USDA Gives Outline of Mandatory Penalties

Jun 7th, 2012 | By | Category: News

A stakeholders conference call was held on Tuesday, June 5, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Dr. Chester Gipson and Dr. Rachel Cezar conducted the call which outlines the mandatory penalties that will be published in the Federal Registry on Thursday, June 7, 2012, and will go into effect on Monday, July 9, 2012.

Dr. Cezar presented the protocol of the mandatory penalties which all HIO will follow making the inspection process and penalties more consistent. The penalties are as follows:

Bilateral sore: The horse must be dismissed from the remainder of the show. First offense, 1 year; Second offense, 2 years; Third offense, 3 years.

Unilateral sore: The horse must be dismissed from the remainder of the show. First offense, 60 days; Second offense, 120 days; Third offense, 1 year.

Scar rule: The horse must be dismissed from the remainder of the show. First offense, 2 weeks; Second offense, 60 days; Third offense, 1 year.

Foreign substance violation: The horse must be dismissed from the remainder of the show with 2 weeks suspension.

Equipment violation: The horse must be dismissed from the remainder of the show with 2 weeks suspension.

Suspension violation: 6 months

All HIOs must have an appeal process with the appeal taking place within 60 days. The results of the hearing must be reported to USDA within 30 days of the ruling.

Dr. Cezar stated that the penalty follows the manager, trainer, owner, rider, custodian or transporter whichever is applicable. The penalty does not follow the horse or the show management.

This information will be posted at www.usda.aphis.gov.

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