Bovine Tuberculosis Testing Requirements in Missouri: What Cattle Producers Must Know

Only about seven cattle out of every one million screened in the United States actually carry bovine tuberculosis, yet Missouri still enforces a detailed set of testing rules before cattle, bison, and captive cervids can move across its borders or through its livestock markets. That low number is not an accident. It is the direct result of decades of mandatory testing, and understanding the bovine tuberculosis testing requirements in Missouri is what keeps that number low for the state’s cattle industry.

Whether you are shipping beef cattle into Missouri, entering a dairy herd into a livestock market, or hauling rodeo stock to a county fair, the rules differ depending on the animal’s age, class, and state of origin. This guide walks through Missouri’s TB classification status, which animals fall under testing rules, the approved diagnostic methods, movement requirements, and what happens if a test comes back suspect or positive.

What Is Bovine Tuberculosis and Why It Is Regulated in Missouri

Bovine tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a bacterium that produces a chronic, debilitating disease in cattle and other animals but can occasionally progress rapidly. Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious, infectious, communicable disease of animals and humans caused by Mycobacterium bovis, and it is a widespread zoonosis that spreads by direct contact, inhalation of droplets, and ingestion of contaminated feed or milk. Because it crosses between animals and people, state and federal agencies treat it as both an agricultural and a public health concern.

The regulatory framework traces back more than a century. In 1917, the U.S. Bureau of Animal Industry began the National Tuberculosis Eradication Program, which started as strictly a cattle program before eventually including bison and farmed cervids. That cooperative state-federal structure is why Missouri’s rules mirror federal standards almost exactly, and why the disease has become so rare in U.S. herds. The prevalence of tuberculosis in cattle, bison, and captive cervids is extremely low in the United States, with an estimated prevalence of 7 per 1 million cattle screened. For a broader look at how this disease compares with other livestock health threats, see this overview of common bovine diseases affecting Missouri herds.

Pro Tip: If you raise cattle near a state or region with a lower TB status, ask your veterinarian about voluntary annual herd testing even when it is not strictly required. It can prevent costly surprises at sale time.

Missouri’s TB Classification Status and Risk Zones

The USDA classifies every state or zone into one of four tiers based on how well it has controlled bovine TB, and those tiers determine how much testing is required before animals can move. Accredited Free states test all cattle or bison 24 months of age and older, Modified Accredited Advanced states test animals 18 months and older, Modified Accredited states test animals 12 months and older, and Accreditation Preparatory states or zones must test all cattle and bison regardless of age. The lower the classification, the more animals must be tested.

Missouri itself has held Accredited Free status for years, placing it in the lowest-risk tier nationally. With the exception of four counties in Michigan comprising only 0.06% of U.S. land area classified as Modified Accredited, as of April 2022 the entire country was considered Accredited Free of bovine TB by the USDA for cattle and bison. Michigan’s situation is unusual because it involves an ongoing wildlife reservoir. There, white-tailed deer serve as a free-ranging wildlife maintenance host for the disease, a circumstance that remains unique in the country. Because Missouri’s own status is strong, the heaviest testing burden under Missouri regulations falls on animals arriving from states or zones with a lower classification, not on cattle already inside the state. Producers who want a deeper dive into how disease-control status interacts with day-to-day herd management should review these livestock biosecurity requirements in Missouri.

Who Must Test and Which Animals Are Covered in Missouri

Missouri’s testing rules apply broadly across cattle classes, plus several related species. The coverage differs by whether the animal is entering the state, moving within it, or headed to a specific venue like a market or exhibition.

• Beef cattle: including exotic bovids and bison, generally covered starting at two months of age for entry from TB-free states and six months of age when coming from a less-than-free state or zone.
• Dairy cattle: subject to testing requirements at two months of age regardless of the origin state’s classification.
• Rodeo stock: sexually intact animals over eighteen months of age entering Missouri or appearing at exhibitions.
• Captive cervids: elk, red deer, fallow deer, and related species kept under Missouri’s accredited, qualified, or monitored herd status categories.
• Zoo and exhibition animals: elephants and non-human primates must be tested negative for tuberculosis within one year prior to movement, though animals moving between publicly owned AZA-accredited zoos are generally exempt.

