The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets partners with Vermont veterinarians on various projects and initiatives, including emergency preparedness, disease testing and prevention, accreditation, and educational loan repayments.
To obtain an import permit, information pertaining to animal health-related issues in Vermont, or information pertaining to any program administered by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture's Animal Health Section, contact the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
Click on one of the following topics for detailed information:
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 Vaccine
Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Accreditation
If you have any questions about the USDA's National Veterinary Accreditation Program or need to be federally accredited, please contact your local area office (Uxbridge, MA 508-363-2290) or visit the NVAP site.
If you need to be accredited in Vermont, please contact:
Dr. Joel Russo
(802) 238-5110
Animal Health Lab
The Animal Health Section of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets works closely with the Agency's Animal Health lab to meet the animal health diagnostic needs of Vermont veterinarians. Currently, the lab is housed in Burlington and offers serologic testing of cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, horses and swine for a number of infectious diseases including Brucellosis and Equine Infectious Anemia. The Serology lab is certified annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To learn more about the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets' Animal Health Lab, including services offered, hours of operation, sample delivery instructions and contact information, click here.
Arboviral Testing
The Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is offering post-mortem testing of highly susceptible species, free of charge, from June through November 15, 2024. Specimens that meet the criteria for testing will be tested for both EEE virus and West Nile virus. For specifics regarding sample submissions and case definition, please refer to the link below, "Arboviral Letter to Veterinarians".
Arboviral Letter to Veterinarians
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 Vaccine
The rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2) vaccine from Medgene is now available in Vermont. As RHDV2 is still considered a foreign animal disease, distribution and use will be more restrictive:
- Medgene is only authorized to sell to USDA accredited veterinarians (category 1 or 2). As accredited vets have additional authorities vested by the USDA and therefore additional responsibilities for disease recognition, reporting, and traceability.
- Medgene is required to report to which clinics they distributed vaccines. VAAFM does not require veterinary records to be submitted to us at this time, but records should be available on request. Please report any adverse reactions to our office.
- This vaccine is for use in domestic rabbits only. This is not for use in wildlife or by wildlife rehabilitators.
- Permanent identification of vaccinated animals is highly recommended (tattoo or microchip). Due to uncertainty of tests’ ability to differentiate between infected vs vaccinated status, definitively knowing which animals were vaccinated will be crucial in the event of an outbreak or exposure. Again, RHDV2 is a foreign animal disease and knowing the vaccine status of an animal may be critical should a case be found in Vermont.
For vaccine schedule and other information, please contact Medgene directly.
Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
- Electronic Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (eCVI) are the preferred method for animal health and movement tracking between states. Data standards allow for uniformity of requirements and integration with other technologies decreases human error. These methods can also save time on both the creation and receiving ends of the CVI process. There are numerous paid and free services available to Vermont accredited veterinarians:
- Free:
- Paid:
- GlobalVetLink (GVL)
- myVetTech
- Vet Sentry
- Paper CVIs are available at cost. Please call the Animal Health Office at (802)828-2421 for more information.
Coggins Testing
- Utilize companies such as Larch Hill or Global Vet Link
- Order free of charge from USDA by calling (508)363-2290.
- The state verson of the form is no longer able to be ordered from BGS Print Shop and the Agency of Agriculture Lab is no longer accepting the form.
Export - International
Please Contact:
USDA-APHIS-VS, National Import Export Services (NIES), District 1 Service Center
500 New Karner Rd, 2nd Floor, Albany, NY 12205
518 218 7540 phone| 518 218 7545 facsimile
vspsny@aphis.usda.gov
USDA APHIS Pet Travel
Export - Interstate
https://www.interstatelivestock.com/
Forms
Brucellosis Test Continuation Form
Reportable Diseases
In Vermont, certain livestock and poultry diseases are required to be reported to the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets' Animal Health Office so that the Animal Health Section may work collaboratively with the herd veterinarian, owner and herdsperson to prevent the spread of contagious disease into naive livestock or poultry populations.
Refer to the U.S. National List of Reportable Animal Diseases for diseases to report in Vermont. All accredited veterinarians and animal disease diagnostic laboratories must immediately report the discovery of any domestic animal which is infected with or has been exposed to a reportable disease. The report should specify the location and description of the animal, the disease invovled and the name and address of the owner or person in possession of the animal and should be made to the state veterinarian via telepone (802) 828-2421 or fax (802) 828-5983.
- Questions regarding reportable animal diseases should be directed to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets' Animal Health Office.
- Reporting to the Department of Health: Some animal diseases are zoonotic, which means that they can be transmitted from animals to people. Since these diseases pose a risk to public health, they are closely monitored by the Vermont Department of Health. Signs consistent with diseases such as rabies and botulism must be reported to the Department of Health. View a complete list of diseases reportable to the Vermont Department of Health.
Rabies
- Department of Health website for rabies testing and reporting information
- Vermont statutes relating to rabies control, licensing, and vaccination
- Wildlife guidance for veterinarians
- To obtain instructions for rabies sample submission from a Vermont animal, contact:
Vermont Department of Health
Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program
(800)640-4374 (VT only) or (802)863-7240
Tuberculin for Caudal Fold Testing
Veterinarians are now required to order PPD for tuberculosis testing from the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, IA. This will allow the NVSL Brucella and Mycobacteria Reagent Team staff to better evaluate the quantity of tuberculin PPD required and possible vial volume best suited for scheduled testing. To order PPD, please fill the following two forms: the VS 4-9 and the supplemental ordering form.
Veterinarians should allow 10 days to process an order and should be aware that the lab does not ship orders on Fridays. No users fees are required for cattle testing, including cattle being exported.
Please contact the regional USDA office located in Sutton, MA, at (508) 363-2290 with any questions.
VMLRP
Vermont Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program
To learn more about this opportunity or to apply for funding, visit the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association website.
The Vermont legislature authorized the appropriation of state funds in 2011 and 2012 for purposes of ensuring an "adequate and stable supply of food animal veterinarians in Vermont". In response to this appropriation, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets partnered with the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association to establish the Vermont Food Animal Veterinarian Educational Loan Repayment Program (VFAVELRP), the purpose of which is to award funding to qualified food animal veterinary applicants to help support repayment of their veterinary loan debt. The program was implemented in 2012, and will continue for as long as there is need and available funding. By taking the initiative to allocate funds of $30,000 annually, our state government has identified and acknowledges the integral role food animals play in the fabric that makes up Vermont.
United States Department of Agriculture's VMLRP
USDA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), authorized by the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA), helps qualified veterinarians offset a significant portion of the debt incurred in pursuit of their veterinary medical degrees in return for their service in certain high-priority veterinary shortage situations. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) implements NVMSA by entering into educational loan repayment agreements with veterinarians who agree to provide veterinary services in veterinarian shortage situations for a determined period of time. Visit the following link for more information about the program and about Vermont's designated shortage areas: