Livestock Disease Reporting in South Carolina: Rules Every Owner and Vet Must Know

Livestock disease reporting in South Carolina is a legal obligation, not a suggestion. Whether you raise cattle, swine, poultry, or horses, state law requires you to notify the appropriate authorities the moment you suspect certain diseases in your animals.

Understanding the rules — which diseases trigger a report, who must file, how to do it, and what happens if you don’t — protects your herd, your neighbors’ herds, and South Carolina’s broader agricultural economy. This guide walks you through every step of the process.

Reportable Livestock Diseases in South Carolina

South Carolina’s livestock disease reporting framework is administered by the Clemson University State Livestock-Poultry Health Commission (LPH), which operates under SC Code Title 47, Chapter 4. The commission may promulgate regulations listing those communicable, contagious, or infectious diseases which, if not properly controlled, may have a serious adverse impact upon the livestock-poultry industry of the State.

The following diseases must be reported immediately upon diagnosis or suspicion:

• African Horse Sickness
• African Swine Fever
• Anthrax
• Avian Infectious Laryngotracheitis
• Babesiosis (Babesia bovis, B. bigemina)
• Brucellosis
• Cattle Tick Fever
• Contagious Equine Metritis
• Dourine (Trypanosoma equiperdum)
• Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE)
• Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)
• Equine Viral Arteritis
• Erysipelas
• Foot and Mouth Disease
• Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
• Heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium)
• Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Fowl Plague)
• Hog Cholera (Classical Swine Fever)
• Newcastle Disease (virulent or exotic)
• Paratuberculosis (Johne’s Disease)
• Pseudorabies
• Pullorum / Fowl Typhoid
• Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii)
• Rabies (coordinated with DHEC)
• Rinderpest
• Scrapie
• Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax)
• Tuberculosis
• Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis (VEE)
• Vesicular Exanthema
• Vesicular Stomatitis
• West Nile (WNV) Encephalitis
• Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE)
• All OIE-listed diseases (formerly A & B lists)
• All foreign and exotic diseases and parasites of animals, including birds

The State Veterinarian may declare other diseases as reportable at any time, so it is important to stay current with official LPH guidance. You can view the full and current list on the Clemson LPH Reportable Diseases page.

If you raise or work with livestock in other states, the rules vary. See how neighboring states handle these obligations: livestock disease reporting in Florida, livestock disease reporting in California, and livestock disease reporting in Colorado.

Who Is Required to Report a Livestock Disease in South Carolina

Persons must report the suspected existence of diseases listed under state regulations — those communicable, contagious, or infectious diseases which, if not properly controlled, may have a serious adverse impact upon the livestock-poultry industry of the State — to the State Veterinarian within forty-eight hours after discovery.

The word “persons” in SC law is broad. It covers all of the following:

• Livestock owners and operators — anyone who owns, manages, or is responsible for the care of cattle, swine, horses, sheep, goats, poultry, or other regulated species
• Licensed veterinarians — any accredited or licensed vet who diagnoses or suspects a reportable disease during examination or treatment
• Farm managers and employees — individuals who discover signs of illness in animals under their daily care
• Livestock dealers and market operators — those who handle animals in commerce and observe suspicious conditions
• Diagnostic laboratory personnel — labs that identify or suspect a reportable pathogen in submitted samples

The State Veterinarian means the Director of Livestock-Poultry Health Division, Clemson University, and his agents, assistants, and livestock inspectors. This office is your primary point of contact for all livestock disease reporting in South Carolina. You can also compare how reporting obligations are structured in Illinois and Michigan for reference.

Signs and Symptoms That Trigger a Report in South Carolina

You do not need a confirmed laboratory diagnosis before you are required to report. Diseases do not have to be confirmed to be reported — actions to prevent further spread of disease may be necessary while confirmatory tests are pending. If you suspect a reportable disease based on clinical signs alone, that suspicion is enough to trigger your reporting obligation.

The following categories of symptoms should immediately prompt you to contact the State Veterinarian’s office:

Oral and Skin Lesions

Sore mouth or muzzle — especially if accompanied by foot, udder, vulva, or skin lesions (blisters or vesicles) — is a key warning sign. Examples include Foot and Mouth Disease and Vesicular Stomatitis.

