Brucellosis Laws in Georgia: What Cattle Owners Need to Know

If you raise cattle, bison, or swine in Georgia, brucellosis regulations directly affect how you move, test, vaccinate, and sell your animals. While Georgia has achieved and maintained brucellosis-free status, that standing does not eliminate your legal obligations — it shapes them.

Understanding what the law requires protects your herd, preserves Georgia’s disease-free designation, and keeps you on the right side of both state and federal regulators. This guide walks you through Georgia’s brucellosis classification, vaccination and testing rules, movement requirements, reporting duties, and the penalties for non-compliance.

What Is Brucellosis and Why It Is Regulated in Georgia

Brucellosis is a contagious, infectious, and communicable disease primarily affecting cattle, bison, and swine, caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella. Brucella abortus primarily affects bovine species, though goats, sheep, and horses are also susceptible, while B. suis primarily affects swine and B. melitensis primarily affects goats and sheep.

In its principal animal hosts, brucellosis causes loss of young through spontaneous abortion or birth of weak offspring, reduced milk production, and infertility — and it can affect both animals and humans. Brucellosis is transmitted from animals by direct contact with infected blood, placentas, fetuses, or uterine secretions, or through the consumption of infected products.

Humans become infected by coming into contact with animals, animal tissues, or animal products contaminated with the Brucella bacteria — and infections are frequently associated with direct contact with livestock, unpasteurized milk products, or preparing and cleaning game such as feral swine after hunting.

In humans, brucellosis can cause a range of symptoms similar to the flu, including fever, sweats, headaches, back pains, and physical weakness, and it can also cause long-lasting or chronic symptoms such as recurrent fevers, joint pain, weight loss, and fatigue.

Georgia regulates brucellosis under Title 4, Chapter 4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A. § 4-4-95.1), alongside the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s administrative rules found in Chapter 40-13 of the Georgia Compiled Rules and Regulations. At the federal level, USDA APHIS sets minimum standards through 9 CFR Part 78 and the Brucellosis Eradication Uniform Methods and Rules, which all states — including Georgia — must meet or exceed.

If you also keep swine on your property, be aware that approximately 25 to 30% of U.S. brucellosis cases involve B. suis, and Georgia is among the states where this strain has been identified, largely connected to feral swine populations. You can learn more about related animal regulations in our guide to coyote hunting laws in Georgia, which also touches on feral wildlife management.

Georgia’s Brucellosis Classification Status

All 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are brucellosis-free, with the only exceptions being occasional spillover cases in livestock near the Greater Yellowstone Area due to bison and elk carrying the disease. Georgia is firmly in the brucellosis-free column.

Under 9 CFR § 78.43, Georgia is listed as a validated brucellosis-free state — the highest classification available under the federal brucellosis eradication program. States receive this designation when they have had no infected cattle or bison for 12 consecutive months under an active surveillance program, or when they have additional surveillance measures in place around areas with brucellosis-infected wildlife to ensure early detection of any disease spillover.

A longstanding national eradication program mostly eliminated brucellosis in U.S. cattle, and today only occasional spillover cases occur in cattle and other livestock near the Greater Yellowstone Area. Georgia’s distance from that region means the risk of wildlife-to-livestock transmission is low — but the legal obligations that protect that status remain in full effect.

Georgia’s classification status directly determines what testing and movement requirements apply when cattle enter the state from elsewhere. Because Georgia is brucellosis-free, cattle originating within Georgia benefit from relaxed intrastate rules, while cattle imported from other states must satisfy import requirements contingent on the disease status of their state of origin. You can compare how neighboring states handle their own classifications in our guides to brucellosis laws in Missouri and brucellosis laws in Nebraska.

Vaccination Requirements in Georgia

Georgia does not impose a blanket mandatory vaccination requirement for all cattle within the state. However, vaccination plays an important role in the federal brucellosis eradication framework that Georgia participates in, and it becomes relevant under specific circumstances — particularly for herds in at-risk areas or animals involved in interstate movement.

The primary approved brucellosis vaccine is RB51, which is licensed for use in nonpregnant female cattle 4 to 12 months of age and provides a significant level of protection — about 70 to 80 percent effective — and is also very effective at preventing abortions, which prevents further disease transmission.

• RB51 is available only through an accredited veterinarian, state animal health official, or federal area veterinarian in charge.
• All cattle or domestic bison owners, regardless of location, should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination with their veterinarian.
• Some states do not allow cattle or domestic bison to be moved interstate for breeding without a record of brucellosis vaccination. If you plan to ship cattle out of Georgia, check the destination state’s requirements in advance.
• An “official calfhood vaccinate” is a female animal vaccinated while between 4 and 12 months of age by an APHIS representative, state representative, or accredited veterinarian with an approved brucella vaccine — and permanently identified by a tattoo and an official vaccination eartag in the right ear.

