Florida Administrative Code › 5 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES › 5C - Division of Animal Industry › Chapter 5C-6 - BRUCELLOSIS › Section 5C-6.0019 - Herd and Premise Management

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Cattle
				and bison owners are required to practice sound herd management and sanitation
				procedures necessary to maintain herds free from infection as recommended by
				representatives of the department.
(2) Cleaning and disinfection of infected
				premises. Premises shall be cleaned and disinfected under regulatory
				supervision within 15 days following removal of reactors, or the entire herd,
				for slaughter. An extension of time may be considered under extenuating
				circumstances. Exemptions from cleaning and disinfection requirements, when
				indicated, may be authorized by state and federal regulatory
				officials.
(3) Quarantine and
				retest of infected herds.
(a) A brucellosis
				infected herd shall be quarantined and retested in accordance with an
				individual herd plan. Under routine conditions, retests will be conducted at
				approximately 30-day intervals until the herd has had a negative complete herd
				test occurring not less than 30 days after removal and sale for slaughter of
				the last reactor, and then another test to occur not less than 180 days
				following the removal of the last reactor. The herd test shall include all
				test-eligible animals in the herd. The releasing test and the six-month post
				quarantine test must include all nonneutered animals six months of age or
				older, including all animals which have been officially vaccinated for at least
				six months. Continuation of testing at 30-day intervals between the first and
				second negative herd tests is strongly recommended. Exceptions on the intervals
				between tests required for release of quarantine are allowable only when
				Brucella abortus strain 19 organisms have been isolated from the reactor
				animal(s) or all epidemiologic evidence is consistent with a Brucella abortus
				strain 19 infection and not with field strain infection. Herds with a possible
				strain 19 reactor on an initial herd test must be retested not less than 30
				days after removal of the on-farm reactor to qualify for early quarantine
				release. Herds of origin of market cattle test reactors which test negative
				will be retested in 30 to 90 days if deemed necessary by the designated
				epidemiologist.
(b) An additional
				blood test of all test-eligible animals in the herd is required not less than
				six months after release of an infected herd from quarantine or not less than
				10 months nor more than 16 months after removal of the last reactor.
(c) A herd management and testing plan (herd
				plan) for the elimination of brucellosis from each infected herd shall be
				developed by the herd owner, his veterinarian if so requested, and a regulatory
				veterinarian. The herd plan shall be formalized as a memorandum of agreement
				between the owner and the state-federal animal health officials, and may be
				reevaluated and changed as agreed to by all parties concerned to fit the
				individual cattleman's need. The herd plan will utilize those veterinary
				procedures most applicable and the proven herd management procedures necessary
				to assist in preventing the spread of brucellosis within the herd and thereby
				eradicating the disease from the herd. It shall be the responsibility of all
				parties to the agreement to adhere to the plan throughout the period of
				eradication of the disease from the herd.