Moving Cattle Across State Lines to New Hampshire: CVIs, RFID Tags, and Permits Explained
October 6, 2026
New Hampshire’s Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food does not treat cattle the same way it treats a truckload of hay. Every animal crossing the state line needs identification, paperwork, and in some cases lab-confirmed disease testing before a trailer gate ever opens on New Hampshire soil.
Moving cattle across state lines to New Hampshire is governed primarily by Agr 2100, the state’s importation rules for bovines and other domestic animals, layered on top of federal USDA requirements. Get one document wrong, or skip a test window, and your animals can be held, quarantined, or sent to slaughter instead of the pasture you had planned for them.
Cattle Class and Purpose of the Move Into New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s import rules don’t apply one blanket standard to every animal in the trailer. Cattle, which includes both beef and dairy animals of the species Bos taurus, fall under a dedicated section of the state’s importation code that also folds in buffalo and yaks as related bovine classes with their own testing triggers.
The purpose of the move changes what you need before you load out. A breeding heifer headed to a New Hampshire farm faces different testing thresholds than a feeder steer bound for a New Hampshire livestock market, and both differ again from an animal moving directly to a slaughter facility. Before you book a hauler, nail down three things: the class of cattle (dairy, beef, breeding, feeder, or slaughter), the animal’s age, and the destination type (private farm, sale barn, fair, or packing plant).
If you regularly ship stock into other states as well, the same class-and-purpose logic applies elsewhere. You can compare how the rules shift for moving cattle across state lines to Wyoming or moving cattle across state lines to Wisconsin, since both states weight brand inspection and dairy testing differently than New England does.
Official Identification and RFID Tags for Interstate Cattle
Every animal in the load needs to be individually traceable back to a herd of origin. Under federal disease-traceability rules, the USDA requires individual identification of all cattle 18 months old or older, except steers and spayed heifers moving interstate, and accredited veterinarians must record that identification along with the animal’s approximate age, gender, and breed. Veterinarians are required to record all forms of identification of an individual animal and its approximate age, gender and breed.
New Hampshire’s own definition of livestock reaches even wider than the federal cattle-only trigger. All livestock, as defined in New Hampshire RSA 427:2 XVIII, must be individually identified by permanent, official metal or plastic tag, legible tattoo or microchip (providing a reader is available), and that statutory definition of livestock explicitly includes beef and dairy cattle. Acceptable federal identification methods for the CVI itself include an official breed association tattoo, freeze or fire brand, alongside metal eartags and 840 RFID buttons that have become the industry standard for interstate shipments. For direct-to-slaughter dairy movements tied to avian influenza controls, official ID can also take the form of 840 RFID tags or back tags recorded on a document approved by both the origin and destination State Animal Health Officials. If you’re restocking commercial breeds rather than registered seedstock, it helps to know which different types of cattle breeds typically carry which identification method before your vet writes the CVI.
Pro Tip: Order RFID tags and readers well before your CVI appointment. A vet cannot list an official ID number on the certificate if the animal isn’t tagged yet, and re-scheduling a herd visit for tagging alone adds days to your shipping window.
Disease Tests and Vaccinations New Hampshire May Require
Two diseases drive most of New Hampshire’s cattle testing requirements: tuberculosis and brucellosis. Under 9 CFR Part 77, New Hampshire is listed among the modified accredited States, alongside the vast majority of other states in the country, and all cattle from tuberculosis accredited free states or zones or Canadian provinces may enter New Hampshire without being tested for tuberculosis, though a CVI is still required. Cattle coming from states without accredited-free status face a stricter standard. A person may import all cattle for dairy or breeding purposes coming directly from a modified accredited area or from a tuberculosis free area if the cattle have had a negative tuberculin test applied not more than 60 days prior to shipment. Calves get a narrower exception too: a person may import calves under 6 months of age from negative herds under supervision testing within one year without a test if properly identified with either a metal eartag, legible tattoo or microchip, as progeny of a tuberculin tested dam. Any cattle that don’t fit those carve-outs need a USDA Permit for Movement of Animals VS Form 1-27 issued by the state veterinarian, state of origin, or his/her representative and subject to slaughter or quarantine upon arrival.
Brucellosis follows a similar origin-based logic. Cattle, buffalo, and yaks from brucellosis class free states or Canadian provinces may enter New Hampshire without a blood test for brucellosis provided those cattle have resided in that free area for the previous 365 days or their entire life if younger than 365 days of age and that fact is documented on the CVI. Animals sourced straight from a USDA Certified brucellosis free herd skip the blood test entirely as well. New Hampshire’s importation code also carries a separate section on vesicular stomatitis, so if that disease is active anywhere along your route, expect an added condition on the CVI.
| Disease | When Testing Is Skipped | When a Test Is Required |
|---|---|---|
| Tuberculosis | Origin is a TB accredited-free state/zone or Canadian province | Dairy/breeding cattle from a modified accredited area need a negative tuberculin test within 60 days of shipment |
| Brucellosis | Origin herd is USDA Certified brucellosis-free, or cattle resided 365 days in a class-free area | Cattle from non-free areas without documented history may need a blood test before the CVI is written |
For a deeper walk-through of how New Hampshire graded TB testing works in practice, the site’s dedicated piece on bovine tuberculosis testing requirements in New Hampshire breaks down each herd-status scenario in more detail.
