Listed below are the rules for all events and animals. Feel free to contact us at ecfairinc@outlook.com or message us on Facebook with any questions.

Department 1 Health Rules for Horses

Requirements:

1. Pennsylvania equines must have verification of a veterinary-client-patient relationship (see Chapter A.6). A current Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) (valid for 30 days after the date of issue) is preferred; alternatively, a VCPR Form can also be used, or at a minimum, a signed attestation on the entry form, to fulfill the Animal Exhibition Sanitation Act.
2. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases
3. All equines must be test negative for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) by an official test within the 12 months prior to the opening date of the exhibition. Laboratory test results should accompany each animal (a copy of the original lab report is acceptable), and should include the date of sample collection. Foals less than six months of age accompanied by a test-negative dam are exempt from EIA testing recommendations. If the foal is not accompanied by the dam, a copy of the dam’s test results must accompany the foal.
4. See rabies vaccination requirements in the General section for animals exhibiting at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.

Recommendations:

1. A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian for animals 3 months of age and older. The name of the product used, date of administration and veterinarian administering the rabies vaccination should appear on the CVI or on a rabies vaccination certificate and this information should correlate to a written description of the horse, and any and all forms of identification associated with the horse, such as tattoos, brands, or microchips.
2. Permanent identification, including a microchip, tattoo, or brand

Department 2 & 3 Health Rules for Dairy and Beef Cattle

Prohibition of exhibition of dairy cattle from influenza-positive, suspect, or high-risk farms:

1. Dairy cattle from a premises on which dairy animals are showing clinical signs of infection with influenza A virus are prohibited from entering an exhibition. Clinical signs may include a decrease in feed consumption, with a simultaneous decrease in rumination and rumen motility; respiratory signs including clear nasal discharge; and subsequent acute drop in milk production. Additional clinical signs may include abnormal tacky or loose feces, lethargy, dehydration, and fever. Severely affected cattle may have thicker, concentrated, colostrum-like milk or produce no milk at all. Animals showing clinical signs compatible with infection must be cleared by the State Animal Health Official.
2. Dairy cattle which have been on a premises where influenza A virus has been confirmed in dairy cattle are prohibited from entering an exhibition until that premises has been declared free of disease by the State Animal Health Official.
3. Dairy cattle which have been on a premises where influenza A virus has been confirmed in domestic birds are prohibited from entering an exhibition until that premises has been declared free of disease by the State Animal Health Official.
4. Dairy cattle which have been on a premises which is located within a three-kilometer area of premises where influenza A virus has been confirmed in domestic birds are prohibited from entering an exhibition until the State Animal Health Official has declared that area as free of disease, based on epidemiological investigation and surveillance testing.

Pennsylvania Cattle

Requirements:

1. Pennsylvania cattle must have verification of a veterinary-client-patient relationship (see Chapter A.6). A current Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) (valid for 30 days after the date of issue) is preferred; alternatively, a VCPR Form can also be used, or at a minimum, a signed attestation on the entry form, to fulfill the Animal Exhibition Sanitation Act.
2. All animals must be free of evidence of infectious and contagious diseases.
3. Official identification is required for all cattle. Official identification includes any of the following:
4. (a) A USDA issued National Uniform Eartagging System (NUES) tag if applied prior to Nov. 5, 2024. This tag type is no longer valid for interstate movement if applied after Nov. 5, 2024. (b) A 15-digit Animal Identification Number (AIN) ear tag starting with “840”. (c) Brands registered with a recognized brand inspection authority and accompanied by an official brand inspection certificate, when agreed to by the shipping and receiving State or Tribal animal health authorities; or (d) Tattoos and other identification methods acceptable to a breed association for registration purposes, accompanied by a breed registration certificate, when agreed to by the shipping and receiving State or/Tribal animal health authorities. (e) See Chapter B.2 for additional ID requirements specific to the Farm Show Complex.
5. Influenza A testing requirements (applicable only if there is a case of influenza A in dairy cattle in Pennsylvania): (a) The dairy animals shall have been part of a biosecure assembled group for a period of at least 30 days prior to the date of sample collection in accordance with subsection. (b) below. New animals may not have been added to the herd or group within the 30-day period preceding the date of sample collection, or after the date of sample collection and before movement. (c) Individual dairy animals 18 months of age and older shall be tested within the seven days prior to entry into the exhibition.

Lactating Dairy Animals

1. A milk specimen shall be collected for testing in accordance with the provisions of this section from each lactating animal. Milk specimens shall be collected in a manner that is in accordance with National Veterinary Service Laboratory (NVSL) guidance to the testing National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) laboratory.
2. Non-lactating dairy animals—Nasal swabs shall be collected for testing in accordance with the provisions of this section from each non-lactating animal. Nasal swabs shall be collected in a manner that is in accordance with NVSL guidance provided to the testing NAHLN laboratory.
3. Milk specimens and nasal swabs shall be collected and submitted by or under the supervision of an accredited veterinarian (category II). The accredited veterinarian collecting or supervising the collection of the diagnostic specimens shall have a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) with the owner or caretaker of the animal.
4. Alternatively, “Monitored Status” for herds enrolled in the Pennsylvania Lactating Dairy Cow Health Monitoring Program removes the need for individual animal testing.
5. Each specimen or sample collected and submitted under this section shall be tested for influenza A virus using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and protocols approved by NVSL.
6. Testing of all specimens or samples collected and submitted under this section shall be performed at a NAHLN laboratory. The individual specimens shall not be pooled by the accredited veterinarian (category II) or any person other than at the NAHLN laboratory testing the samples.
7. All dairy cattle arriving at an animal exhibition shall have been tested in accordance with this section and shall have a negative or not-detected test result. The laboratory test report, or a copy of the report, shall accompany each dairy cow to the animal exhibition and shall be made available to the holder or staff of the animal exhibition and any Department employee. Animals enrolled and in compliance with the Pennsylvania Lactating Dairy Cow Health Monitoring Program shall be accompanied by proof of program enrollment and compliance as provided by the Department.
8. Exemptions: Dairy cattle less than 18 months of age are not required to be tested for influenza A virus prior to exhibition.
9. See rabies vaccination requirements in the General section for animals exhibiting at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.

Recommendations:

1. While tattoos and brands are acceptable, 840 RFID tags are preferred.
2. A current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian for animals 3 months of age and older.

Rodeo

1. It is recommended that Pennsylvania-origin rodeo cattle of all ages be negative on an official tuberculin test within 60 days prior to the start of the fair unless they are members of and originate from an accredited tuberculosis-free herd.
2. The cattle can be accompanied by the negative test report, or the tuberculosis test results can be recorded by the veterinarian on a CVI.