Neurological Signs

Neurologic conditions such as strange behavior, severe depression, and stumbling — including encephalitis (CNS) conditions in all animals including birds — are trigger signs. Examples include Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis, West Nile Encephalitis, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), Pseudorabies, and Scrapie.

High Death Loss

High death loss — especially over a short period and in older animals past several weeks old — is a reportable trigger. Examples include Classical Swine Fever (Hog Cholera), Erysipelas, Anthrax, and acute septicemias.

Reproductive Failures

Reproductive problems such as abortions, stillbirths, and mummification are reportable triggers. Examples include Brucellosis, Pseudorabies, and Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM).

Any Highly Unusual Condition

Any highly unusual condition — disease or parasites differing from conditions one is familiar with — also triggers a reporting obligation. If something looks wrong and you cannot explain it, report it. Early notification is always better than delayed certainty.

Unusual disease patterns in wildlife near your property can also signal risk to your livestock. South Carolina’s diverse wildlife — including snakes and various salamanders — can serve as disease reservoirs in some cases, making environmental awareness part of good herd biosecurity.

How to Report a Livestock Disease in South Carolina

The following diseases are to be reported immediately to the State Veterinarian’s office at (803) 788-2260 and/or the USDA SC Assistant Director at (803) 462-2910 when diagnosed or suspected, using the SC Veterinary Reportable Disease Form.

Here is a step-by-step breakdown of the reporting process:

1. Call the State Veterinarian’s office immediately — Phone: (803) 788-2260. For foreign animal disease emergencies after hours or on weekends, you can also reach the USDA Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) Hotline at 1-866-536-7593.
2. Contact the USDA APHIS SC Assistant Director if needed — Phone: (803) 462-2910. This is especially important for diseases that have federal reporting implications.
3. Complete the SC Veterinary Reportable Disease Form — This is the official state form for documenting your report. Have the following information ready:
   • Your name, contact information, and premises address
   • Species and number of animals affected
   • Clinical signs observed and their duration
   • Any recent animal movements, purchases, or new arrivals
   • Any diagnostic tests already performed
4. Cooperate with follow-up investigation — After your initial report, state and/or federal animal health officials may contact you to gather additional information or schedule an on-site visit.

The SC Animal Health Laws and Regulations page maintained by Clemson LPH provides access to the full regulatory framework and reporting forms. For federal-level context, the USDA APHIS National List of Reportable Animal Diseases outlines diseases that carry federal notification requirements in addition to state ones.

If your concern also involves a potential public health risk — such as a zoonotic disease like Rabies or Q Fever — you should additionally contact the SC Department of Public Health. You can submit an electronic morbidity report via DPH’s web-based reporting system (SCIONx), complete the D-1129 Disease Reporting Card and mail it in an envelope marked confidential to the Communicable Disease Epidemiology Section, or call the regional public health office.

For livestock being transported across state lines, note that separate documentation requirements apply. See the guide on transporting livestock laws in North Carolina for a comparison of how neighboring states handle movement documentation.

Reporting Deadlines and Timeframes in South Carolina

South Carolina law establishes two distinct reporting timeframes depending on the disease involved:

The commission may promulgate regulations listing those communicable, contagious, or infectious diseases which, if not properly controlled, may have a serious adverse impact upon the livestock-poultry industry of the State. Persons must report the suspected existence of these diseases and the diseases listed by Section 71, Title 9, Code of Federal Regulations, to the State Veterinarian within forty-eight hours after discovery.

The 48-hour clock begins at the moment of discovery — not when a diagnosis is confirmed, and not when you decide to seek a second opinion. If you observe clinical signs consistent with a reportable disease on a Monday morning, your report is due no later than Wednesday morning.

For diseases classified as requiring immediate reporting — such as Foot and Mouth Disease or African Swine Fever — there is no grace period at all. The moment you suspect the condition, you are legally required to pick up the phone.