For swine, the rules are stricter. All breeding swine 4 months of age and over must have a negative brucellosis test and a negative pseudorabies test within 30 days before exhibition or movement. If you raise both cattle and swine, you should be aware that the brucellosis testing requirements for swine are more demanding than those for cattle under Georgia’s current framework.

Vaccination records and animal identification tie directly into Georgia’s broader animal traceability system. USDA’s ear tag rule for cattle and bison requires that animals being moved across state lines carry an official electronic ID (EID) tag. This traceability infrastructure supports the brucellosis program by making it easier to trace reactor animals back to their herd of origin.

Testing Requirements for Cattle and Bison in Georgia

Georgia’s testing requirements differ sharply depending on whether animals are staying within the state or crossing state lines. Understanding that distinction keeps you compliant without incurring unnecessary testing costs.

Intrastate (within Georgia): There are no brucellosis or tuberculosis test requirements for intrastate movement of Georgia cattle. If your animals are born, raised, and sold within Georgia, you are not required to brucellosis-test them before sale or transport under state rules.

Interstate imports into Georgia: Out-of-state cattle must satisfy Georgia’s import requirements for brucellosis, and those requirements are contingent on the state of origin. The brucellosis tests accepted for interstate movement of livestock into Georgia are the Tube Test, Official Card Test, PCFIA, and BAPA.

For herd certification purposes at the federal level, a complete herd blood test must include all cattle or bison six months of age and older, except steers and spayed heifers, unless otherwise specified by a designated epidemiologist.

USDA VS Form 4-33, Brucellosis Test Record, must be completed for each animal or herd tested, with a separate form completed for each species tested. The form requires that a reason be provided for conducting the test — which may include interstate movement, sale, show or fair, diagnostic assessment such as abortion, or owner request.

Georgia also participates in the federal Market Cattle Identification (MCI) program. USDA VS Form 4-54 is used for brucellosis tests conducted as part of the Market Cattle Testing Program, which governs the testing of cattle and bison at markets (first point of concentration) or at slaughter.

For a comparison of how other states structure their testing programs, see our articles on brucellosis laws in Michigan and brucellosis laws in Minnesota, both of which involve more complex testing scenarios due to wildlife pressure in those states.

Interstate and Intrastate Movement Rules in Georgia

Movement rules are where brucellosis law becomes most operationally relevant for Georgia livestock owners. The rules vary based on direction of travel, purpose of movement, and the brucellosis status of the originating state.

Moving Cattle Within Georgia

There are no brucellosis or tuberculosis test requirements for intrastate movement of Georgia cattle. You can transport cattle from one Georgia farm to another, to a sale barn, or to a feedlot within the state without brucellosis documentation. This reflects Georgia’s brucellosis-free status and the low disease risk within the state’s borders.

Importing Cattle Into Georgia

It is unlawful for any person to transport or cause to be transported into the State of Georgia any cattle unless each cow is accompanied by a health certificate containing such information and in such form as may be provided for by rules and regulations of the Commissioner, or unless each such cow is listed on an accompanying waybill and is transported directly to a federally approved or state-approved slaughtering establishment and is not allowed to come into contact with any other cattle in this state until its arrival at such establishment.

Infected cattle face an even stricter rule: cattle infected with brucellosis may only be transported into Georgia if they are going directly to a federally or state-approved slaughtering establishment without contact with other cattle, or if a permit has been issued by the Commissioner allowing the importation or movement of such cattle and all conditions of the permit are complied with.

All animals entering Georgia for exhibition or consigned to a petting zoo must meet the same interstate movement health requirements as those entering Georgia for breeding purposes. This means show cattle and fair animals are subject to the same import health certificate and testing requirements as breeding stock.

Exporting Cattle Out of Georgia

Additional testing for diseases such as tuberculosis and brucellosis may be required by the destination state. Before you ship cattle out of Georgia, contact the state veterinarian’s office in the receiving state to confirm what brucellosis documentation they require. Before testing for interstate shipment, obtain state-specific regulations by contacting the state animal health official’s office in the importing state.

Under federal regulations, animals affected with brucellosis shall not be moved to another state except as provided for in the Code of Federal Regulations.

For additional context on how movement rules interact with other animal regulations in Georgia, see our guides on pet import laws in Georgia and goat ownership laws in Georgia.

Reporting and Quarantine Requirements in Georgia

If brucellosis is suspected or detected in your herd, Georgia law imposes immediate obligations on you as the owner or custodian of the animals. These requirements exist to prevent the spread of disease and to protect Georgia’s brucellosis-free designation.

