The Healthy Dog Importation Act Advances
By: Patti Strand Date: 05/2/2024 Category: |
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After years of work, and the efforts of so many, the Healthy Dog Importation Act is poised to move forward. Special thanks to the AKC and the AVMA for their steadfast commitment to this critically important legislation.
Yesterday, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI) and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Thompson (R-PA) released summaries of their respective versions of the 2024 Farm Bill.
We are pleased to report that Chairwoman Stabenow’s 94-page summary outlines key provisions of the Healthy Dog Importation Act that are included in the Senate version of the Farm Bill. This includes requiring USDA to develop dog importation regulations that provide for electronic document submission, authorizing requirements for vaccinations and parasite treatments, and incorporating greater accredited veterinary oversight. See below from Chairwoman Stabenow’s summary:
Sec. 12504. Importation of Dogs into the United States
- Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate regulations in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Transportation, to establish a process for dogs being imported into the United States.
- Requires that after regulations have been issued, before importing a dog over the age of six months into the United States, the importer submit to the Secretary electronic documentation demonstrating that the dog is in good health, has received all necessary vaccinations and parasitic treatments, and has demonstrated negative test results as issued by a licensed, accredited veterinarian.
- Subjects an importer that fails to comply to penalties as determined by the Secretary and the deportation of each applicable dog, with due care for the welfare of the animal.
Chairman Thompson’s 5-page summary does not go into detail regarding what is included in his version of the Farm Bill, but we expect that key provisions of the Healthy Dog Importation Act will be included in the House version of the Farm Bill as well.
The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up the House version of the Farm Bill on May 23. We expect additional information to be released by the Committee, including more details on the dog importation provisions ahead of the 5/23 markup.
The inclusion of essential elements of the Healthy Dog Importation Act in the 2024 Farm Bill represents a major milestone in our quest to protect the health and welfare of our animals.
Thank you for your patience and for your continued support as we work to move this critically important legislation forward. We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.
About The Author
Patti is a recognized expert and consultant on contemporary animal issues, most notably responsible dog ownership and the animal rights movement. She often appears on radio and television and her articles on canine issues, animal welfare, public policy and animal rights have appeared in major US news publications and in trade, professional and scientific journals. Patti and her…
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