Official Health Documentation, Automatically Traced
Health certificates are official documents issued by licensed veterinarians or government authorities certifying an animal's health status for movement, export, or regulatory compliance. In Kora, health certificates automatically integrate with traceability chains creating permanent records of official health documentation without duplicate data entry.
Why Health Certificates Matter
Export Requirements: Nearly all international animal exports require official health certificates issued by government veterinary services certifying the animal is disease-free and meets destination country requirements.
Interstate Movement: Many countries require health certificates for animals moved across state or provincial borders preventing disease spread between regions.
Premium Markets: Organic certification, premium branded programmes, and animal welfare schemes often require verified health documentation. Health certificates provide official proof.
Regulatory Compliance: Government authorities require health certificates for specific movements (show animals, breeding stock, sale animals) creating audit trails for disease control.
Disease-Free Verification: Health certificates officially verify animals are free from specific diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease) supporting biosecurity confidence.
Certificate Types
Kora supports multiple health certificate types aligned with different regulatory purposes:
Export Health Certificates
Purpose: Certify animal health status for international export meeting destination country requirements.
Issued By: Government veterinary services or officially designated veterinarians authorised to issue export documentation.
Common Requirements:
- Specific disease testing (varies by destination country)
- Vaccination history verification
- Quarantine period compliance
- Origin property status (disease-free area certification)
- Treatment history (especially antimicrobial use)
Example export certificate requirements:
Export from Kenya to European Union:
- Tuberculosis test negative (within 60 days)
- Brucellosis test negative (within 30 days)
- Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccination verified
- 21-day quarantine period completed
- No treatment with prohibited substances (past 60 days)
- Origin property officially disease-free
Export health certificates are typically valid for 30-60 days and must accompany animals during transport.
Import Health Certificates
Purpose: Certify animal health status when entering a country or region from external sources.
Issued By: Veterinary authorities in the origin country according to importing country's requirements.
Common Requirements:
- Pre-import disease testing
- Vaccination compliance
- Parasite treatment verification
- Transport biosecurity measures
- Quarantine arrangements on arrival
Import health certificates are often required in conjunction with import permits issued by destination country authorities.
Movement Health Certificates
Purpose: Certify health status for domestic movement between regions, states, or properties when required by local regulations.
Issued By: Licensed veterinarians or designated official veterinarians depending on jurisdiction.
Common Requirements:
- Visual health assessment (no clinical signs of disease)
- Specific disease testing if moving from disease-risk area
- Vaccination status verification
- Recent treatment history
Movement certificates are typically valid for 7-30 days depending on jurisdiction and purpose.
General Health Certificates
Purpose: Certify overall health status for shows, sales, breeding loans, or other purposes not requiring export or movement-specific certification.
Issued By: Licensed veterinarians.
Common Requirements:
- Physical examination findings
- Current vaccination status
- Recent treatment history
- Fitness for intended purpose (breeding, showing, etc.)
General certificates provide official health verification for non-regulatory purposes supporting buyer confidence and programme compliance.
Certificate Generation Workflow
Health certificate generation in Kora follows a straightforward workflow:
Step 1: Health Assessment Veterinarian performs required health examination, disease testing, and vaccination verification according to certificate requirements.
Step 2: Certificate Creation Veterinarian or authorised user creates health certificate in Kora documenting:
- Certificate type (Export, Import, Movement, General)
- Animal identifier (linked to specific animal)
- Issuing authority and veterinarian details
- Issue date and expiry date
- Diseases covered and test results
- Vaccinations covered and dates
- Certificate purpose and destination (if applicable)
Step 3: Automatic Traceability Integration When certificate is generated, Kora automatically:
- Creates Certification event in animal's traceability chain
- Attaches certificate document to traceability event
- Links certificate details to event data (covered diseases, vaccinations, validity period)
- Updates animal profile showing active health certificate status
Step 4: Certificate Issuance Official certificate document is generated (PDF or official form) and can be:
- Printed for physical accompaniment with animal
- Emailed to recipient or regulatory authority
- Stored digitally in animal records
- Exported for regulatory submission
Example certificate generation:
Certificate Type: Export Health Certificate
Animal: Cow #A123 (RFID: 982-123-456-789-012)
Issuing Authority: Kenya Veterinary Services
Issuing Veterinarian: Dr. Sarah Johnson (Licence #VET-12345)
Issue Date: 2025-02-10
Expiry Date: 2025-03-12 (30 days)
Destination: European Union
Purpose: Export for breeding
Covered Diseases (Test Results):
- Tuberculosis: Negative (tested 2025-02-05)
- Brucellosis: Negative (tested 2025-02-05)
- Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Vaccinated (2025-01-20)
Vaccinations Covered:
- Clostridial 7-in-1 (2025-01-20)
- FMD Vaccine (2025-01-20)
Certificate Number: EHC-2025-00123
Document Hash: a7f3d8e9c2b1... (cryptographic verification)
This workflow creates both the official certificate document and the permanent traceability record simultaneously. No duplicate documentation required.
