A.- Introduction
This Procedure used by Senasa takes into account the methods established to carry it out since mid-2004 that were modified in 2007 by AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) for the authorization of entry into Australia of cats and dogs from the Republic of Argentina.
The total foreseen time period before actual authorization of entry of animals into Australian territory is six (6) months. This period of time is divided into two equal or unequal parts, during which the animal resides in the Republic of Argentina and in Australia, for example five (5) months in the Republic of Argentina and one (1) month in Australia. In all cases a minimum stay of one (1) month in the Quarantine Station in Australia chosen by the interested party is mandatory and must be complied with.
B.- A Dispatch Document Application is Initiated in Senasa
The interested party who wishes to send a cat or a dog to Australia must present an Application for Dispatch of cats or dogs to Australia at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station according to the model attached in the Annexes of this Procedure, to initiate the application for the corresponding dispatch document.
C.- Cost for the Interested Party
In agreement with the guidelines for fees in Resolution CASENASA #005/1994 the cost per animal is $15.84.
D.- Details of the Senasa “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station
The “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Starion is located in the port of Buenos Aires, Dársena Sur, on the street Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane s/n and Av. Calabria, (500 meters from the Casino Flotante Buenos Aires).
Telephone: 4362-5755.
E-mail: lazareto@senasa.gov.ar
E.- Customer Service Hours:
The customer service hours of the office where it is possible to apply for an International Veterinary Certificate for a cat and/or a dog that accompanies and vouches for the animal until it reaches Australia are:
Working days from 10.30 to 15.30 hours.
F.- AQIS Requirements
1. Prohibited:
Breeds:
Due to AQIS legislation NO International Veterinary Certificates will be issued for entry into Australia of dogs of the following breeds:
Dogo Argentino
Japanese Tosa
Fila Brazileiro
American Pit Bull Terrier
Presa Canario
Domestic animal hybrids (e.g. bengal cats or wolf crosses) are not eligible for import unless they are proven to be 5 or more generations removed from their pure-bred non-domestic ancestors.
Pregnancy:
Female cats and dogs must not be more than six (6) weeks pregnant at the moment of embarkation in the Republic of Argentina.
Age:
No animals under six (6) months of age on arrival in Australia are admitted.
Sanitary Considerations
No animals will be admitted into Australia that have suffered a disease requiring quarantine during the last thirty (30) days previous to embarkation in the Republic of Argentina.
2. Import Quarantine in Australia:
All cats and dogs will undergo a period of quarantine in a Quarantine Station in Australia that can be between thirty (30) and one hundred and fifty (150) days. It must never be less than thirty (30) days.
3. Previous Import Permit
Any interested party who wishes to send a cat or dog to Australia must obtain an Import Permit Application Form from the AQIS webpage on Internet. This “Application for Permit to Import Form” must be completed by personnel of the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station and sent for authorization – according to the guidelines in this Procedure – to the Quarantine Station in Australia chosen by the interested party. We wish to note that this Application for Permit to Import Form is also available at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station.
4. Animal Identification
Before the blood sample is collected for the rabies neutralizing antibodies test described below, the animal must be identified by means of a transponder or microchip. It is recommended that the brands and models of microchips used comply with ISO standards for animal identification. If the microchip used does not comply with ISO standards, the importer must provide a compatible microchip reader so that the animal can be identified at the border entry point in Australia.
5. Rabies Vaccination in the Republic of Argentina
The rabies vaccine – as a first vaccination or as a booster – must be applied by a Private Veterinarian within the twelve (12) months prior to embarkation of the animal from the Republic of Argentina and in animals over three (3) months of age, using inactivated vaccine approved by Senasa.
6. Rabies Neutralizing Antibody Titre Test (RNATT)
The interested party will agree with an Official Veterinarian of the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station a time and date to be present when a Private Veterinarian scans the animal’s microchip and collects a blood sample for the RNATT.
This blood sample must be taken after a minimum period of twenty-one (21) days after rabies vaccination. The corresponding blood sample will subsequently be sent from “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station to Senasa’s Central Laboratory (DILACOT).
The interested party may choose to send the blood sample to be privately analyzed in some other laboratory authorized by Australia to carry out this test. The dispatch of diagnostic samples to foreign laboratories will be carried out by the interested party and/or the Private Veterinarian under conditions determined by Senasa and the destination laboratory.
The results of this laboratory titration must be greater than or equal to 0.5 IU/ml.
It is important to highlight that the period of up to five (5) months of pre-export quarantine in the Republic of Argentina required by AQIS begins immediately after the extraction of the first blood sample for the determination of rabies neutralizing antibodies.
