Every state has laws relating to communicable diseases among livestock and other animals and the use of legal tools, such as quarantines and health certificate requirements, to control those diseases. This segment contains those laws.

Usually the power to quarantine is given to a department of agriculture or to a livestock commission or board. The power to declare a quarantine includes the power to go into private land to inspect for diseased animals and, if necessary, to seize them. Also, if required, the quarantine-declaring authority is empowered following proper procedures to destroy diseased animals. Legal provision frequently exists for paying the owner a portion of the assessed value of the destroyed animal.

In addition to a quarantine, almost all states have laws requiring health certificates on animals imported into the state showing them to be free of communicable diseases. Frequently, also these laws require health certificates before selling horses, showing them or trail riding them in groups.

The laws included in this segment are related to those dealing specifically with Equine Infectious Anemia (swamp fever) which require current Coggins tests. There is a separate segment on this web site dealing specifically with Equine Infectious Anemia. Those laws are omitted from this segment.

Only those laws that could apply to horses are included here. Omitted are health-related provisions dealing specifically with other livestock, such as cattle, swine, sheep and goats, birds or companion animals, such as dogs and cats.

In some states, the collection of statutes has gaps in statute numbers. Sometimes, these gaps exists because statutes specifically related to non-horse animals have been omitted. Other times, the omissions reflect statutes that have been repealed by the legislature. With those exceptions, the statutory provisions are intended to be complete.

For futher information regarding this subject go to the American Association for Horsemanship Safety website at http://www.law.utexas.edu/dawson/index.htm

Reprinted with permission of the copyright holder and the American Association for Horsemanship Safety, Inc. AAHS is a tax-exempt non-profit corporation devoted to educating equestrians about safe horsemanship practices. AAHS, Golondrina Stables, P.O. Box 39, Fentress, TX 78622.