Testing thresholds are tied to physical maturity markers as much as calendar age. All classes of beef cattle two months of age and older entering Missouri from a tuberculosis-free state may enter without additional testing, while beef cattle six months of age and older entering from a state with a tuberculosis status less than free must be officially identified and listed on a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. Captive cervid operations, including those tied to hunting preserves, follow a related but separate set of rules; see this guide to hunting license requirements in Missouri for context on how wildlife movement regulations intersect with disease control.

Approved TB Testing Methods in Missouri

Missouri follows the federal Uniform Methods and Rules for diagnosing bovine tuberculosis, which recognizes a small set of official tests. The official tuberculin tests for cattle, bison, and goats are the caudal-fold test, comparative cervical test, and cervical test, with the caudal-fold test involving an intradermal injection of USDA purified protein derivative tuberculin read by visual observation and palpation 72 hours after injection. Cattle cannot be retested too frequently, since cattle, bison, goats, or captive cervids must not be subjected to caudal-fold retest at intervals of less than 60 days.

Test	Type	Typical Use	Reading Window
Caudal-Fold Test (CFT)	Screening/presumptive	Initial herd or individual screening	72 hours (+/- 6 hrs)
Comparative Cervical Test (CCT)	Confirmatory	Follow-up on CFT suspects	72 hours
Single Cervical Test (CT/SCT)	Screening	Captive cervid herd status testing	72 hours
Interferon Gamma Assay (BOVIGAM)	Blood-based confirmatory	Rapid follow-up to CFT/CCT suspects	Laboratory turnaround

Only licensed tuberculin may be used in the field. Only bovine purified protein derivative tuberculin (PPD bovis) licensed by USDA may be used for official testing. Accredited veterinarians perform and read every test themselves, and results must be reported regardless of outcome. This differs from the diagnostic approach used for poultry-related mycobacterial infections; readers researching related conditions may find the comparison useful in this overview of avian tuberculosis.

Interstate and Intrastate Movement Testing Requirements in Missouri

Movement rules split cleanly into two categories: animals entering Missouri from another state or country, and animals already inside Missouri moving between farms, markets, or exhibitions. All animals entering Missouri must be accompanied by an official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued within 30 days prior to movement into Missouri, unless moving to an approved slaughter facility or an approved livestock market. You can review the state’s animal movement regulations for the full species-by-species breakdown.

For interstate movement specifically:

1. Beef cattle from a TB-free state: all classes of beef cattle, including exotic bovids and bison, two months of age and older, both breeding and feeding, entering Missouri from a state having a tuberculosis-free status may enter without additional testing requirements or entry permit.
2. Beef cattle from a lower-status state: cattle six months of age and older entering from a state with a tuberculosis status less than free must be officially identified and listed on a CVI, and generally must have a negative tuberculosis test within sixty days of shipment.
3. Dairy cattle: subject to a negative TB test within sixty days of shipment, movement from an accredited TB-free herd, or a complete negative herd test within the prior year, regardless of the origin state’s own classification.
4. Rodeo stock: rodeo stock over eighteen months of age must be tested negative for tuberculosis within sixty days and obtain an entry permit prior to entering Missouri, and no sexually intact rodeo stock from Mexico may enter without a negative test within sixty days of shipment.
5. Captive cervids: tested according to accredited, qualified, or monitored herd status, generally using the single cervical method within ninety days of movement.

Intrastate movement is far simpler once cattle are already established in Missouri herds. No test is required for movement of cattle from herds not under quarantine for tuberculosis, and no Certificate of Veterinary Inspection is required for that movement within the state. Livestock markets add one more layer: all classes of beef cattle two months of age and older entering Missouri to a licensed market from a state having a tuberculosis-free status may enter without additional testing, entry permit, or Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. Producers moving animals frequently between farms or to sale barns should also confirm they meet current livestock trailer requirements in Missouri, since transport documentation and testing paperwork are often checked together. Electronic CVI options can simplify this paperwork; see the state’s Certificate of Veterinary Inspection page for accepted formats.