Validity Tracking
Kora automatically tracks health certificate validity helping you manage expiration dates and certificate status:
Expiration Management
Automatic Expiration Tracking: When certificate is created with expiry date, Kora monitors validity status:
- Valid: Current date before expiry date
- Expiring Soon: Within 7 days of expiry (alert generated)
- Expired: Current date past expiry date (invalid status)
Expiration Alerts: Approaching expiration dates trigger alerts ensuring timely renewal or new certificate issuance for ongoing compliance needs.
Example expiration timeline:
Certificate Issued: 2025-02-10
Expiry Date: 2025-03-12
Days Valid: 30 days
Status Timeline:
Feb 10 - Mar 5: VALID (green status)
Mar 5 - Mar 12: EXPIRING SOON (yellow alert, 7 days remaining)
After Mar 12: EXPIRED (red status, invalid)
Certificate Invalidation
Sometimes certificates become invalid before their expiry date:
Invalidation Reasons:
- New disease diagnosis (animal no longer disease-free as certified)
- Treatment with prohibited substances (export certificate now incorrect)
- Administrative error (certificate details incorrect)
- Regulatory authority revocation (compliance issue identified)
Invalidation Process: When certificate is invalidated, Kora records:
- Invalidation date and time
- Invalidation reason (required documentation)
- Who invalidated the certificate
- Replacement certificate (if issued)
Example invalidation:
Original Certificate: EHC-2025-00123
Issue Date: 2025-02-10
Expiry Date: 2025-03-12 (30 days validity)
Invalidation:
Date: 2025-02-15
Reason: Animal diagnosed with mastitis requiring prohibited antibiotic treatment
Invalidated By: Dr. Sarah Johnson (Issuing Veterinarian)
Replacement: New certificate EHC-2025-00156 issued after treatment completion
Invalidation creates permanent traceability record preventing use of incorrect certificates while documenting reason for invalidation.
Covered Diseases and Vaccinations
Health certificates specify which diseases and vaccinations they cover:
Covered Diseases: Diseases for which the certificate provides health clearance:
- Testing completed (test date and result recorded)
- Disease-free status verified
- Specific to certificate purpose (destination country requirements, movement regulations)
Covered Vaccinations: Vaccinations verified as current and compliant:
- Vaccine type and date documented
- Batch numbers recorded (for traceability if vaccine issues arise)
- Withdrawal periods verified (if applicable)
Example coverage:
Export Health Certificate to Australia:
Covered Diseases (All Negative):
✓ Tuberculosis (TB test 2025-02-05)
✓ Brucellosis (Blood test 2025-02-05)
✓ Johne's Disease (ELISA test 2025-01-30)
✓ Enzootic Bovine Leukosis (Blood test 2025-01-30)
Covered Vaccinations (All Current):
✓ Clostridial 7-in-1 (2025-01-20, Batch VAC-2024-12345)
✓ Leptospirosis (2025-01-20, Batch VAC-2024-12346)
✓ Viral Respiratory Complex (2024-12-15, annual booster)
Certificate Status: VALID (expires 2025-03-15)
This specificity ensures certificates meet exact regulatory requirements while providing clear documentation of health verification.
Integration with Traceability
Health certificates automatically integrate with traceability chains creating comprehensive compliance documentation:
Automatic Event Creation: When certificate is generated, Certification event is automatically added to traceability chain documenting:
- Certificate type and number
- Issuing authority and veterinarian
- Issue and expiry dates
- Covered diseases and vaccinations
- Certificate purpose and destination
Document Attachment: Certificate document (PDF) is automatically attached to the Certification event providing instant access to official documentation through traceability timeline.
Health History Linking: Certificate links to underlying health events (disease testing, vaccinations, health checks) creating complete audit trail from health assessment through certification.
Export Evidence: When regulatory authorities audit export compliance or investigate disease outbreaks, traceability chains provide instant access to all health certificates ever issued for an animal. Complete certification history in seconds.
Multiple Certificates for One Animal
Animals often have multiple health certificates throughout their lifetime:
Sequential Certificates: Renewal certificates issued as previous certificates expire (ongoing export operations, repeated shows).
Different Purposes: Export certificate for international movement, movement certificate for domestic transport, general certificate for breeding loan. All linked to the same animal.
Historical Record: All certificates (current, expired, invalidated) remain in traceability chain providing complete certification history for audits and investigations.
Example certificate timeline:
Animal: Bull #A456 (KEN-FRM-2025-000042)
Certificate History:
1. General Health Certificate (2024-12-01) - Breeding loan
Status: EXPIRED
2. Movement Certificate (2025-01-15) - Interstate transport
Status: EXPIRED
3. Export Health Certificate (2025-02-10) - Export to EU
Status: VALID (expires 2025-03-12)
Total Certificates: 3 (1 active, 2 expired)
This complete history supports regulatory compliance, disease investigation, and operational transparency.
Best Practices for Health Certificates
Generate certificates early: Do not wait until the day before export or movement. Testing requirements and processing time may require several weeks.
Verify requirements: Confirm destination country or regional requirements before starting certificate process. Requirements vary significantly by jurisdiction.
Keep certificates current: For ongoing export operations, renew certificates before expiration ensuring continuous compliance.
Document invalidations: If certificate becomes invalid, document the reason clearly creating transparent audit trail.
Link supporting evidence: Attach test results, vaccination records, and health check documentation to certificates providing comprehensive evidence package.