Extra Rules for Dairy Cattle, Including HPAI / H5N1 Testing
Dairy cattle carry an added layer of federal oversight that beef cattle generally don’t. Since a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak reached U.S. dairy herds, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced a Federal Order requiring that prior to interstate movement, dairy cattle are required to receive a negative test for Influenza A virus at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratory, effective April 29, 2024. Owners of herds in which dairy cattle test positive for interstate movement are required to provide epidemiological information, including animal movement tracing.
That testing requirement has since loosened for herds in low-risk regions. As of the most recent APHIS update, lactating dairy cattle moving interstate from States with Unaffected State Status under the National Milk Testing Strategy are no longer required to be tested for highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 prior to movement, because Unaffected State Status requires ongoing testing and surveillance activities to confirm the absence of HPAI in the State’s dairy herds. Whether your dairy cattle still need a pre-movement test depends entirely on the current HPAI status of the state you’re shipping from, not New Hampshire’s status as the receiving state, so check the origin state’s designation before you schedule the sample.
Important Note: HPAI movement rules have changed more than once since 2024 and can change again with little notice. Confirm the current testing requirement with your origin-state veterinarian or the New Hampshire Division of Animal Industry the same week you plan to load, not weeks in advance.
Direct-to-slaughter movement carries its own exception. This interstate direct-to-slaughter movement does not require testing, but does require official individual identification (such as 840 RFID tags or back tags) recorded on a document approved by both the origin and destination State Animal Health Officials. That exception applies narrowly, though: it does not include movement to or through a livestock market, but must be direct to a slaughter facility. A lactating cow moved intrastate to a sale barn and then interstate to slaughter only needs a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection stating that the animal is clinically healthy; no testing is necessary, though clinical lactating dairy cattle are ineligible for interstate movement or movement to slaughter regardless of the pathway.
Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI / ICVI)
The CVI is the backbone document for almost every interstate cattle shipment. Cattle entering New Hampshire from other states must be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection signed by an accredited veterinarian, showing health status and any required test results. An accredited vet fills it out, and the USDA requires certificates to contain individual animal identification numbers, number of animals covered by the certificate, purpose of animal movement, points of origin, destination, the consignor and the consignee. New Hampshire’s Animal Industry Office increasingly favors the electronic version of this document. Electronic Certificates of Veterinary Inspection are the preferred method for animal health and movement tracking between states, and data standards allow for uniformity of requirements and integration with other technologies decreases human error. Paper CVIs remain available too, through the state’s Animal Industry Office if your accredited vet doesn’t use an eCVI platform.
For slaughter-only pathways, New Hampshire also recognizes a lighter-weight alternative to a full CVI. An “owner shipper statement” means a document that can be used in lieu of a CVI only when a prior written agreement exists between the origin and destination states covering that specific movement type. Confirm with your accredited veterinarian whether your slaughter-bound load qualifies before you assume a CVI is optional.
Entry Permits From New Hampshire Animal Health
Not every class of animal entering New Hampshire needs a separate entry permit beyond the CVI, but several do. Ratites, camelids, swine, and/or poultry require a prior permit, and the number must appear on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, and New Hampshire’s broader permit section covers a similar list of species requiring advance clearance from the state veterinarian’s office.
Cattle themselves generally move without a standalone entry permit as long as they clear the TB and brucellosis pathways described above. The permit requirement kicks in specifically for cattle that don’t qualify for a testing exception: those animals need the USDA Permit for Movement of Animals VS Form 1-27 issued by the state veterinarian, state of origin, or his/her representative before they leave, and they arrive subject to possible quarantine or slaughter.
Fair and exhibition season adds a temporary permit layer for New England shippers. Any livestock entering the state from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island or Vermont for the purpose of participating in one of the member fairs of the New Hampshire Association of Fairs and Expositions falls under a separate rule with its own timing window. If your cattle are headed to a fair rather than a farm, contact the NH State Veterinarian’s Office at (603) 271-2404 for details and permits well ahead of the show date.
Brand Inspection and Proof of Ownership
New Hampshire itself doesn’t run a brand-inspection program, but that doesn’t mean brand paperwork disappears if your cattle originate somewhere that does. Western states with brand laws, including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington, South Dakota, and North Dakota, require brand inspection before cattle leave the state or change ownership. If you’re buying stock out of one of those states for delivery into New Hampshire, that inspection has to happen at the point of origin before the trailer ever moves. The brand inspector verifies that the animals belong to the seller by matching brands to the state brand registry, and brand inspection fees are typically $2 to $10 per head. Schedule it early, because in some states the brand inspector must be present at loading.
