In this subchapter:

(1) "Acceptable specimen" means a specimen determined to be satisfactory for diagnostic testing by an approved laboratory, which was collected by a trichomoniasis certified veterinarian and submitted with a completed and signed lab form.

(2) "Accredited veterinarian" means an individual who is currently licensed to practice veterinary medicine and is accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services in accordance with the current 9 Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1, § 161 in the state where that veterinarian practices.

(3) "Approved laboratory" means a laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) or a laboratory approved by the state veterinarian to identify T. foetus.

(4) "Board" means the Montana Board of Livestock.

(5) "Bovine" refers to all sexually intact domestic cattle.

(6) "Certificate of veterinary inspection" (CVI) means the form issued by the state of origin that records the consignor, consignee, identity, origin, destination, and health status of animals, issued by an accredited veterinarian of that state for interstate shipment. It is commonly known as a health certificate.

(7) "Commingle" means animals of opposite sex and belonging to the same or different owners in the same enclosure or pasture with a reasonable opportunity for sexual contact.

(8) "Complete herd trichomoniasis test" means an official T. foetus test from each nonvirgin bull in the herd.

(9) "Direct to a licensed slaughterhouse" means transporting an animal to a state or federally licensed slaughterhouse without unloading prior to arrival at the slaughterhouse.

(10) "Epidemiological investigation" means the scientific investigation conducted to determine the population of bovines that may be affected with or exposed to trichomoniasis.

(11) "Exposed herd notification" means owners or managers of exposed herds have been notified by the Department of Livestock or its agent that the owner's herd may have been exposed to a test positive animal or test positive herd.

(12) "Exposed herds" means cattle herds that have, within the previous twelve months, commingled or had cross-fence contact with a test positive animal or a test positive herd during the time of potential breeding activity.

(13) "Herd" means a group or groups of sexually intact bovines 12 months of age or older under common ownership or supervision that have commingled during the previous 12 months.

(14) "Individual trichomoniasis identification" means a Montana Official trichomoniasis tag or other official individual identification as determined by the state veterinarian that must be placed in the ear at the time of the first test.

(15) "Licensed trichomoniasis approved feedlot" means any facility which is licensed, annually, by the state veterinarian's office where:

(a) all T. foetus positive animals are individually identified and branded with a "V" on the right tailhead;

(b) there is no commingling of intact male and female cattle;

(c) no animals entering the feedlot are allowed back into the Montana breeding herd;

(d) all T. foetus positive animals are kept for a minimum of 30 days before being sold directly to slaughter or through a licensed livestock market and then to slaughter;

(e) all feedlots are subject to inspection;

(f) animals may be castrated or spayed at any time and verified by an accredited veterinarian.

(16) "Negative T. foetus bull" is a bull that T. foetus has not been detected by an official trichomoniasis test, which has not commingled with female cattle since that test, and which qualifies by one of the following:

(a) originate from a herd not known to be infected and has had a negative official T. foetus bull test within the last 60 days; or

(b) originate from a positive herd, and has tested negative to three consecutive PCR tests at least one week apart; or

(c) has a negative official T. foetus import bull test; or

(d) virgin bull.

(17) "Official trichomoniasis test" means the sampling procedure conducted by a deputy state trichomoniasis certified veterinarian of the preputial content of a sexually intact male bovine and submitted to an approved laboratory to identify T. foetus by three weekly cultures, an individual PCR test, or other test approved by the state veterinarian. Bulls must be sexually rested for at least two weeks prior to the first test. For the culture tests:

(a) the tests must be conducted at intervals of no less than seven days between each test;

(b) there must be no breeding activity during the intervals between the three tests or between the final of the three negative tests and the time of import, sale, loan, or lease.

(18) "Official Trichomoniasis retest" means an official trichomoniasis test conducted at least seven days, but not more than twenty-one days apart, after any previous official trichomoniasis test.

(19) "Premises" means the ground, area, building and/or equipment occupied by one or more bovine.

(20) "Quarantine" means movement restriction issued by a deputy state veterinarian or an agent of the department that shall be placed on one or more cattle in a positive T. foetus herd. Such restriction shall specify the identity of the animals and the premises where the animals shall be confined per ARM 32.3.108.

(21) "Quarantine release" means that all quarantined animals have completed all regulatory requirements to eliminate T. foetus infection.

(22) "Ranch Tag" is a dangle ear tag which is readable without restraint of the animal.

(23) "Seasonal grazing permit" means a permit issued by the Montana State Veterinarian's office to Montana livestock producers who utilize pasture lands and other livestock operations in one or multiple states that are contiguous with Montana as outlined in ARM 32.3.212(2)(g).

(24) "Test eligible bull" is a nonvirgin bull 12 months of age or older, or any bull over 24 months of age.

(25) "Test positive animal" means an animal in which an approved trichomoniasis laboratory has identified T. foetus by an official trichomoniasis test.

(26) "Test positive herd" means a herd of cattle in which an approved trichomoniasis laboratory has identified T. foetus in one or more animals by an official trichomoniasis test, and has not completed a post breeding negative whole herd bull test.

(27) "Trichomoniasis" means a sexually transmitted disease of cattle caused by the protozoan organism Tritrichomonas (Trichomonas) foetus (T. foetus) that causes infertility, pyometra, abortions, and reproductive inefficiency in female cattle.

(28) "Trichomoniasis certified veterinarian" means a deputy state veterinarian who has attended a Montana trichomoniasis training and has been certified by the Montana State Veterinarian.

(29) "Trichomoniasis epizootic area" is an area as defined in ARM 32.3.111 determined to have a higher risk of trichomoniasis and included the entirety of:

(a) Glacier County;

(b) Pondera County;

(c) Yellowstone County;

(d) Big Horn County.

(30) "Unacceptable sample" means a sample that is deemed not diagnostic due to compromised sample quality by an approved laboratory.

(31) "V Brand" means a 2"X3" hot iron single "V" character brand, recorded by the Animal Health Division of the Department of Livestock, applied to the right tailhead of a bovine signifying that the bovine has tested positive for the venereal disease trichomoniasis (applied when the animal is presented to a licensed trichomoniasis approved feedlot).

(32) "Virgin bull" is defined in ARM 32.3.201(h).