Summary of the Steps of this Procedure
All the steps of the complete Procedure for the dispatch of cats and dogs to Australia must be followed according to the following sequence:
a. Initiation of Application Form at Senasa. The interested party who wishes to send a cat or dog to Australia must go to the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station to begin the Procedure, as has been detailed above.
b. Animal Identification and Rabies Vaccine. The interested party must contact a Private Veterinarian to insert the transponder or microchip required by AQIS (ISO Standards), and apply the rabies vaccine, as has been detailed above.
c. Taking the animal’s blood sample. Subsequently the interested party must contact an Official Veterinarian at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station and agree a time and date for the reading of the microchip and the taking of a blood sample by the Private Veterinarian.
Furthermore, the Official Veterinarian will ensure that the blood sample is sent to the diagnostic laboratory, as has been detailed above.
d. Drawing up and Sending to Australia the Application for the Permit to Import Form. The laboratory result from DILACOT is received at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station approximately thirty (30) days after the sample is sent. If the result is satisfactory, the Official Veterinarian will fill in the Application for a Permit to Import Form mentioned above; this must be sent by the interested party, who will bear all related costs, to the Quarantine Station in Australia chosen by them. We wish to note that this Application for a Permit to Import Form is also available at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station.
e. AQIS Acceptance of Import Permit Applications. The interested party will be officially informed of AQIS acceptance of the import permit application by post within fifteen (15) days from the moment the import permit application reaches Australia.
f. Requirements only for Dogs. Only in the case of dogs, during the last thirty (30) days prior to dispatch to Australia, it will be necessary to carry out another blood sampling, in the same way as the first one was carried out.
And in this case the blood sample will be analyzed to determine the absence of the following diseases: Canine Leptospirosis and Canine Brucellosis: the analysis will be performed in Senasa’s DILACOT laboratory or in foreign laboratories authorized for this procedure: Canine Ehrlichiosis and Canine Leishmaniasis: the analysis will be performed in a foreign laboratory (e.g. USA, Australia, etc.) since the diagnosis of these diseases is not officially performed in the Republic of Argentina.
g. Clinical Exam and Parasite Treatment. Within the last four (4) days prior to dispatch the Private Veterinarian will, at the same time, issue the following certificates:
a. A Health Certificate that status that the animal’s clinical exam was satisfactory (see Anexes of this Procedure), and
b. A Certificate of treatment of internal and external parasites (the Private Veterinarian may use their own headed prescription paper) detailing the name of the commercial product, the drug it contains and the dose used.
h. An International Veterinary Certificate will be issued by the Official Veterinarian. Within the last four (4) days before dispatch to Australia an Official Veterinarian of the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station will draw up and sign the International Veterinary Certificate according to the model required by Australia.
To issue this International Veterinary Certificate the Official Veterinarian must have the following original certificates:
a. The Health Certificate and the internal and external parasite treatment certificate issued by the Private Veterinarian.
b. The reports or protocols with the diagnostic results from the laboratories that were sent the samples (DILACOT and/or foreign laboratories).
c. The rabies vaccine certificate for cats and dots and the vaccines for:
i. Distemper, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Hepatitis and Bordetella bronchiseptica in dogs, and for
ii. Rhinotraqueitis, Panleucopenia and Calicivirus in cats.
In the case of i and ii vaccines, they must not be applied during the last fourteen (14) days prior to dispatch of the animal to Australia.
d. The Import Permit Authorized by AQIS.
The International Veterinary Certificate must be drawn up in triplicate, and all necessary copies of the documents required during this Procedure must be made. Of the copies given to the interested party (original and duplicate), AQIS recommends that the original be included in the set of documents issued by the transport company and the duplicate be attached to the cage in which the animal is shipped.
i. Intervention by Senasa at the Point of Exit of the Republic of Argentina. The day of embarkation, Senasa personnel at the border point of exit of the Republic of Argentina will identify the animal by reading the microchip, place an official seal on the cage in which the animal is shipped, and complete and stamp part B of the International Veterinary Certificate.
j. Embarkation of the Animal. It is important to clarify that AQIS does not accept the arrival in Australia of animals in the passenger cabin of airplanes, the animals must travel as “Manifested Cargo” (not in the cabin) accompanied by documents drawn up by the transport company.
G.- Additional Costs due to New Australian Requirements
These additional costs are only those currently known to Senasa at the time of drawing up of this Procedure, they are basically those related to the International Veterinary Certificate, and do not include the cost of other procedures, such as the fees of the Private Veterinarian.
Fees of Senasa’s DILACOT Laboratory
Rabies Neutralizing Antibody Titre Test (RNATT) $ 200
Diagnosis of Canine Leptospirosis: $8
Diagnosis of Canine Brucellosis: $12
In comparison, the international cost of tests carried out in the USA are:
Serological diagnosis of Canine Leishmaniasis: U$S 18
Serological diagnosis of Canine Erhlichiosis: U$S 18
Air-postage for a parcel: U$S 90
Fees for the Services of the Personnel of the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station:
For all interventions and certifications of documents requested by the interested party detailed in this Procedure. The corresponding extraordinary services fees will be applied according to Decree 6610/1956 and its complementary regulations.
