The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
  (1) Accredited Veterinarian--a veterinarian approved by the Commission and the USDA in accordance with the provisions 9 CFR Part 161.
  (2) Adjacent Flock--flock of sheep or goats on contiguous property.
  (3) Administrator--the administrator of APHIS or any employee of USDA to whom the Administrator has delegated to act for the Administrator.
  (4) Animal--a sheep or goat.
  (5) APHIS--Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, an agency of the USDA, or employees thereof.
  (6) Approved Laboratory--a diagnostic laboratory approved by the TAHC and the USDA to conduct one or more scrapie tests, or genotype tests.
  (7) Approved Test--a test for the diagnosis of scrape that is approved by the Administrator of APHIS for use in the scrapie eradication program or certification program.
  (8) Blackfaced Sheep--any purebred Suffolk, Hampshire, Shropshire, or cross thereof, any non-purebred sheep known to have Suffolk, Hampshire, or Shropshire ancestors, and any non-purebred wool sheep of unknown ancestry with a black face. Hair sheep with black or dark faces are not considered to be in this category.
  (9) Breed Associations and Registries--organizations that maintain the permanent records of ancestry or pedigrees of animals (including the animal's sire and dam), individual identification of animals, and/or ownership of animals.
  (10) Certificate of Veterinary Inspection--a numbered interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection or a similar titled document that is a record of veterinary health inspection of one or more animals, issued on an official form by an accredited veterinarian from the state of origin. A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection shall be valid for 30 days following the inspection of the animals.
  (11) Commercial Sheep or Goat--any animal from a flock from which animals are moved either directly to slaughter or through slaughter channels to slaughter or any animal that is raised only for meat or fiber production, or for commercial breeding purposes, and is not registered with a sheep or goat registry or used for exhibition.
  (12) Commingle, Commingled or Commingling--animals grouped together having physical contact with female animal(s) during or up to 30 days after she (they) lambed, kidded, or aborted, or while visible vaginal discharge was present, including contact through a fence, but not limited contact.
  (13) Consistent State--A state listed in 9 CFR 79.1, that the APHIS Administrator has determined as conducting an active State scrapie control program.
  (14) Designated Scrapie Epidemiologist--A State or Federal epidemiologist with a knowledge of scrapie epidemiology, and designated by APHIS to make decisions about the use and interpretation of diagnostic tests, field investigation data and the management of scrapie affected flocks.
  (15) Destroyed or Destruction--animals that are:
    (A) Euthanized by a means other than slaughter and the carcass disposed of by means authorized by the Administrator; or,
    (B) in the case of exposed or high-risk animals that are not known to be infected, either euthanized or disposed of by slaughter; or,
    (C) moved to a quarantined research facility, if Executive Director of TAHC and Administrator has approved the movement.
  (16) Direct Movement to Slaughter--animals that are transported to a facility for slaughter without stop or unloading en route, other than for food and water, during which the animals are not commingled with any other animals.
  (17) Epidemiological Investigation--an investigation to determine the risks or presence of a condition affecting a population of animals or animal products.
  (18) Exposed Animal:
    (A) Any animal that has been in a flock at the same time as a scrapie-positive animal excluding limited contact; or,
    (B) any animal born in a flock after a scrapie-positive female animal was born into that flock or lambed in that flock, unless it has been after that flock completes the requirements of a flock plan; or,
    (C) any animal that was commingled with a scrapie-positive female during or up to 30 days after she lambed, kidded, or aborted, or while a visible vaginal discharge was present, including during activities such as shows and sales or while in marketing channels; or, any animal in a non-compliant flock
  (19) Exposed Flock--any flock in which a scrapie-positive animal was born or lambed. Any flock that currently contains a female high-risk, or suspect animal, or that once contained a female high-risk, or suspect animal that lambed in the flock and from which tissues were not submitted for official testing and found negative. A flock that has competed a post-exposure management and monitoring plan following the exposure will no longer be an exposed flock.
  (20) Flock--all animals that are maintained on a single premises and all animals under common ownership or supervision on two or more premises with animal interchange between the premises. Changes in ownership of part or all of a flock do not change the identity of the flock or the regulatory requirements applicable to the flock. The term "flock" shall be interchangeable with the term "herd." More than one flock may be maintained on a single premise if:
    (A) the flocks are enrolled as separate flocks in the Scrapie Flock Certification Program.
    (B) a State or APHIS representative determines, based upon examination of flock records, that:
      (i) no animals have moved between flocks
      (ii) the flocks never commingle and are kept at least 30 feet apart at all times or are separated be a solid wall through which contact cannot occur;
      (iii) the flocks have separate flock records and identification; the flocks have separate lambing facilities, including buildings and pastures, and a pasture or building used for lambing by one flock is not used by the other flock at any time;
      (iv) the flocks do not share equipment without cleaning and disinfection in accordance with the guidelines published in the Scrapie Eradication UM & R standards.
  (21) Genetic Risk determined by genotype at codon 171.
    (A) High Risk: QQ
    (B) No Risk: RR
    (C) Low Risk: QR, HR
  (22) Flock of Origin--the flock in which an animal most recently resided. The determination that an animal originated in a flock must be based either on the physical presence of the animal in the flock, the presence of official identification on the animal traceable to the flock, the presence of other identification on the animal that is listed on the bill of sale, or other evidence, such as registry records.
  (23) Flock Plan--a written management agreement signed by the owner of the flock, the accredited veterinarian, if one is employed by the owner, and a State or APHIS representative in which each participant agrees to undertake actions specified in the flock plan for a flock that contains high-risk or an exposed animal. As part of a flock plan, the flock owner must provide the facilities and personnel needed to carry out the requirements of the flock plan. The flock plan must include the requirements in 9 CFR 54.5.
  (24) Goats--Animals of the genus Capra.
  (25) High-Risk Animal--
    (A) a sexually intact female, that has tested QQ at codon 171 or AA at codon 136.
    (B) the progeny of a scrapie-positive dam; or,
    (C) born in the same flock during the same lambing season as progeny of a scrapie-positive dam, unless the progeny of the scrapie-positive dam are from separate contemporary lambing groups; or,
    (D) born in the same flock during the same lambing season that a scrapie-positive animal was born, or during any subsequent lambing season, if born before that flock completes the requirements of a flock plan; or,
    (E) an exposed female sheep that has not tested QR, HR, or RR at codon 171; or,
    (F) designated as a high-risk animal by the Designated Scrapie Epidemiologist.
  (26) Infected Flock--the flock of origin of a female animal that a representative of the TAHC or USDA has determined to be:
    (A) A scrapie-positive animal; or,
    (B) A flock that a scrapie-positive animal has resided unless an epidemiological investigation conducted by a representative of the TAHC or USDA shows that the animal did not lamb or abort in the flock.
Cont'd...