Memorandum - Approved Laboratories performing RNATT titres for the export of dogs and cats to Australia

AHPD-DSAE-IE-2002-11-1

To: Export Officers, Area Networks

Under the current export requirements for dogs and cats to Australia, animals are required to have rabies titres completed at a government approved laboratory. Australian authorities advise that an exporter may use a laboratory outside their own country providing the laboratory is government approved in that country and meets World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH; founded as Office International des Épizooties (OIE)) standards.

For Canadian exporters, rabies titres are currently performed in the United States (Kansas State is often the laboratory of choice). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed that this laboratory meets WOAH standards and is government approved for the purposes of performing Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test (RNATT) for the export of dogs and cats to Australia.

Laboratories that meet the Australian standards for the RNATT and are approved by the central government of the country in which they are located will be recognized as approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for this test.