OR

tested with a whole-blood virus isolation test for BTV group with one negative test at the 

beginning and conclusion of the collection period, and at least every 7 days during the period of 

semen collection; 

c. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD): Either1

: 

The animals originate from a Member State where no cases of EHD have been reported within 

the previous 12 months, and where no serological evidence of EHD infection exists; 

OR 

The following serotypes of EHD exist:_______and animals were tested on two occasions by an 

agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID); OR by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay 

(C-ELISA) AND by either a whole-blood PCR test or a virus neutralization test (VNT) for all 

the above-listed serotypes of EHD, with negative results using blood samples taken prior to, and 

not less than 21 days following collection of the semen (the two samples may not be taken more 

than 12 months apart).

11. Collection and processing certifications4

11.1 The SCC veterinarian supervised the collection and processing of the semen for shipment to the United 

States.

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Health Certificate No ......................

11.2 Semen collection equipment which came into contact with rams or bucks or their secretions and 

excretions was thoroughly disinfected after each use, and good laboratory practices were followed 

during collection and processing of semen in order to minimize the possible introduction of microbial 

contamination.

11.3 The semen was packaged in ampules or straws which are permanently marked with the name, breed, and 

individual identification number of the donor and the date of collection.

11.4 Any antibiotics that were added to each ml of the semen and semen extender were limited to 100 μg of 

tylosin, 500 μg of gentamicin, or 300/600 μg of linco-spectin (lincomycin and spectinomycin), as 

diluted by 0.02 ml of double-distilled sterile water.

11.5 Ruminant products used in commercial semen extenders in the Member State where the semen was 

collected were sourced from countries considered by USDA to be free from foot-and mouth disease and 

rinderpest as listed in 9 CFR Part 94 and other official publications.

11.6 No biological products other than frozen semen or embryos qualified for shipment to the United States 

were present in the containers prior to use for export of semen to the United States.

11.7 The shipping tank is new or has been cleaned and sanitized, and only fresh liquid nitrogen has been used 

to charge the tank.

11.8 After processing, the ampules/straws of ovine or caprine semen to be exported to the United States were 

segregated in locked containers at a storage facility (or facilities) designated by the national government 

of the EU Member State; and were maintained under supervision until such time as the ampules/straws 

were placed in the shipping tank and sealed under official veterinary supervision. 

12. Date and place 13. Name and qualification of the 

SCC Veterinarian

14. Signature of the SCC

Veterinarian

15. Section B ( to be signed in Sections 16-18 by the Official Veterinarian, after the Center

Veterinarian has signed):

I, the undersigned Official Veterinarian of .........................(insert name of Member State of the

European Union where semen was collected) certify that:

15.1 The SCC was last inspected by the Competent Authority on and has no

outstanding violations under the provisions of Council Directive 92/65/EEC.

15.2 The Center Veterinarian that completed Section A of this certificate is authorized by the National 

Veterinary Service to perform this service.

15.3 The Center Veterinarian is not subject to any past or current disciplinary actions that would result in 

ineligibility to certify the health of the animals at the SCC, and meets all other applicable 

requirements of Council Directive 96/93/EEC or of the Competent Authority, as applicable.

15.4 The donor animals for the semen to be exported to the United States have been part of the national 

flock/herd of the Member State where the semen was collected and are free from any movement or 

quarantine restrictions, according to Section 10.A above;

15.5 Any tests required under Section A. above for ovine or caprine semen exported to the United States 

were performed by testing methods recognized by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) 

Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, as acceptable for international 

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Health Certificate No ......................

trade.

15.6 The laboratory tests mentioned in 10.8 to 10.9 were carried out with negative results in a laboratory 

approved by the competent veterinary services;

15.7 The EU Member State, , is free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), rinderpest, 

contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, and Rift Valley Fever.

15.8 In (the EU Member State),:

a. Scrapie is a compulsorily notifiable disease and an effective surveillance and monitoring system 

for scrapie is in place.

b. Sheep and goats affected with scrapie are maintained under quarantine in a manner that will 

prevent disease spread until the animal is no longer living and the remains have been disposed of 

in a way that prevents disease spread.

c. The feeding of sheep and goats with meat-and-bone meal or greaves derived from ruminants has 

been banned and the ban is effectively enforced in the whole region for the entire life of the 

animal; and the donors have not been in any other country/region with a less restrictive feeding 

policy prior to the collection of semen for export.

15.9 Ruminant products used in commercial semen extenders in the Member State where the semen was 

collected were sourced from countries considered by USDA to be free from foot-and mouth disease 

and rinderpest as listed in 9 CFR Part 94 and other official publications.

15.10 The semen to be exported to the United States was maintained under lock and key or in the custody

of the SCC veterinarian, and segregated from other semen of lesser health status, until it was placed

in the shipping container and sealed with official seals of the Member State where the semen was

collected;

15.11 None of the semen for export to the USA has been stored or transported in containers with semen 

produced under less than equivalent animal health conditions.

15.12 The entire shipment exported under this certificate (including semen that might have been collected 

in more than one approved semen collection center by the same SCC veterinarian) has been 

maintained under continuous oversight of the Official Veterinarian until the conveyance is scheduled 

to depart for the United States.

15.13 The shipping containers were sealed with an approved seal from the competent authority of the 

exporting Member State, and the seal number(s) is (are) recorded in Box 9.8

15.14 The semen is routed directly to the United States from the Member State in which it was collected 

with no stops en route other than those provided on the USDA import permit.

16. Date and place 17. Name and title of Official 

Veterinarian

18. Signature and stamp5 of the 

Official Veterinarian

Notes:

1 Delete as appropriate

2 Animals must be individually tested negative for bovine TB by an intradermal TB test using purified protein derivative 

Mycobacterium bovis tuberculin. A negative test means no detectable response using both visual and manual palpation when read 

72 hours following injection with intradermal tuberculin.

3 For brucellosis, the following tests are acceptable:

 Brucella abortus/melitensis: 

1) the FPA (a negative result is considered anything less than 20 millipolar above the negative control value); 

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Health Certificate No ......................

OR

2) the rose-bengal test/card test, (utilizing 8% Brucella abortus/ 3% Brucella melitensis lipopolysaccharide antigen; a negative 

result is the absence of any visible reaction);

OR

3) the complement fixation test (Note: ewes that have been vaccinated with Brucella abortus S19 vaccine between 3 and 6 

months of age are considered negative if the sera have no fixation reaction up to a titer of 30 ICFTU/ml when the animals are 

tested at an age of 18 months or older); 

OR

4) the buffered plate antigen agglutination test (read for agglutination immediately after the 8-minute period is completed; a 

negative result is the absence of any visible reaction).

 Brucella ovis (in the case of sheep): acceptable tests include either:

1) the enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), (using the International Standard standards for anti-Brucella ovis S serum 

referenced in the OIE Terrestrial Manual); 

OR

2) the complement fixation test, (Sera with no fixation reaction for a titer less than50 ICFTU/ml are considered to be negative)

4 Semen collected in an EU Member State at different approved locations that are under the supervision of the same SCC veterinarian 

may be qualified for exportation to the United States and included in a single shipment, provided that the SCC veterinarian can 

certify the integrity of the total shipment under relevant sections above, and that none of the semen was transported in a container

with semen which was collected under less than equivalent health standards. This information must be provided to the Official 

Veterinarian for semen collected by the same SCC Veterinarian at each different SCC.

5 The signature and the stamp must be in a different color from that of the printed text.

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