By Todd Behre, DVM, PMP

In 1921 the USDA established the veterinary accreditation program so private practitioners could assist federal veterinarians in controlling animal diseases. The USDA could not monitor our nation’s horses for emerging or foreign animal diseases or fulfill the regulatory requirements for interstate and international movement of horses without these accredited equine practitioners’ help.

Today’s National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) is administered nationally, but authorization to perform accredited work is granted on a state-by-state basis. Creating a national system has helped the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) standardize the accreditation procedures and requirements, allowing for more uniform administration of the program.

So how does the program work? Accredited equine practitioners examine your horses and complete interstate certificates of veterinary inspection or ICVIs (often referred to as health certificates) when your horses travel interstate. These qualified individuals have a complete understanding of the process and know the requirements of horses’ destination states. Under the new Federal Animal Disease Traceability Rule, the ICVI is “É an official document issued by a Federal, State or Tribal Animal Health Official, or accredited veterinarian for the animals that are being shipped interstate.” On a much more complex scale, the accredited equine practitioner is also needed when you ship horses internationally