US drops 48-hour pre-export health check for imported horses

The US Agriculture Department removed a requirement that horses imported to America be examined by a government veterinarian within 48 hours before shipping. The agency found the timeline was logistically impossible for exporters to meet, so it scrapped the rule while keeping other import health checks in place.

For decades, import rules have built in buffers between when animals are checked and when they board ships — the idea being that conditions change, so you need a fresh snapshot right before departure. This rule removal means importers can now use older health documentation, which speeds up shipping but compresses the window where new diseases or conditions would be caught. The practical effect is faster trade versus a slightly looser health checkpoint. This is a small crack in a decades-old inspection model, not a collapse of it.