Livestock Biosecurity Requirements in Arkansas: What Every Producer Needs to Know

Arkansas is one of the most agriculturally active states in the nation, and protecting its livestock and poultry industries from disease is a shared responsibility that falls squarely on every producer’s shoulders. In the context of animal agriculture, biosecurity is the series of management steps taken to prevent the introduction of infectious agents into a herd or flock. Whether you raise broilers, beef cattle, swine, or small ruminants, understanding and following Arkansas’s biosecurity requirements is not optional — it is essential to keeping your animals healthy, your operation legally compliant, and your neighbors’ herds protected.

This guide walks you through each major area of livestock biosecurity requirements in Arkansas, from premises registration to dead animal disposal, so you know exactly what the state expects of you and how to meet those expectations.

What Is Livestock Biosecurity and Why It Matters in Arkansas

Biosecurity refers to the preventative steps taken to reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission in animal populations. Whether you manage a large poultry operation or keep a small backyard flock, practicing strong biosecurity is essential to protect your birds. The same principle applies to every other livestock species — cattle, swine, goats, sheep, and more.

Poultry, including broilers, turkeys, and chicken eggs, is Arkansas’s leading agricultural industry. An outbreak of bird flu could be devastating to the Arkansas poultry industry and the state economy. The stakes extend well beyond poultry, however. A single disease event in a beef or swine herd can trigger quarantines, movement restrictions, and significant financial losses across an entire region.

Biosecurity is important for a number of reasons. First, it is an essential aspect of on-farm food safety programs. Keeping food products wholesome and of highest quality is important for the health and welfare of consumers. Secondly, animals are healthier and more productive.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division monitors and responds to foreign and domestic animal diseases that threaten livestock and poultry health across Arkansas. It enforces animal health laws, manages permitting and licensing, and ensures adherence to biosecurity standards across animal-related operations. Knowing which agency oversees your obligations is the first step toward staying compliant.

Premises Registration and Identification Requirements in Arkansas

Premises registration is the foundation of Arkansas’s livestock disease traceability system. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture maintains an Arkansas Voluntary Premises ID System that assigns a unique premises identification number (PIN) to each livestock location. Registering your premises allows state and federal animal health officials to quickly identify and contact producers during a disease event, making it one of the most important steps you can take.

While premises registration through the national system is currently voluntary at the federal level, Arkansas strongly encourages all livestock and poultry operations to enroll. Commercial operations, particularly those involved in interstate commerce, face additional traceability requirements tied to individual animal identification.

• Cattle: All cattle entering Arkansas must be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection showing individual identification by ear tag, fire brand, or ear tattoo number.
• Sheep and Goats: All sheep and goats imported or exhibited within the state of Arkansas must be identified by official USDA tag or legible official goat registry tattoo.
• Swine and Exotic Species: Permits are required on all swine, zoo, fur-bearing and other wild and/or exotic animals, ratites, camelids, cervids, passerine birds, psittacine birds, and all other avian except poultry entering the State of Arkansas.

A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection is defined as a certificate issued by a licensed, graduate, accredited veterinarian after a physical examination has been conducted certifying that the livestock described are free from symptoms of contagious, infectious, or communicable diseases, and shall include a statement certifying the origin of the livestock.

You can register your premises or verify current requirements by contacting the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Animal Health Division. For context on how other states handle livestock traceability and movement documentation, see how brand inspection requirements work in Washington.

Biosecurity Plan Requirements in Arkansas

Arkansas does not mandate a single universal written biosecurity plan for all livestock producers, but specific sectors — particularly commercial poultry — operate under integrator contracts and state standards that effectively require documented biosecurity protocols. It is extremely important that anyone involved with poultry production should review their premises biosecurity procedures and protocols. This should be done by small backyard hobby flock owners and growers of commercial poultry to protect the health of their birds.

