Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 7 - AGRICULTURE AND ANIMALS
Part XXI - Animals and Animal Health
Chapter 7 - Cattle, Bison, and other Bovine (Formerly Chapter 3)
Subchapter B - Brucellosis Regulations
Section XXI-713 - Governing the Sale of Cattle in Louisiana by Livestock Dealers (Formerly Section 309)

Universal Citation: LA Admin Code XXI-713

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 3, March 20, 2024

A. All cattle which are sold or offered for sale by livestock dealers must meet the general requirements of §305 and the following specific requirements.

1. Brucellosis

a. No cattle may be sold or purchased from Brucellosis quarantined herds, except as provided for in §729.

i. All cattle 12 months of age are to be Brucellosis test negative 30 days prior to sale. Exceptions are:

(a). steers and spayed heifers;

(b). individually identified official Brucellosis calfhood vaccinated heifers under 20 months of age for dairy breeds and under 24 months of age for beef breeds, which are not parturient or post-parturient, that originate in and move directly from, a herd known not to be infected. The vaccination tattoo must be recorded on the health certificate;

(c). individually identified cattle originating in and moving directly from a Brucellosis certified free herd. The certified herd number must be recorded on the health certificate;

(d). bulls less than 18 months of age.

(e). those consigned to slaughter. An official back tag shall be applied prior to sale.

ii. In instances where Brucellosis reactors are found, the reactor animals must be branded with a 3-inch hot brand on the left jaw with the letter "B" and a Brucellosis reactor tag must be placed in the left ear. The branding of reactors and placement of reactor tags must be accomplished immediately after the animals are found to be Brucellosis reactors. All other cattle that have been commingled with the reactor animals for more than 24 hours are considered exposed and must be branded on the left jaw or high on the tail head by a 3-inch hot brand with the letter "S." The reactor and exposed cattle shall be separated from all other cattle immediately and placed in quarantine pens, identified as such by conspicuously placed signs. The movement of such cattle shall be restricted to:

(a). the reactor cattle must be sold directly to an approved slaughter establishment or to an approved livestock auction market for sale to an approved slaughter establishment. These animals must be accompanied by a VS Form 1-27;

(b). the exposed cattle may be moved to an approved slaughter establishment or to a state-federal approved quarantine feedlot, or to an approved livestock auction market to be sold to an approved slaughter establishment or to an approved quarantine feedlot. These animals must move on a VS Form 1-27. The exceptions to these restrictions are steers and spayed heifers.

i. All heifer calves between 4 and 12 months of age must be vaccinated with USDA approved Brucellosis vaccine prior to being sold or at the first point of sale but in no case shall any heifer calf 4 to 12 months of age remain unvaccinated for Brucellosis more that 15 days after the date of sale. Exceptions to this paragraph are heifer calves 4 to 12 months of age which are transported out of the state within 15 days of the date of their sale.

ii. Until Louisiana is officially classified as Brucellosis class A in the Code of Federal Regulations by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, all heifers and cows over 12 months of age, must be official Brucellosis vaccinates, (calfhood or adult), or be from a producer's herd, (not a herd owned by the dealer), that has had a complete negative Brucellosis herd test conducted in the past 12 months, be negative to a Brucellosis test within 30 days prior to, or at the time of purchase by the dealer and the animals do not come in contact with animals other than those from the herd of origin. The dealer must keep a copy of the complete negative Brucellosis herd test with his records, to show that the animals have met the above requirements.

iii. All livestock dealers must do the following with all of their cattle herds in order for them to be in compliance with this regulation and before they can sell any heifers and cows over 12 months of age from cattle herds owned by them.

(a). All livestock dealers must identify and record with the Livestock Sanitary Board all of their cattle herds.

(b). All livestock dealers must test all of their cattle herds annually.

(c). All permitted livestock dealers must maintain records and appropriate documents to show that purchased heifers and cows added to their herds met the Brucellosis testing requirements in effect at the time of purchase.

d. Cattle over 6 months of age originating in Brucellosis quarantined areas must originate from a qualified herd (known not to be infected), and must be Brucellosis test negative not less than 30 days from the date of herd qualification and within 30 days of the date of sale. The date and results of the test and individual identification of each animal must be recorded on the official health certificate.

e. All cattle over 12 months of age must be Brucellosis test negative within 30 days prior to purchase from herds not under quarantine for Brucellosis. The official test chart, health certificate, or a certificate of veterinary inspection, or an individual Brucellosis test record, must be kept for a period of 24 months following the purchase of any Brucellosis tested cattle. Exceptions to this Paragraph are:

i. steers and spayed heifers;

ii. individually identified official Brucellosis calfhood vaccinated heifers under 20 months of age for dairy breeds and under 24 months of age for beef breeds;

iii. individually identified cattle originating in and moving directly from a certified Brucellosis free herd;

iv. test eligible cattle may be moved from a producer's premises to a dealer's premises en route to an approved stockyard or approved slaughter establishment without being tested for Brucellosis, provided the test is completed within 72 hours of movement from the producer's premises and records are maintained to identify the animals and identify the herd of origin. Contact with other cattle is not permitted.

v. those consigned to slaughter. An official back tag shall be applied prior to sale.

2. Tuberculosis. No cattle shall be purchased from tuberculosis quarantined herds unless moving directly to slaughter and must be "S" branded and accompanied by a VS Form 1-27.

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 3:562, R.S. 3:2221 and R.S. 3:2228.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Louisiana may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

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