Livestock Disease Reporting in Texas: Rules, Requirements, and Responsibilities

If you raise livestock in Texas, knowing how to report a disease is not optional — it is a legal obligation that protects your animals, your neighbors’ herds, and the entire Texas agricultural economy. Texas is one of the largest livestock-producing states in the country, and the system that keeps that industry healthy depends on rapid, accurate disease reporting from producers, veterinarians, and diagnostic labs alike.

This guide breaks down exactly which diseases must be reported, who is required to make the report, what symptoms should trigger immediate action, how the reporting process works, and what you risk if you fail to comply. Whether you raise cattle, poultry, swine, sheep, goats, or horses, the rules outlined here apply to you.

Reportable Livestock Diseases in Texas

The TAHC’s list of reportable diseases can include diseases and conditions that are World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) diseases, Foreign Animal Diseases, National USDA Program Diseases, or Texas Animal Health Commission Designated Diseases. Certain zoonotic diseases — those with the ability to cause illness in both animals and people — are also reportable to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The diseases covered span every major livestock category managed in Texas. Below is an overview of key reportable diseases organized by species.

Anthrax is a naturally occurring, reportable disease affecting cattle, deer, livestock, exotic livestock, horses, swine, and other herbivores, and it can affect humans as well. In Texas, anthrax cases are most often confined to a triangular area bounded by the towns of Uvalde, Ozona, and Eagle Pass, including portions of Crockett, Val Verde, Sutton, Edwards, Kinney, and Maverick Counties.

Virulent Newcastle disease (VND) is a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting all species of birds. Previously known as exotic Newcastle disease, VND is a foreign animal disease in the U.S. and is considered one of the most infectious diseases of birds and poultry in the world, with mortality in unvaccinated birds reaching 100 percent. You can learn more about Newcastle disease and its impact on birds in our detailed Newcastle disease overview.

In 2024, USDA APHIS and the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in livestock species, including dairy cattle. This development expanded the scope of HPAI reporting obligations beyond poultry operations to include dairy producers.

For producers raising cattle susceptible to bovine diseases, staying current on the full TAHC disease list is a critical part of herd management. Similarly, anyone raising birds should review common bird diseases that may overlap with reportable conditions.

Who Is Required to Report a Livestock Disease in Texas

The Texas Administrative Code, Title 4, Part 2, Chapter 45, Rule 45.2, requires that certain livestock and fowl diseases be reported to the TAHC within 24 hours of diagnosis. This requirement extends to a veterinarian, a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, or a person having care, custody, or control of an animal.

This means the reporting obligation does not rest solely with licensed veterinarians. If you own, manage, or care for livestock and you observe signs consistent with a reportable disease, you are personally required by law to make the report. The three main categories of required reporters are:

• Livestock owners and producers — any individual with care, custody, or control of the animal
• Licensed veterinarians — including private practitioners and accredited veterinarians performing herd health work
• Veterinary diagnostic laboratories — any lab that diagnoses or detects a reportable disease through testing

Agency staff works directly with many producers and through affiliated industry associations for all the various species of animals considered “livestock,” such as swine, poultry, sheep and goats, equine (horse-family animals), cattle, exotic livestock, and exotic fowl, which include ostrich and emu. This means exotic livestock and exotic fowl owners carry the same reporting responsibilities as traditional livestock producers.

Prompt reporting of any suspected foreign or emerging animal disease is critical to the mission of the Texas Animal Health Commission. The reporting process allows state and federal veterinarians to quickly respond to a variety of diseases with the potential to cause devastating damage to individual animals, the animal industry, the marketability of Texas livestock commodities, and in some cases, human health.

Producers in other states with similar livestock operations can compare requirements by reviewing livestock disease reporting in Florida, California, and Colorado for context on how Texas rules compare regionally.

Signs and Symptoms That Trigger a Report in Texas

You do not need a confirmed laboratory diagnosis to be required to report. Texas regulations are written broadly enough that a reasonable suspicion — based on clinical signs — is sufficient to trigger the reporting obligation. Waiting for lab confirmation before contacting the TAHC can cost critical containment time and may itself constitute a violation.

