§93.301. General prohibitions; exceptions.

Importation prohibited. Except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, notwithstanding the other provisions of this part concerning the importation of horses into the United States, the importation of all horses from any region that APHIS considers to be affected with contagious equine metritis (CEM) and the importation of all horses that have been in any such region within the 12 months immediately preceding their being offered for entry into the United States is prohibited.

Exceptions. The provisions of paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall not apply to the following:

Spanish Pure Breed horses from Spain and thoroughbred horses from France, Germany, Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales), Ireland (Republic of), and Northern Ireland may be imported for permanent entry if the horses meet the following requirements:

If any specimen collected in accordance with paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(D) of this section is found to be positive for CEM, the horse must be treated for CEM in a manner approved by the national veterinary service of the region of export. After the treatment is completed, at least 21 days must pass before the horse will be eligible to be tested again in accordance with paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(D) of this section. All treatments performed, and the dates of the treatments, must be recorded on the health certificate.

Spanish Pure Breed horses and thoroughbred horses imported under paragraph (d)(1) of this section may be released upon completion of the Federal quarantine required under § 93.308. Spanish Pure Breed horses and thoroughbred horses found positive for CEM that have been treated and retested as provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section shall, upon completion of the Federal quarantine required under § 93.308, be consigned to an approved State listed under paragraph (h)(7) or (8) of this section, where they shall be quarantined under State or Federal supervision until the stallions have met the testing and treatment requirements of paragraph (e)(3) of this section and the mares have met the testing and treatment requirements of paragraph (e)(5) of this section.

Stallions or mares over 731 days of age may be imported for permanent entry from a region listed under paragraph (c)(1) of this section if the horses meet the following requirements:

Horses over 731 days of age may be imported into the United States for no more than 90 days to compete in specified events provided that the conditions in paragraphs (f)(3) through (f)(12) of this section are met.

Horses over 731 days of age may be temporarily imported into the United States solely for noncompetitive public exhibition and entertainment purposes provided that the conditions in paragraphs (f)(3) through (f)(12) of this section are met.

At the time of importation, each horse must be accompanied by an import permit in accordance with § 93.304 and a health certificate issued in accordance with § 93.314. For horses imported in accordance with paragraph (f)(2) of this section, the health certificate must also certify that cultures negative for CEM were obtained from three sets of specimens collected from the mucosal surfaces of the clitoral fossa and clitoral sinuses, with one set of specimens including a specimen from the surfaces of the distal cervix or endometrium, of any female horses and from the surfaces of the prepuce, the urethral sinus, the distal urethra, and the fossa glandis, including the diverticulum of the fossa glandis, of any male horses. For both female and male horses, the sets of specimens must be collected on three separate occasions within a 12-day period with no less than 72 hours between each set, and the last of these sets of specimens must be collected within 30 days prior to exportation. All specimens required by this paragraph must be collected by a licensed veterinarian who either is, or is acting in the presence of, the veterinarian signing the certificate.

While the horse is in the United States, the following conditions must be met:

Except as provided in paragraph (f)(7) of this section, if the owner or importer wishes to change the horse's itinerary or the methods by which the horse is transported from that which he or she specified in the application for the import permit, the owner or importer must make the request for change in writing to the Administrator. Requests for change must be submitted to APHIS no less than 15 days before the proposed date of the change. Requests may be submitted to APHIS by postal mail, commercial delivery service, fax, or e-mail. The change in itinerary or method of transport may not be made without the written approval of the Administrator, who may grant the request for change when he or she determines that granting the request will not endanger other horses in the United States and that sufficient APHIS personnel are available to provide the services required by the owner or importer.

In response to an emergency or other unforeseen circumstances or events (e.g., weather-related transportation delays, vehicle breakdown, medical emergencies, etc.), the horse's itinerary or methods of transportation may be changed, with the prior approval of an APHIS representative, from that which is specified in the application for an import permit. Requests for such a change may be submitted to APHIS by telephone, postal mail, commercial delivery service, fax, or e-mail. Approval may be oral or in writing. If the approval is oral, it will be confirmed in writing by the Administrator as soon as circumstances permit.

The Administrator may cancel, orally or in writing, the import permit provided for under § 93.304 whenever the Administrator finds that the owner or importer of the horse has not complied with the provisions of paragraphs (f)(3) through (f)(7) of this section or any conditions imposed under those provisions. If the cancellation is oral, the Administrator will confirm the cancellation and the reasons for the cancellation in writing as soon as circumstances permit. Any person whose import permit is canceled may appeal the decision in writing to the Administrator within 10 days after receiving oral or written notification of the cancellation, whichever is earlier. If the appeal is sent by mail, it must be postmarked within 10 days after the owner or importer receives oral or written notification of the cancellation, whichever is earlier. The appeal must include all of the facts and reasons upon which the person relies to show that the import permit was wrongfully canceled. The Administrator will grant or deny the appeal in writing as promptly as circumstances permit, stating the reason for his or her decision. If there is a conflict as to any material fact, a hearing will be held to resolve the conflict. Rules of practice concerning the hearing will be adopted by the Administrator.

