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Minnesota moves to electronic CVIs; board staff outline deadlines and compliance steps
Summary
Dr. Katie Bridal told the Board that Minnesota stopped distributing paper CVIs for exports in January 2025 and will stop accepting paper CVIs for imports by July 2026; the board described compliance steps, no‑cost eCVI options and possible accreditation consequences for repeated noncompliance.
Dr. Katie Bridal, senior veterinarian overseeing cattle disease programs, briefed the board on Minnesota’s phased transition from paper Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) to electronic CVIs (eCVIs). She said the state stopped distributing paper export CVIs in January 2025 and that, beginning July 1, 2026, Minnesota will no longer accept paper CVIs for imports written by Minnesota veterinarians.
Bridal explained why the shift matters: formatted electronic documents auto‑populate into the state’s TraceFirst CVI central database, reducing transcription errors and dramatically lowering staff processing time compared with scanning handwritten paper forms. She said the state achieved over 60% eCVI uptake in the 2025 fiscal year.
To ease the transition, Bridal outlined several options: a Minnesota fillable PDF maintained by the state (no cost but limited to Minnesota‑origin certificates), USDA’s VSPS (no cost but limited to category‑2 accredited veterinarians and production animals), and private eCVI vendors (paid services with more features). Bridal said TraceFirst’s interstatelivestock.com is being kept current to help veterinarians check other states’ import requirements.
On enforcement, Bridal said the board’s approach is progressive: staff send monthly compliance reports and corrective‑action requests; repeated noncompliance can trigger educational warnings and notices of violation that may affect USDA accreditation status for accredited veterinarians. She encouraged producers and veterinarians to use the state’s webinars and technical support resources and to contact the traceability inbox for help.
"So in January 2025, we stopped distributing paper CVI," Bridal said, and she urged veterinarians to adopt a vetted electronic option ahead of the July 2026 import cut‑off.
Board members asked for outreach and support details; Bridal reiterated that the state’s team is offering webinars, one‑on‑one technical help and a user guide for the Minnesota PDF option.