What Happens After You Report in South Carolina

Once you submit a report to the State Veterinarian, the response process moves quickly. Here is what you can expect:

1. Initial assessment — The State Veterinarian’s office reviews your report and determines the appropriate level of response based on the disease suspected and the number of animals involved.
2. On-site investigation — The commission and its agents, employees, livestock law enforcement officers, and livestock inspectors may visit all sections of the State where contagious, infectious, or communicable disease among animals including poultry and domesticated fowl is believed to exist and shall determine according to law whether affected animals are worthy of remedial treatment or, considering the animal industry, must be destroyed.
3. Diagnostic testing — Investigators may collect samples for laboratory analysis to confirm or rule out the suspected disease. State and federal labs work in coordination on high-priority cases.
4. Quarantine if warranted — Under SC Code § 47-4-70, the State Veterinarian has the authority to quarantine any flock or herd suspected of carrying contagious diseases. Quarantine means limitations placed upon the free movement of certain things — including animals, poultry, plants, fodder, feed, equipment, products, by-products, machinery, goods, and means of transportation — considered reasonably necessary to prevent the spread of contagious, infectious, or communicable diseases of animals or poultry.
5. Treatment or depopulation decision — Officials determine whether affected animals can be treated and retained or must be destroyed to prevent spread.
6. Indemnification for destroyed animals — Under Section 47-4-80, provisions exist for condemned and destroyed livestock or poultry and indemnification of the owner. If your animals are ordered destroyed as part of a state or federal eradication program, you may be eligible for compensation. Whenever the commission certifies to the Governor that an outbreak of disease has occurred and that state or federal law has established an eradication program, amounts necessary to cover indemnity payments must be appropriated, made available to the Commission, and used for the payment of destroyed animals and poultry and for other expenses necessary to the eradication of the diseases.
7. Confidentiality protections — Information related to the exercise of official duties pursuant to this chapter, including certificates of veterinary inspection, animal medical records, laboratory reports, or other records that may be used to identify a person or private business activities subject to regulation by the commission, is confidential and exempt from disclosure unless the State Veterinarian determines disclosure is necessary to prevent disease spread or protect public health.

The commission shall conduct scheduled and unscheduled inspections of premises operating under permit and conduct solely or in conjunction with other appropriate agencies necessary investigations involving matters assigned by law to its jurisdiction. This means inspectors can arrive at your property without advance notice if a disease concern has been reported.

Penalties for Failing to Report in South Carolina

Failing to report a suspected reportable livestock disease in South Carolina carries real legal consequences. The state treats non-compliance as a criminal matter, not merely an administrative one.

A person violating this article or regulations promulgated by its authority is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished in accordance with Section 47-4-130. Each violation constitutes a separate offense.

This means that if multiple animals are affected and you fail to report, each animal or each day of non-reporting could potentially be treated as a separate violation, multiplying your exposure significantly.

Beyond criminal misdemeanor charges, the following additional consequences apply:

• Civil penalties — The Commission, for cause, may refuse to grant a permit, may revoke or modify a permit, or assess a civil penalty in accordance with Section 47-4-130. This can affect your ability to operate a licensed livestock facility.
• Quarantine violations — Moving animals under quarantine without authorization is a separate offense under SC Code § 47-4-70 and can result in additional criminal charges.
• Loss of indemnification — Producers who fail to report in a timely manner and whose animals must later be destroyed may lose eligibility for state or federal indemnity payments.
• Permit revocation — Licensed livestock markets, dealers, and processing facilities risk permit suspension or revocation for reporting failures.

The penalties are designed to incentivize rapid reporting, not to punish producers who act in good faith. South Carolina law consistently rewards early cooperation. Producers who report promptly, cooperate with investigations, and follow quarantine orders are in the strongest legal and practical position — and are most likely to qualify for indemnification if their animals are ultimately destroyed.

Understanding disease reporting obligations is part of responsible livestock ownership across the country. Compare how other states enforce these rules: Florida’s livestock disease reporting rules and Michigan’s livestock disease reporting requirements offer useful points of comparison for multi-state operators.

If you manage other animals alongside your livestock and want to understand disease obligations more broadly, resources on common pigeon diseases and conditions like feline lower urinary tract disease in cats can help round out your overall animal health awareness on the farm.