Even without a state brand law, New Hampshire still expects proof that you legally own the cattle in the load. At minimum, an interstate move needs proof of ownership through registration papers, a bill of sale, or a brand inspection certificate where applicable. If you’re sourcing registered stock from a state with its own branding statute, it’s worth reviewing how ownership documentation works under cattle branding laws in California or cattle branding laws in Nebraska before you finalize the purchase agreement, since the paper trail you’ll need for New Hampshire starts with whatever ownership record the origin state issues.
Direct-to-Slaughter, Market, and Other Limited Pathways
Cattle headed straight to a packing plant follow a shorter compliance path than animals going to a breeding operation or a sale barn. As covered above, dairy cattle moving direct to a slaughter facility skip HPAI testing but still need official identification recorded on an approved document, whether that’s an ICVI or an owner-hauler statement. The National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials has worked to obtain a consensus regarding a movement document and stipulations for direct-to-slaughter lactating dairy cattle crossing state lines without pre-movement testing, so the exact document your load needs can vary depending on which two states are involved in the shipment.
Cattle routed through a livestock market before continuing interstate lose the direct-to-slaughter exception the moment they pass through the sale barn. That changes the paperwork you need and can reintroduce a testing requirement that a true direct shipment would have avoided. Before you book a load through an auction house, ask the market operator which document type — CVI, owner-shipper statement, or NASAHO-style owner-hauler statement — they issue for out-of-state buyers, since requirements vary by state and by the class of cattle being moved.
Papers That Must Travel With the Load
Every document you’ve gathered needs to physically ride in the truck, not sit in a filing cabinet back at the farm. At minimum, keep a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for the interstate move, proof of ownership through registration papers, a bill of sale, or a brand inspection record, and any import permits required by the destination state.
- Signed CVI or eCVI, with individual animal ID numbers listed
- USDA Permit for Movement of Animals (VS Form 1-27), if your cattle didn’t qualify for a TB/brucellosis exception
- Brand inspection certificate, if the origin state requires one
- Bill of sale or registration papers proving ownership
- HPAI/H5N1 negative test result, if your dairy cattle’s origin state still requires pre-movement testing
- Owner shipper statement or owner-hauler statement, for eligible slaughter-only pathways
Keep all documents in the truck during transport. Roadside inspections can occur, and failure to produce required paperwork can result in animals being held at the state line. A held load doesn’t just cost you time; it adds stress and shrink to animals that are already partway through a long haul.
Pre-Load Checklist Before You Cross Into New Hampshire
- Confirm the class, age, and purpose of every animal in the load, since testing exceptions depend on all three.
- Verify official identification is applied and readable on each animal 18 months or older.
- Call your accredited veterinarian to schedule TB, brucellosis, or HPAI testing within the required window before shipment.
- Have the vet issue a CVI or eCVI listing every ID number, the count of animals, and the purpose of the move.
- Secure a USDA VS Form 1-27 permit if your cattle don’t qualify for a testing exception.
- Arrange brand inspection at the origin state if that state has a brand law, and gather your bill of sale or registration papers.
- Plan the route and rest stops. Cattle tolerate 8 to 12 hours of transport reasonably well; beyond 12 hours, shrink, stress, and health risks increase significantly, and the federal 28-Hour Law sets the outer limit for continuous transport.
- Load every document into the cab before you pull out, and keep copies with your load broker or transport company as backup.
Key Insight: Most delays at the New Hampshire border trace back to timing, not missing information. A TB test run 65 days before shipment or a CVI signed the week before a permit renewal both fail the same way a missing document does. Build your testing schedule backward from your load date, not forward from the day you decide to sell.
Where to Confirm Current New Hampshire Cattle Import Rules
Rules change, and the people best positioned to tell you what’s current are the state officials who enforce them. Call the New Hampshire Animal Industry Office at (603) 271-2404 for information on paper CVIs, permits, or current import conditions. The same office administers eCVI access for accredited veterinarians and can confirm whether a fair-season or trail-ride exception applies to your specific move. For federal-level questions, especially around HPAI testing or interstate permits, USDA-APHIS-VS National Import Export Services District 1 Service Center in Albany, New York can be reached at (518) 218-7540, and the agency’s InterstateLivestock.com resource compiles state-by-state import conditions in one place.
Whichever office you call, the advice from Texas Animal Health Commission’s Mary Luedeker holds true nationwide: “All animals must meet the minimum interstate requirements for livestock movements set by USDA. Each state can also require more stringent requirements than what USDA requires,” and “producers and haulers should always call the state of destination to ensure they meet all entry requirements.” New Hampshire’s Agr 2100 rules are published on the state’s own government code site, and reviewing the current text directly before you book transport catches any recent amendment your veterinarian might not have flagged yet.
If your operation ships livestock into New Hampshire on top of raising cattle there, it’s also worth reviewing the state’s broader wildlife context — from dangerous animals in New Hampshire to the biosecurity risks covered in the site’s guide on livestock biosecurity requirements in New Hampshire — since perimeter fencing and wildlife exposure both factor into the health checks your imported cattle will face once they’re settled on the farm.