Symptoms that should prompt an immediate call to the TAHC or your veterinarian include:

• Sudden, unexplained death of one or more animals
• Rapid spread of illness through a herd or flock
• Blistering or ulcerations around the mouth, nose, hooves, or teats (a hallmark sign of foot-and-mouth disease and vesicular stomatitis)
• Severe neurological signs — staggering, circling, head pressing, seizures, or sudden collapse
• Unusual hemorrhaging from body orifices
• Sudden and severe drop in milk production in dairy cattle
• Respiratory distress with high fever across multiple animals
• Abortion storms or unusual rates of reproductive failure

For poultry, signs to look for include nasal discharge, unusually quiet birds, decreased food and water consumption, drop in egg production, and increased or unusual death loss in your flock. You should report sick and dead birds immediately.

Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a neurologic disease of horses linked to the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1). EHV-1 in horses can cause respiratory disease, abortion, and neonatal death, with neurological signs appearing as a result of damage to blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord.

Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease of all equine species. Infected horses may suddenly die or show progressive central nervous system disorders, with symptoms including unsteadiness, erratic behavior, and a marked loss of coordination.

Any individual case report, outbreak, emerging disease, or unusual group expression of disease or agent of disease transmission that affects livestock, exotic livestock, domestic fowl, or exotic fowl is reportable under Texas Administrative Code Chapter 45.

Understanding zoonotic diseases — those that can transfer between animals and humans — is especially important because these conditions carry dual reporting requirements to both the TAHC and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

How to Report a Livestock Disease in Texas

When you identify signs of a reportable disease, the reporting process in Texas is straightforward, but speed is essential. Here is how to proceed:

1. Contact your TAHC regional office directly. The TAHC maintains regional offices throughout Texas. You can reach the statewide reporting line at 1-800-550-8242. If your birds exhibit unusual death loss or signs of illness, or you observe large-scale sickness and mortality of wild birds, call your private veterinarian or the TAHC immediately at 1-800-550-8242.
2. Contact your private veterinarian. Your accredited veterinarian can initiate the report on your behalf and provide clinical documentation to support the report. In many cases, this is the fastest path to getting a TAHC field veterinarian on-site.
3. Isolate the affected animals immediately. While awaiting TAHC response, move sick animals away from healthy animals to limit potential spread. Restrict movement of all animals on the premises until instructed otherwise.
4. Document what you observe. Record the number of animals affected, the onset date, clinical signs, recent animal movements, and any recent additions to the herd. This information will be requested by TAHC investigators.
5. Do not move animals off the premises without TAHC authorization once a reportable disease is suspected. Unauthorized movement of potentially infected animals is a separate regulatory violation.

As of January 1, 2026, all import certificates of veterinary inspection (CVIs) must be electronic, which reflects the TAHC’s broader push toward digital documentation in animal health compliance. When reporting, be prepared to provide your Texas Animal Premises ID if you have one registered.

Producers in neighboring states can compare reporting procedures by reviewing livestock disease reporting in Illinois and Michigan to understand how multi-state operations should coordinate compliance.

Reporting Deadlines and Timeframes in Texas

The Texas Administrative Code, Title 4, Part 2, Chapter 45, Rule 45.2, requires that certain livestock and fowl diseases be reported to the TAHC within 24 hours of diagnosis. This 24-hour window is the core deadline that governs all reportable disease notifications in Texas.

It is important to understand how the clock starts. The 24-hour window begins at the point of diagnosis or reasonable suspicion — not at the point of laboratory confirmation. If a veterinarian examines your herd and forms a clinical diagnosis, the reporting obligation begins immediately. If you as a producer observe symptoms consistent with a listed disease and no veterinarian is present, your obligation to contact the TAHC begins at that point of reasonable suspicion.

