Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon Department of Agriculture Search Site

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ - Exhibition Organizers and Host Facilities

The primary objective of this rule is to ensure that livestock exhibitions are taking basic measures to prevent the introduction of diseases. Additionally, it aims to ensure event organizers have the necessary information to work with ODA to effectively control exposures and minimize the impact of any disease outbreaks on other exhibitions.

​​Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 603-011-1000 defines livestock for the purposes of these exhibition rules to include all vertebrate animals in captivity other than fish. Based on this definition, any exhibition where captive animals are present must be registered with ODA and follow the exhibition regulations.

The goal of these rules is actually the exact opposite- to minimize risk so that exhibitions can continue to happen, safely, even when disease outbreaks happen. When animals get sick with serious illnesses that have been to an exhibition (either while the exhibition is still happening, or after animals have left the exhibition), ODA's primary goal is to ensure that animals that have been exposed to the illness do not continue to spread the disease. Delays in obtaining information about exposed animals can often lead to situations where subsequent shows and events have to be cancelled or restricted because of the risk of additional cases. Quickly finding and addressing exposed animals allows ODA to control the disease without having to impact subsequent events.​

Yes. If event organizers have questions or would like to talk through options for how to implement these rules, the ODA Animal Health Program is happy to work with them. Organizers may call 503-986-4680 or email AnimalHealth@oda.oregon.gov with questions or to set up a consultation.

The owner or manager of a facility where an exhibition will occur is responsible for ensuring that all exhibitions that occur at the facility are registered with ODA at least 20 days prior to the event. It is the responsibility of the exhibition organizer to ensure compliance with all other applicable regulations

In case of a disease outbreak that involves an exhibition, knowing what exhibitions are happening, where they are happening, and who to reach out to is crucial for ODA to quickly control the outbreak. By understanding the exposure risks, ODA can work with events to mitigate those risks. When disease exposures do happen, knowing who was affected and when helps ODA control the spread of the disease without causing too much disruption to other events. This way, subsequent events can continue without the risk of further disease spread.​

Event registration information will be used to ensure that ODA knows who to contact in the event a disease outbreak occurs that affects an exhibition (either during the exhibition or after). ODA will only have access to individual owner and animal information in the event of a disease outbreak, and that information will only be used to make contact with owners that may have been exposed to sick animals to ensure that their animals are not also affected.

Events can register with ODA through an online form at https://oda.direct/Exhibitions. How events capture information about individual animals and exhibitors is largely up to each event. ODA has provided several templates that can be utilized by events to allow exhibitors to provide the necessary information, but events do not have to utilize any of those forms. In many cases, events likely already have the information recorded in event registrations or other formats- ODA does not require any additional records if the event already captures the information somehow.​

Exhibitions that need to register with ODA generally include events where animals that are owned by two or more people are brought together for competition or public display. Competitive events that would have to register generally include county fairs, jackpot shows, breed/species association shows, horse shows and competitive (timed/judged) events, and many rodeos. Public exhibitions that would have to register generally include public events where animals are assembled in a manner that is similar a traditional show or exhibition, but where the purpose is for public display or education, rather than traditional competitive exhibition.​

While the definition of an exhibition could potentially be interpreted to cover a lot of different events that occur within the livestock industry, that is not the goal of these rules. These rules are not intended to include events like practices, training, or parades. Other examples of events that are not intended to be covered under these rules could include a 4-H group of FFA chapter bringing animals to a school or nursing home, or neighbors bringing their horses to a group branding. Events such as petting zoos or rodeos where all of the animals come from by a single owner also are exempt from these rules.

The exhibition rules apply to any exhibition where livestock are present, and all livestock at the exhibition. Even if some livestock that are present are not being exhibited (e.g. a petting zoo separate from the show animals), all animals present must comply with these requirements.​

OAR 603-011-0151 defines an exhibition as an event where livestock owned by two or more persons are brought to one location for judging, competition, performance, or display. If all of the livestock present at the rodeo (including pickup horses, and any other livestock used) are from a single owner, then these rules would not apply.​

​No. An exhibition is defined as an event where livestock from two or more persons are brought together for the purpose of judging, competition, performance or display. Practices, trainings, open rides, and trail rides do not meet this definition and therefore do not need to be registered.​​

Each exhibition needs to have a designated area, away from the other animals, where an animal suspected of being ill can be moved. If there are no stalls or corals available at the event, you can isolate an animal to their own trailer or a designated trailer, but they need to be moved away from other animals, and the veterinarian of record needs to be conta​cted.​

Having a veterinarian involved in planning the event could look like a lot of different things depending on the event, and these rules are intended to be flexible to account for the differences that exist across the livestock industry and the state. At a minimum, the veterinarian needs to know that the event is occurring, agree that they can be available for emergencies, and have the opportunity to ask the event organizers questions about the event or provide feedback if they wish.​

No. While there are a lot of benefits to having a veterinarian on site during exhibitions, that is not the intent of these rules. The rules only require that a veterinarian be available in the event of an emergency. They do not have to be on site at any point during the event unless an emergency occurs.​

It is the responsibility of exhibition organizers to ensure that they have a designated veterinarian. In some cases though, there may not be a veterinarian in the area who is available during the specific times of an exhibition. In those cases, exhibition organizers should contact the ODA Animal Health Program well in advance of the exhibition to discuss options and come up with an alternative plan.​

​No. The exhibition organizer is required to maintain the required documentation for 90 days after the completion of the exhibition, but they are not required to do any follow up with owners or submit those records to ODA. In the event that an animal that participated in the event may later be involved in a disease outbreak, ODA would contact the event organizers to obtain the records needed to determine exposures that may have occurred at the event.​


FAQ - Designated Veterinarians

No, but you do need to be available for emergency calls during the d​​uration of the event.​

​Examine the animal and if you suspect a reportable disease, contact the State Veterinarian 503-986-4711. A veterinarian with the State Veterinarian’s office will help you decide on testing and facilitate sample submission. They will also assist with next steps. 

​No, although they are supposed to consult with the designated veterianrian in the planning of the event, the event organizers are responsible for making sure they follow the rules.​ The designated veterianrian just needs to be available for emergencies during the event.

​No, ODA will trace the horses that were exposed at the event if they have left the facility. Your responsibility ends once the event is over.​

​Yes, this could be one of the initial signs of many diseases that are reportable in Oregon, such as Influenza or Equine Herpesvirus​​.  Contact the State Veterinarian at 503-986-4711. A veterinarian with the State Veterinarian's office will help you decide on testing and facilitate sample submission. They will also assist with next steps.​

You can request a testing kit to have on hand by going to https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8175873/Veterinary-Sample-Kit-Request. If an animal is exhibiting signs of a potential reportable disease, please contact the State Veterinarian's Office at 503-986-4711 prior to submitting samples for testing.