A sound biosecurity plan for any Arkansas livestock operation should address the following core elements:

1. Disease prevention protocols — Vaccination schedules, health monitoring procedures, and veterinary contact information
2. Animal movement controls — Rules for incoming and outgoing animals, including quarantine periods
3. Visitor and traffic management — Procedures for logging and sanitizing visitors, vehicles, and equipment
4. Pest and wildlife exclusion — Strategies to prevent contact between wildlife and your herd or flock
5. Carcass disposal procedures — Compliant methods for handling dead animals
6. Record keeping — Documentation of animal movements, health events, and sanitation activities

Arkansas’s thriving livestock and poultry industries face unique biosecurity challenges. Safe farming principles demand vigilant systems for identifying, tracking, and preventing the spread of diseases. A written plan helps you demonstrate due diligence to inspectors and gives your employees clear guidance during routine operations and emergencies alike.

The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers biosecurity resources and guidance tailored to Arkansas producers. You may also find it useful to review how neighboring states structure their disease reporting obligations — for instance, livestock disease reporting in Florida and livestock disease reporting in Illinois offer useful comparison points.

Animal Isolation and Movement Control Requirements in Arkansas

Controlling how and when animals move onto, off of, and around your property is one of the most effective biosecurity tools available. Arkansas regulations set clear requirements for animal movement, particularly for livestock crossing state lines.

No animal, including poultry or birds of any species, that is affected with or that has been recently exposed to any infectious, contagious, or communicable disease, or that originates from a quarantined area or area of lesser disease status, shall be shipped or in any manner transported or moved into Arkansas until written permission for such entry is first obtained from the State Veterinarian.

For cattle specifically, brucellosis testing requirements are strictly enforced. All intact male or female animals, eighteen months of age or older (any age if they have already calved, or are in the third stage of pregnancy) must have been tested negative for brucellosis within thirty days prior to movement into Arkansas, except for those originating out of Certified Brucellosis Free Herds.

Beyond regulatory minimums, best practices for on-farm isolation include:

• Newly acquired animals should be held in an isolated area for at least three weeks to ensure that you do not introduce unwanted disease into your herd.
• Isolation includes no fence-line contact, shared water source, or feed bunk space with your main herd. Regularly observe the isolated animals closely for signs of disease.
• Some diseases can be tested for before you purchase an animal, and disease testing is one way to eliminate the transfer of a disease to your herd. Livestock buyers should ask sellers to test animals prior to the sale exchange.

Livestock and poultry moving into Arkansas found to be in non-compliance with Arkansas laws and regulations shall be quarantined to the nearest facility until all requirements are met on said animals. The costs associated with that quarantine — including feed, hauling, and rent — fall on the owner or shipper.

For producers who transport animals across state lines, understanding trailer sanitation and compliance is equally important. See the livestock trailer requirements in Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania for a sense of how transport regulations vary by state.

Visitor, Vehicle, and Equipment Sanitation Rules in Arkansas

People, vehicles, and equipment are among the most common pathways for disease to enter a livestock or poultry operation. Biosecurity procedures for visits to livestock and poultry facilities are designed to minimize the risk of personnel transmitting animal diseases from livestock or poultry facilities — including farms, ranches, dairies, feed yards, sale yards, swine premises, and slaughterhouses — to other livestock or poultry facilities.

Arkansas producers, especially those in the commercial poultry sector, are expected to maintain controlled access to their facilities. The following sanitation practices are considered standard requirements under Arkansas biosecurity standards and integrator contracts:

Sanitation measures include routine disinfection of facilities, equipment, and worker clothing. For poultry operations, integrators typically require that visitors have had no contact with other poultry or birds within 48 to 72 hours before entering a house. Similar standards are recommended for cattle, swine, and small ruminant operations.

Downtime requirements — periods during which workers must avoid contact with other flocks or herds before entering your facility — are especially important during active disease outbreaks. Backyard and hobby flock owners should continue biosecurity protocols even when no active outbreak has been declared in their county, as disease can spread before it is officially detected.

