USDA APHIS requires that imported live animals, including breeding cattle, swine, sheep, and horses, originate from countries or regions recognized as free of specific foreign animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease. Animals typically must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian in the exporting country and may be held in APHIS-approved quarantine facilities at the port of entry for observation before release into the US.

For US import statistics purposes, both live animals and physical farming inputs (such as seed, fertilizer, or equipment components destined for farm use) can be grouped under this end-use category based on their intended agricultural application. However, they are reported under entirely different HTS chapters — live animals under Chapter 1 and machinery under Chapter 84, for example — so the end-use category is an analytical aggregation rather than a single tariff classification. Each product type carries its own admissibility rules, duty rates, and regulatory requirements.