Reportable Disease Status

Brucellosis is a reportable disease in all 57 U.S. states and territories, and it is mandatory that disease cases be reported to state and territorial jurisdictions when identified by a health provider, hospital, or laboratory. In Georgia, brucellosis (Brucella abortus, B. ovis, B. suis, and B. melitensis) is listed as a reportable disease under Georgia Compiled Rules and Regulations Rule 40-13-4-.02.

Animal health professionals — including veterinarians, diagnostic laboratories, public health personnel, zoo staff, and wildlife personnel — are required to report diagnosed or suspected cases of nationally listed reportable animal diseases to APHIS Area Veterinarians in Charge and to the state animal health official.

Segregation and Quarantine Duties

Any person who owns or has custody or control over cattle infected with brucellosis or which are known reactor animals to an official brucellosis test must segregate such cattle in a manner that prevents them from coming into contact with other cattle or spreading the brucellosis infection to other cattle.

Any person who fails to take such segregation action within 30 days following an order from the Commissioner to do so shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and each day of continued failure to comply with the order constitutes a separate offense.

The Commissioner is authorized to adopt rules and regulations, issue orders and permits, and impose quarantines when such actions are authorized or required by federal or state law or are appropriate to prevent the introduction or spread of brucellosis into or within the state, any area thereof, or any cattle located therein.

What Happens After a Confirmed Case

If infection is suspected or confirmed, regulatory officials will contact you, the owner, or both, to develop a herd plan. An approved individual herd plan is a herd management and testing plan designed by the herd owner, the owner’s veterinarian if requested, and a state or APHIS representative to determine the disease status of animals in the herd and to control and eradicate brucellosis within the herd — and the plan must be jointly approved by the state animal health official and the Veterinarian in Charge.

Disease control and eradication measures can include quarantines to stop the movement of possibly infected or exposed animals, testing and examination to detect infection, destruction of infected or exposed animals to prevent further disease spread, and cleaning and disinfection of contaminated premises.

Georgia’s brucellosis reporting framework connects to the state’s broader animal health surveillance system. If you raise other livestock species in Georgia, you may also want to review the reporting and health requirements covered in our guide to brucellosis laws in Nevada for a comparison of how a western state handles its wildlife-adjacent brucellosis challenges.

Penalties for Brucellosis Violations in Georgia

Georgia law establishes a tiered penalty structure for brucellosis violations. The severity of the penalty depends on the nature of the offense — with the most serious violations treated as felonies.

Failure to segregate infected or reactor cattle within 30 days of a Commissioner’s order is a misdemeanor, and each day of continued non-compliance constitutes a separate offense — meaning a single incident can quickly accumulate into multiple charges.

Any person who removes, defaces, alters, or otherwise changes any official permanent mark, brand, tattoo, tag, or other means of identification on any cow for which a health certificate or permit or official test has been issued, or which has a known brucellosis infection or is a known reactor animal to an official brucellosis test, shall be guilty of a felony.

Any person who knowingly sells a cow within Georgia that is infected with brucellosis — or which that person knows or through reasonable inquiry should know is from a quarantined herd or area — without disclosing that fact to the purchaser prior to the sale shall be liable for all reasonable and foreseeable damages incurred by the purchaser as a proximate result of mixing that cow with other cattle.

Any person violating the interstate movement health requirements in Chapter 40-13-2 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Understanding the penalty framework is important for anyone buying or selling cattle in Georgia. Due diligence — including reviewing health certificates, asking about herd quarantine status, and working with accredited veterinarians — protects you from both criminal exposure and civil liability. For more on how Georgia regulates animal ownership and movement more broadly, see our guides on leash laws in Georgia, backyard chicken laws in Georgia, and beekeeping laws in Georgia.

Conclusion

Georgia’s brucellosis-free status is an asset worth protecting — for individual producers, for the state’s livestock industry, and for public health. The legal framework that supports that status is built around a clear set of obligations: proper animal identification, health certificates for imported cattle, segregation of reactor animals, prompt reporting of suspected cases, and honest disclosure in livestock sales.

The rules are not burdensome for producers who are already following good herd management practices. Where violations occur, the penalties are serious — including felony charges for tampering with official identification and cumulative misdemeanor counts for each day of non-compliance with a quarantine order.

If you have questions about your specific situation, contact the Georgia Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian’s Office at (404) 656-3667 or AnimalHealth@agr.georgia.gov. For federal-level guidance, the USDA APHIS Bovine Brucellosis program page and the NVAP Brucellosis Reference Guide are authoritative resources. You can also review Georgia’s official import requirements through the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s animal import page.

For related animal law topics specific to Georgia, explore our guides on wildlife removal laws in Georgia, bow hunting laws in Georgia, and roadkill laws in Georgia.