USDA announces HPA final rule postponement, AHC reacts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will temporarily postpone its final rule to amend the Horse Protection Act regulations for 60 days from Feb. 1 to April 2, according to the American Horse Council on Jan. 24.
APHIS published the final rule (89 FR 39194-39251) amending the horse protection regulations to provide, among other provisions, that the agency will screen, train, and authorize qualified persons for appointment by the management of any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction to detect and diagnose soring at such events for the purposes of enforcing the HPA. With the exception of § 11.19, which went into effect on June 7, 2024, and authorized the training of horse protection inspectors, the remainder of the rule was scheduled to go into effect on Feb. 1.
According to the announcement, APHIS will issue guidance to stakeholders for the upcoming horse show season in light of the postponement of the new rule.
The HPA is a federal law that prohibits sored horses from participating in shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions. The HPA also prohibits the transportation of sored horses to or from any of these events.
The AHC statement said, “We are pleased that USDA APHIS is delaying the implementation date of the final rule. Earlier this month, the AHC made a formal request for a 60-day delay to provide additional time for the agency to answer and clarify several troubling provisions in the regulation as it applies to certain disciplines, inspector training, and reporting requirements.
“The equine community is particularly concerned about the agency’s evolving definition of soring, which seems to significantly expand the scope beyond the original intent. The USDA APHIS needs to refocus its efforts to scale the Final Rule to what Congress intended and not adopt interpretations that exceed the agency’s authority.”
The AHC looks forward to working with the administration to support all reasonable regulations for the full and fair enforcement of the Horse Protection Act’s prohibition against the soring of horses.
The American Horse Council is a U.S. advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., that represents individual members, small businesses, and more than 130 equine organizations before Congress and the federal regulatory agencies. AHC member organizations include breed registries, national and state equine associations, state horse councils, recreational associations, and organizations representing racetracks, equestrians, horse shows, veterinarians, farriers, rodeos, and other equine-related stakeholders.