Wildlife and Pest Control Obligations in Arkansas

Arkansas’s geography — with its mix of wetlands, forests, and agricultural land — creates significant wildlife pressure on livestock operations. Biosecurity should be included in every herd health plan. To accomplish this, several general management practices could be implemented with minimal cost. Simple considerations include knowing what is in the area of your farm perimeter.

Wild birds are among the most serious biosecurity threats to Arkansas poultry operations. As the migration of waterfowl has not yet reached peak numbers, it is important that biosecurity protocols be practiced. HPAI H5N1 continues to be a problem. Migratory waterfowl can carry Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and deposit the virus in shared water sources, on equipment, or through direct contact with domestic flocks.

Key wildlife and pest control obligations for Arkansas livestock producers include:

• Wild bird exclusion: Seal gaps in poultry house walls, roofs, and ventilation openings. Use bird netting or screens to prevent wild bird entry. Keep feed and water inside enclosed structures whenever possible.
• Rodent control: Implement a documented rodent control program using bait stations, traps, and facility maintenance. Rodents can carry and spread diseases including leptospirosis and salmonella.
• Feral swine: Feral swine may not be moved into Arkansas until they have become domesticated. Contact with feral hogs poses serious disease risks to domestic swine herds, including pseudorabies and brucellosis. Maintain perimeter fencing adequate to exclude feral swine from your operation.
• Standing water management: Drain or treat standing water near livestock facilities to reduce mosquito populations and eliminate attractants for migratory waterfowl.
• Feed storage: Store all feed in sealed, pest-proof containers. Open or improperly stored feed attracts rodents, birds, and other wildlife that can contaminate your animals’ food supply.

If you suspect wildlife-related disease exposure, contact the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Animal Health Division or call the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Division at 501-225-1598. If you have a bird die, consider submitting it to your state or university diagnostic laboratory for evaluation.

Livestock guardian animals can also play a role in deterring predators and reducing wildlife pressure on your herd. Learn more about how these animals work in practice by reading about facts about livestock guardian dogs.

Dead Animal Disposal Requirements in Arkansas

Proper disposal of dead livestock is both a biosecurity requirement and a legal obligation in Arkansas. Carcasses left on the ground attract scavengers, contaminate water sources, and can spread disease to surviving animals and neighboring operations.

Under Arkansas law, all large animal carcasses and all parts of large animal carcasses shall be disposed of in a manner prescribed by rules of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission. No large animal carcass shall be buried or otherwise disposed of in any landfill operated under a permit issued by the Division of Environmental Quality.

The Arkansas Code also addresses immediate disposal obligations. When any horse, jenny, cow, sheep, goat, hog, dog, or other animal shall die from disease, accident, or other cause in the State of Arkansas, it shall be the duty of the person owning or having possession thereof or exercising control over it to immediately cremate the animal. This section does not apply to any animal killed or slaughtered for food or commercial purposes.

In practice, Arkansas producers may use several approved disposal methods, depending on the size of the operation and the species involved:

If a person or entity conducts a farming activity at more than one location, it shall not be necessary for such person or entity to have a disposal ditch or facility at each location unless specified by the State Veterinarian.

During a disease outbreak, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture may issue specific disposal instructions that supersede standard methods. Always contact the State Veterinarian’s office before disposing of animals that died under suspicious circumstances or during a declared disease event. Contact your local veterinarian, local county extension agent, extension poultry veterinarian, the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Division at 501-225-1598, state veterinarian, or USDA hotline at 866-536-7593.

Maintaining strong biosecurity practices across all seven areas covered in this guide — from premises registration and animal isolation to carcass disposal — is the most effective way to protect your operation, comply with Arkansas law, and contribute to the health of the state’s agricultural community. For additional compliance context relevant to Arkansas animal owners, see the rabies vaccine requirements for cats in Arkansas and the fishing license requirements in Arkansas. For disease reporting obligations in comparable states, review livestock disease reporting in California and livestock disease reporting in Colorado.