What Happens When a Suspect or Positive Result Occurs in Missouri

The caudal-fold test is only a screening tool, so a reaction at the injection site does not automatically mean an animal is infected. The caudal-fold test is used as a presumptive diagnostic procedure, and animals classified as suspect must be evaluated further by the comparative cervical test, gamma interferon test, or sent directly to slaughter under permit. Any response at all triggers immediate reporting obligations. Accredited veterinarians must immediately report every suspected or diagnosed bovine TB case promptly to both the Assistant District Director and the State Animal Health Official.

Important Note: A “suspect” classification is a normal, expected part of the testing process. It triggers a defined follow-up protocol rather than an automatic quarantine or condemnation, though the animal’s movement is restricted until the follow-up test is complete.

If the follow-up testing confirms infection, the response widens quickly beyond the single animal. If the screening test is positive, the regulatory veterinarian will conduct a confirmatory test. Once a herd is confirmed affected, surveillance expands to neighboring operations. All livestock herds within a 10-mile radius will be tested within six months of any diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis. This radius testing is designed to catch any lateral spread before it becomes a broader outbreak, which is one reason herd-level biosecurity practices matter even for producers who have never had a positive test.

Quarantine and Herd Depopulation Rules in Missouri

Once a herd is confirmed affected, it does not move freely again until the state and federal officials resolve the case. Herds containing known bovine tuberculosis exposed animals shall be placed under quarantine until the case is resolved. From there, officials generally choose one of two paths. When health officials find tuberculosis in a herd, it is managed by either depopulating the herd or by testing and removing reactor animals. There is no treatment option, since tuberculosis is not treated in livestock.

Depopulation carries consequences for the surrounding area’s TB status, not just the individual farm. If an affected herd is detected in a state or zone classified as accredited-free, and the herd is depopulated with an epidemiologic investigation completed within 90 days showing no evidence of spread, the state or zone may retain its accredited-free status. Repeated outbreaks change that calculation. If two or more affected herds are detected in an accredited-free state or zone within a 48-month period, the state or zone will be removed from the list of accredited-free states and reclassified as modified accredited advanced. That is precisely the kind of statewide downgrade that would force many more Missouri producers into mandatory testing, which is why individual compliance protects the entire state’s herd economy.

Regaining a clean bill of health also takes time. Freedom from tuberculosis in herds requires 2 years from the depopulation of the last affected herd in states or zones that were previously accredited free, and 3 years in other states or zones that have depopulated all affected herds. Producers rebuilding a herd after depopulation should coordinate closely with the state veterinarian’s office on repopulation timing and testing of any replacement animals. Reviewing broader herd-health protocols, including Missouri’s other mandatory animal disease programs, can help producers understand how the state layers multiple health requirements together.

Penalties for Non-Compliance in Missouri

Missouri’s TB testing rules are not optional guidelines; they are enforceable regulations issued under state statute. The animal movement rules governing tuberculosis and related diseases are authorized under section 267.645, RSMo. The Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division has authority to enforce these movement, testing, and quarantine requirements statewide, and producers can reach that office directly for case-specific guidance.

Practical consequences for skipping required testing or documentation include:

• Rejection of an animal’s Certificate of Veterinary Inspection at the point of entry, market, or exhibition.
• Denial or revocation of entry permits required for rodeo stock, dairy cattle, and certain out-of-state shipments.
• Quarantine of the animal or herd until proper testing is completed.
• Loss of accredited veterinarian status for practitioners who fail to report tuberculin test results, since failure to report a tuberculin test is sufficient grounds for the removal of an accredited veterinarian’s status.
• Potential civil or criminal enforcement action under Missouri’s animal health statutes for repeated or willful violations.

Important Note: This article summarizes publicly available Missouri Department of Agriculture and USDA APHIS regulatory guidance as a general reference. Testing rules, entry permit requirements, and enforcement details can change, so producers should confirm current requirements directly with the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division before moving or exhibiting animals. This is not a substitute for legal or veterinary advice.

For most Missouri cattle producers, staying compliant comes down to three habits: confirming the TB status of the origin state before any purchase or shipment, keeping a valid Certificate of Veterinary Inspection with every load, and working with an accredited veterinarian who reports every test on time. Given Missouri’s Accredited Free status, the paperwork burden for in-state producers is comparatively light, but that status depends on every herd doing its part when animals cross state lines.