Purpose

This bill updates Minnesota law to regulate the import of live Cervidae (the deer family) into the state for certain accredited facilities. It aims to prevent the introduction or spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) by tying imports to disease testing, herd certification, and risk assessments. It creates pathways for AZA-accredited (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) institutions and related facilities to receive cervids under controlled conditions, and it allows a permit for importing orphaned wild cervids not susceptible to CWD after a risk-based assessment.

Main Provisions

• Import restrictions based on CWD status:
  • A person cannot import live Cervidae into Minnesota from a state or province where CWD has been detected in farmed or wild cervids in the last five years unless the animal tests not detected for CWD using a validated live-animal test.
• Certification requirement:
  • Live Cervidae or cervid semen must come from a herd that has participated in a state, federal, or provincial CWD herd certification program and has reached a status equivalent to the highest certification.
• Enforcement:
  • Cervidae imported in violation may be seized and destroyed by the commissioner of natural resources.
• Exceptions for interstate transfers and accreditation:
  • The above restrictions do not apply to interstate transfers between two facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), or between an AZA-accredited facility and a facility that is a USDA-licensed exhibitor of regulated animals, if the animals are owned by institutions accredited by AZA and participate in the AZA’s Species Survival Plan.
• Permit pathway for orphaned species:
  • The commissioner may issue a permit allowing the importation of orphaned wild cervid species that are not susceptible to CWD from another state to an AZA-accredited institution in Minnesota, following a joint risk-based assessment by the commissioner and the institution.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Replaces a blanket prohibition on importing live Cervidae with a controlled framework that emphasizes testing, certification, and risk assessment.
• Introduces a mandatory testing requirement using validated live-animal tests for imports from areas with recent CWD findings.
• Adds a tiered herd certification requirement, requiring origin herds to hold the highest-level CWD certification status.
• Establishes explicit enforcement authority for seizures and destruction of violative imports.
• Creates clear carve-outs for interstate transfers among AZA facilities and between AZA facilities and USDA-licensed exhibitors, tying these transfers to participation in AZA programs (including the Species Survival Plan).
• Creates a new permit mechanism to allow imports of orphaned wild cervids not susceptible to CWD under a risk-based assessment, expanding opportunities for AZA-accredited institutions.

Relevant Terms Chronic wasting disease (CWD); Cervidae; live animal test; CWD herd certification program; highest certification; Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA); Species Survival Plan; interstate transfer; USDA-licensed exhibitor of regulated animals; orphaned wild cervid species; not susceptible to CWD; risk-based assessment; accredited facilities; importation; seizure and destruction.