Wherever in this subpart the following terms are used, unless the context otherwise requires, they shall be construed, respectively, to mean:

Accredited veterinarian. A veterinarian approved by the Administrator in accordance with the provisions of part 161 of this title to perform functions specified in parts 1, 2, 3, and 11 of subchapter A, and subchapters B, C, and D of this chapter, and to perform functions required by cooperative State-Federal disease control and eradication programs.

Administrator. The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or any other employee of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, to whom authority has been or may be delegated to act in the Administrator's stead.

Animals. Cattle, sheep, goats, other ruminants, swine, horses, asses, mules, zebras, dogs, and poultry.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (APHIS or Service).

APHIS representative. A veterinarian or other individual employed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, who is authorized to perform the services required by this part.

Code of practice. A voluntary system of procedures designed to reduce disease spread, that is established by the veterinarians and horse industry in a region and that includes procedures for the following: Testing for and treatment of the diseases, quarantine of horses that are affected with or are suspected of being affected with the disease, certification of whether horses have been affected with or exposed to the disease, and hygiene for personnel conducting treatments and specimen collections.

Communicable disease. Any contagious, infectious, or communicable disease of domestic livestock, poultry or other animals.

Department. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Fever tick. Boophilus annulatus, including, but not limited to, the varieties Americana and Australia.

Horses. Horses, asses, mules, and zebras.

Immediate slaughter. Consignment directly from the port of entry to a recognized slaughtering establishment1 and slaughter thereat within two weeks from the date of entry.

Inspector. An employee of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service authorized to perform duties required under this subpart.

Licensed Veterinarian. Any person licensed by any country or political subdivision thereof to practice veterinary medicine.

Lot. A group of horses that, while held on a premises or conveyance, have had opportunity for physical contact with other horses in the group or with their excrement or discharges at any time during their shipment to the United States.

Lot-holding area. That area in a permanent, privately owned quarantine facility in which a single lot of horses is held at one time.

Nonquarantine area. That area in a permanent, privately owned quarantine facility that includes offices, storage areas, and other areas outside the quarantine area, and that is off limits to horses, samples taken from horses, and any other objects or substances that have been in the quarantine area during the quarantine of horses.

Operator. A person other than the Federal Government who owns or manages and has responsibility for the services provided by a temporary, privately owned quarantine facility or a permanent, privately owned quarantine facility.

Permanent, privately owned quarantine facility. A facility that offers quarantine services for horses to the general public on a continuing basis and that is owned and operated by an entity other than the Federal Government (also permanent facility).

Persons. Any individual, corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society or joint stock company.

Port Veterinarian. A veterinarian employed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to perform duties required under this part at a port of entry.

Quarantine area. That area in a permanent, privately owned quarantine facility that comprises all of the lot-holding areas in the facility, and any other areas in the facility that horses have access to, including loading docks for receiving and releasing horses, and any areas used to conduct examinations of horses and take samples and where samples are processed or examined.

Recognized slaughtering establishment.2 An establishment where slaughtering operations are regularly carried on under federal or state inspection and which has been approved by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to receive animals for slaughter under this part.

Region. Any defined geographic land area identifiable by geological, political, or surveyed boundaries. A region may consist of any of the following:

(1) A national entity (country);

(2) Part of a national entity (zone, county, department, municipality, parish, Province, State, etc.)

(3) Parts of several national entities combined into an area; or

(4) A group of national entities (countries) combined into a single area.

State animal health official. The State official responsible for livestock and poultry disease control and eradication programs.

Temporary, privately owned quarantine facility. A facility that offers quarantine services for horses imported for a specific event and that is owned and operated by an entity other than the Federal Government (also temporary facility).

United States. All of the States of the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and all other Territories and Possessions of the United States.

Veterinarian in Charge. The veterinary official of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, who is assigned by the Administrator to supervise and perform the official animal health work of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the State concerned.

Veterinary Services. The Veterinary Services unit of the Department.

Weanling or yearling. Any horse, weaned from its dam, that was foaled not more than 731 days prior to its being offered for entry into the United States. A horse will not be considered to be a weanling or yearling if its first permanent incisors have erupted.

[55 FR 31495, Aug. 2, 1990, as amended at 56 FR 15489, Apr. 17, 1991; 61 FR 52239, Oct. 7, 1996. Redesignated and amended at 62 FR 56012, 56016, Oct. 28, 1997; 74 FR 31595, July 2, 2009]