OAR 603-011-0550
Procedure for Handling Bovine and Bison Reactor or Suspect Animals
(1)
If a reactor animal is confirmed by any official brucellosis test, the reactor animal must be identified, branded, tagged, and slaughtered as provided by law or regulations promulgated thereunder. No owner, of such reactor animal, who is eligible and who desires to receive indemnity shall receive such indemnity unless the reactor is identified, branded, tagged, appraised, and slaughtered. All brucellosis reactors shall be branded with a “B” on the left jaw. The brand must be at least two inches in height, and shall be a hot iron brand. In addition to the brand, the reactor shall be tagged in the left ear with a reactor tag.(2)
Except as provided in this section, a reactor animal to the brucellosis test must be sold by the owner for immediate slaughter to a slaughter establishment, having federal meat inspection, either direct or through a state-federal approved licensed auction market, having federal meat inspection within 15 days from the date of the written notice of such infection to the herd owner, or killed and buried, or sent to a rendering plant.(3)
If the owner of the reactor animals claims indemnity for the slaughter of such animals, as provided by law, the reactor shall be slaughtered at a slaughter establishment having federal meat inspection within 15 days of the date of appraisal.(4)
With the written approval of the Department and USDA, a reactor may be retained by the owner for an additional 15 days provided the animal is slaughtered in not more than 30 days from the date the owner received notice the animal was infected, or the date the reactor animal was appraised, as the case may be. No reactor animal may be retained unless it can be effectively isolated from all non-infected animals and the reason for retention is deemed justifiable by the Department and federal officials.(5)
It shall be unlawful for any person or owner to slaughter or dispose of any reactor animal in any way except to sell such animal direct to slaughter as authorized by law or regulations promulgated thereunder, or unless disposal of such animal has otherwise been approved by the Department. In the event brucellosis reactors are killed on the ranch for the owner’s consumption, proof of slaughter must be provided to the Department.(6)
Reactors to the brucellosis test shall not be retested without specific approval of the Department.(7)
Suspects to the brucellosis blood test shall be quarantined and shall be retested between 30 to 60 days after the last test. If retest is negative, the quarantine on such suspect shall be released. If after at least two retests, the titer to brucellosis test continues, the Department may determine disposition of this animal.(8)
Animals identified as suspects, as a result of a blood test at an auction market, will be handled in accordance with Uniform Methods and Rules, current.(9)
At the discretion of the Department, it may pay indemnity on vaccinated animals showing a suspicious reaction to the official blood test for brucellosis, provided such animals are from a brucellosis-infected herd and their removal will facilitate eradication of disease from the herd.
Source:
Rule 603-011-0550 — Procedure for Handling Bovine and Bison Reactor or Suspect Animals, https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=603-011-0550.