The procedure that requires the pre-agreed presence of both the Official Veterinarian to oversee and the Private Veterinarian to read the identification microchip and take the blood sample can take place in the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station. If this procedure does not take place at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station then the interested party must cover the costs of transport of the Official Veterinarian.
H.- Meaning of the Terms and Expressions Used in this Procedure
Below is the meaning of the terms and expressions used in this Procedure:
AQIS: Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. Internet Address: http://www.aqis.gov.au This is the Official Veterinary Service of Australia, the natural interlocutors of Senasa when agreeing and guaranteeing current requirements for the exchange of cats and dogs.
Health Certificate: This is the original issued by a Private Veterinarian in which they certify the health status of the animal and that it is fit to travel abroad. In the Annex of this
Procedure there are some comments on the model for this certificate.
International Veterinary Certificate: This is the certificate issued by an Official Senasa Veterinarian in the Argentine Republic that certifies the existence of the certificates and guarantees required by AQIS. This certificate must accompany and vouch for the animal until admission and entry into the Australian Quarantine Station.
Rabies Vaccine Certificate: This is the original certificate issued on application of a rabies vaccine to a cat or a dog by a Private Veterinarian on the form of mandatory use determined by the Professional College where the veterinarian is registered.
Dispatch: This is the intention of the interested party of shipping a cat or dog to Australia, for any reason and by any route of exit from the Republic of Argentina.
Quarantine Station: This is the Australian facility authorized by AQIS to quarantine imported cats and dogs coming from the Republic of Argentina. When this Procedure was drawn up there were three (3) available for the interested party to choose from, located in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
“Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station: This is the name of the Senasa office where an interested party can obtain information on sending a cat or dog to Australia, and its location and contact details are above.
Official Veterinarian: This is the Senasa Veterinarian at “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station that is internationally recognized as being able to sign an International Veterinary Certificate.
Private Veterinarian: This is the Private Veterinarian who has a current registration number in the corresponding Professional College of their geographical area and who is therefore authorized to carry out the activities mentioned in this Procedure.
Procedure: Is the operative method used by Senasa in accordance with regulations determined by the AQIS Authorities for the authorization of the dispatch of cats and dogs to Australia.
Dispatch Application Form: This is the form that must be filled in by the interested party and presented at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station to begin the procedure to obtain an International Veterinary Certificate to accompany and vouch for the cat or dog dispatched to Australia.
Application for a Permit to Import: This is the model established by AQIS that must be filled in by the Official Veterinarian and subsequently sent to the Quarantine Staion in Australia chosen by the interested party, to request authorization for importing a cat or dog into Australia. Once this Application for an Import Permit is authorized by AQIS it becomes a Permit to Import.
Transponder or microchip: This is a universal device for the identification of cats and dogs by radiofrequency, which can be read by compatible reading devices.
Interested Party: This is the person authorized to carry out all arrangements and transactions with Senasa with a view to obtaining an International Veterinary Certificate to accompany and vouch for the cat or dog dispatched to Australia.
I.- Clarification Notes:
The International Veterinary Certificate issued by Senasa at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station according to this Procedure, is written in two languages (Spanish and English), according to AQIS requirements.
This International Veterinary Certificate issued by Senasa does not require any Australian consular or diplomatic procedures in the Republic of Argentina.
Those Australian tourists, who are temporarily visiting the Republic of Argentina with their cats and dogs, when they remain less than six (6) months in Argentina, will be able to return to Australia in accordance with sanitary requirements determined by AQIS that contemplate procedures that must be carried out before they leave Australia for the Republic of Argentina.
The interested party must contact Senasa personnel at the border point of exit of the animal from the Republic of Argentina with sufficient forewarning, so as to be able to carry out all the necessary steps according to this Procedure.
J.- Annexes
Attached there is a model of the Health Certificate proposed by Senasa that has to be filled in by a Private Veterinarian and a model of the Dispatch Application Form for cats and dogs with destination Australia that must be completed by the interested party.
In this Health Certificate the Private Veterinarian must certify the state of health of the animal and if it is fit to travel to Australia. Furthermore, until Professional Veterinary Colleges print and distribute amongst their registered members a model of a Health Certificate for mandatory use, Senasa will consider as valid either the model included in this Procedure or the non-mandatory model printed by the Veterinary Professional Colleges or the Private Veterinarian’s prescription pad with a heading that includes all mandatory data.
An Interested party may download a model of a Dispatch Application Form from the Senasa webpage on Internet or obtain it at the "Lazareto Capital" Quarantine Station. It must be remembered that all details must be filled in and two copies must be presented at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station, both signed, to begin the corresponding procedure.