Except in those cases where an appeal is in process, any person whose import permit is canceled must move the horse identified in the import permit out of the United States within 10 days after receiving oral or written notification of cancellation, whichever is earlier. The horse is not permitted to enter competition, perform, or be exhibited from the date the owner or importer receives the notice of cancellation until the horse is moved out of the United States or until resolution of an appeal in favor of the owner or importer. Except when being exercised, the horse must be kept, at the expense of the owner or importer, in a stall on the premises where the horse is located when the notice of cancellation is received or, if the horse is in transit when the notice of cancellation is received, on the premises where it is next scheduled to compete, perform, or be exhibited according to the import permit. The stall in which the horse is kept must be separated from other stalls containing horses that are not listed on the import permit, either by an empty stall, by an open area across which horses cannot touch each other, or by a solid wall that is at least 8 feet (2.4 meters) high. In cases where the owners of the above specified premises do not permit the horse to be kept on those premises, or when the Administrator determines that keeping the horse on the above specified premises will pose a disease risk to horses in the United States, the horse must be kept, at the expense of the owner or importer, on an alternative premises approved by the Administrator.

Stallions or mares over 731 days of age that are imported in accordance with paragraphs (f)(1) or (f)(2) of this section may be eligible to remain in the United States if the following is completed:

All costs and charges associated with the supervision and maintenance of a horse imported under paragraphs (f)(1) or (f)(2) of this section will be borne by the horse's owner or importer. The costs associated with the supervision and maintenance of the horse by an APHIS representative at his or her usual places of duty will be reimbursed by the horse's owner or importer through user fees payable under part 130 of this chapter.

In the event that an APHIS representative must be temporarily detailed from his or her usual place of duty in connection with the supervision and maintenance of a horse imported under this paragraph (f), the owner or importer of the horse must execute a trust fund agreement with APHIS to reimburse all expenses (including travel costs, salary, per diem or subsistence, administrative expenses, and incidental expenses) incurred by the Department in connection with the temporary detail. Under the trust fund agreement, the horse's owner or importer must deposit with APHIS an amount equal to the estimated cost, as determined by APHIS, for the APHIS representative to inspect the premises at which the horse will compete, perform, or be exhibited; to conduct the monitoring required by paragraph (f)(5)(iii) of this section; and to supervise the cleaning and disinfection required by paragraph (f)(5)(ix) of this section. The estimated costs will be based on the following factors:

If a trust fund agreement with APHIS has been executed by the owner or importer of a horse in accordance with paragraph (f)(12) of this section and APHIS determines, during the horse's stay in the United States, that the amount deposited will be insufficient to cover the services APHIS is scheduled to provide during the remainder of the horse's stay, APHIS will issue to the horse's owner or importer a bill to restore the deposited amount to a level sufficient to cover the estimated cost to APHIS for the remainder of the horse's stay in the United States. The horse's owner or importer must pay the amount billed within 14 days after receiving the bill. If the bill is not paid within 14 days after its receipt, APHIS will cease to perform the services provided for in paragraph (f)(5) of this section until the bill is paid. The Administrator will inform the owner or importer of the cessation of services orally or in writing. If the notice of cessation is oral, the Administrator will confirm, in writing, the notice of cessation and the reason for the cessation of services as soon as circumstances permit. In such a case, the horse must be kept, at the expense of the owner or importer and until the bill is paid, in a stall either on the premises at which the horse is located when the notice of cessation of services is received or, if the horse is in transit when the notice of cessation of services is received, on the premises at which it is next scheduled to compete, perform, or be exhibited according to the import permit. The stall in which the horse is kept must be separated from other stalls containing horses that are not listed on the import permit, either by an empty stall, by an open area across which horses cannot touch each other, or by a solid wall that is at least 8 feet (2.4 meters) high. In cases where the owners of the premises where the horse would be kept following a cessation of services do not permit the horse to be kept on those premises, or when the Administrator determines that keeping the horse on the premises will pose a disease risk to other horses in the United States, the horse must be kept, at the expense of the owner or importer, on an alternative premises approved by the Administrator. Until the bill is paid, the horse is not permitted to enter competition, perform, or be exhibited. Any amount deposited in excess of the costs to APHIS to provide the required services will be refunded to the horse's owner or importer.