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TITLE 31NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION
PART 2TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT
CHAPTER 65WILDLIFE
SUBCHAPTER BDISEASE DETECTION AND RESPONSE
DIVISION 2CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE - COMPREHENSIVE RULES
RULE §65.99Breeding Facilities Epidemiologically Connected to Deer Infected with CWD; Positive Deer Breeding Facilities

    (B) submission of tonsil or rectal biopsy test results of "not detected" for all test-eligible deer within the facility, provided the date of the last transfer to a positive facility occurred at a time greater than 36 months from notification of trace-in facility status.

    (C) The test samples required to satisfy the requirements of this paragraph must be submitted within 45 days of notification by the department of trace-in facility status.

  (4) In lieu of the testing requirements prescribed in this subsection, a permittee may request the development of a custom testing plan as provided in subsection (h) of this section; provided however, the permittee must comply with the requirements of paragraph (1) of this subsection.

  (5) The department in consultation with TAHC may decline to authorize a custom testing plan under subsection (h) of this section if an epidemiological assessment determines that a custom testing plan is inappropriate.

  (6) The department will not restore MQ status unless CWD "not detected" test results are obtained for all required sample submissions and the permittee has complied with all applicable requirements of this subsection and this division.

(h) Custom Testing Plan. Within seven days of being notified by the department that a breeding facility has been designated a Category A, Category B, trace-in facility, or Tier 1 facility, a permittee may, in lieu of meeting the applicable testing requirements of subsections (d) - (g) of this section, request the development of a custom testing plan by the department in consultation with TAHC based upon an epidemiological assessment conducted by the department and TAHC. A custom testing plan under this subsection is not valid unless it has been approved by the department and TAHC.

  (1) The department shall temporarily suspend the applicable testing provisions of subsections (d)(2)(A), (e)(2)(A) and (E), and (g) of this section while the epidemiological assessment and custom testing plan development under this subsection take place.

  (2) Upon the development of a custom testing plan under the provisions of this subsection, the department shall provide the permittee with a copy of the custom testing plan and the permittee shall, within seven days:

    (A) agree in writing to comply with the provisions of the custom testing plan; or

    (B) notify the department in writing that the permittee declines to participate in the custom testing plan.

    (C) If a permittee chooses to decline participation in a custom testing plan under this subsection, the provisions of subsections (d)(2)(A), (e)(2)(A) and (E), and (g) of this section take effect as of the date of the notification required by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph and all time-dependent calculations of those subsections begin.

    (D) If a permittee agrees in writing to comply with the provisions of a custom testing plan under this subsection, the custom testing plan replaces the testing provisions of subsections (d)(2)(A), (e)(2)(A) and (E), and (g) of this section.

  (3) A breeding facility designated by the department as Category A, Category B, trace-in, or Tier 1 is NMQ as of the date of such notification and remains NMQ until the provisions of the custom testing plan under this subsection have been satisfied.

  (4) If for any reason the permittee does not comply with the provisions of a custom testing plan under this subsection, the provisions of subsections (d) - (g) of this section resume applicability.

  (5) The terms of a custom testing plan under this subsection are non-negotiable and final.

(i) Nursing facilities.

  (1) Notwithstanding NMQ status, deer less than 120 days of age in any Category A, Category B, trace-in, and or Tier 1 facility may be transferred to a registered nursing facility, provided:

    (A) the facility from which the deer are transferred was MQ at the time the facility was designated Category A, Category B, trace-in, or Tier 1; and

    (B) no deer from any other breeding facility are or have been present in the nursing facility during the current reporting year.

  (2) A registered nursing facility is prohibited from accepting deer from more than one breeding facility in one reporting year.

  (3) No person may possess deer older than 120 days of age in a nursing facility.

(j) Upon notification by the department that CWD is suspected in a deer as a result of ante-mortem testing in a facility, the facility is automatically NMQ and the permittee shall:

  (1) euthanize the positive deer within seven days of confirmation of the positive test result;

  (2) submit post-mortem test samples from breeder deer euthanized under this subsection within one business day of euthanasia, to include both ears and the identification tag required under Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 43, Subchapter L; and

  (3) inspect the facility daily for mortalities; and

    (A) immediately report each mortality to the department;

    (B) immediately collect test samples from all test-eligible mortalities that occur within the facility; and

    (C) submit samples collected under this subsection for post-mortem testing within one business day of the discovery of the mortality.


Source Note: The provisions of this §65.99 adopted to be effective December 19, 2021, 46 TexReg 8724; amended to be effective September 19, 2023, 48 TexReg 5146

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