Foreign animal diseases — those not currently present in the United States, such as foot-and-mouth disease — carry an even more urgent standard. Prompt reporting of any suspected foreign or emerging animal disease is critical to the mission of the Texas Animal Health Commission. In practice, this means you should treat a suspected foreign animal disease as an immediate emergency and contact the TAHC without delay, regardless of the time of day.

Texas has emergency livestock rules that kick in during disease outbreaks. During avian flu outbreaks, for example, poultry owners face specific movement restrictions and testing requirements. These rules change based on current threats. During declared disease emergencies, the TAHC may impose shorter reporting windows or additional notification requirements by executive order.

What Happens After You Report in Texas

Once you make a report to the TAHC, the agency moves through a defined response process. Understanding what to expect helps you cooperate effectively and avoid unintentional violations during the investigation period.

Step 1 — Field investigation. A TAHC field veterinarian will be dispatched to your premises to conduct an on-site inspection, collect samples, and assess the scope of potential disease exposure. Be prepared to provide access to all animals, records, and facilities.

Step 2 — Laboratory testing. Samples collected during the field visit are submitted to an approved veterinary diagnostic laboratory for confirmation. Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) is one of the primary state-recognized labs used in this process.

Step 3 — Quarantine and movement restrictions. The TAHC shall establish quarantines upon infected and exposed animals and premises, advise the owner or caretaker how to properly dispose of carcasses, and require such treatment and vaccination as may be necessary to control and eradicate the disease. The TAHC will notify the Texas Department of Health of the quarantine.

Step 4 — Quarantine release. Unless otherwise specified by TAHC, a quarantine will be released 10 days after vaccination of the herd with a product approved by TAHC and after proper disposal of carcasses. The specific timeline varies by disease and the extent of exposure on the premises.

Step 5 — Herd depopulation (in severe cases). In severe outbreaks, the TAHC can order herd depopulation to contain contagion. This is a last-resort measure typically reserved for highly contagious foreign animal diseases where containment cannot otherwise be achieved.

In the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak involving highly contagious viruses, such as foot-and-mouth disease, state and federal officials will immediately limit livestock movement to control disease spread. Producers with a Secure Food Supply (SFS) Plan will be better positioned to move animals under a movement permit and maintain business continuity within their industries because of enhanced biosecurity practices.

The Executive Director of the Texas Animal Health Commission is authorized to determine the necessary requirements related to quarantine, disposal, testing, movement, inspection, and treatment of diseases or agents of disease transmission. This means response requirements can vary significantly from one disease event to another based on executive director orders.

If your animals are subject to quarantine, TAHC investigators will work with you on disposal protocols. Texas Agriculture Code 161.041 mandates that livestock owners report deaths suspected to be from contagious diseases to the Texas Animal Health Commission to prevent outbreaks. Proper carcass disposal is a parallel legal obligation that runs alongside the disease reporting requirement.

Penalties for Failing to Report in Texas

Failing to report a reportable livestock disease in Texas is not a minor administrative oversight — it carries real legal and financial consequences. The rules proposed and adopted by the Commission are legal requirements promulgated by the Commission to carry out the agency’s mission to protect animal health in Texas. The rules of the Commission are found in Title 4, Part 2 of the Texas Administrative Code and divided into 26 chapters.

The Commission’s statutory authority is found in the Texas Agriculture Code, Title 6, Subtitle C, Chapters 161 through 168. Violations of reporting requirements fall under this statutory framework, which gives the TAHC broad enforcement authority.

The proposed amendments updated Chapter 45 to “Reportable and Actionable Diseases” pursuant to Senate Bill 705, which requires the TAHC to list, by rule, which diseases are reportable to and require control or eradication by the agency. An “Enforcement and Penalties” section was added to clarify applicable penalties for violations.

Penalties for non-compliance can include:

• Administrative fines — The TAHC may assess civil administrative penalties for violations of reporting requirements under the Texas Agriculture Code.
• Mandatory quarantine — Even if you eventually report, a delayed report can result in more expansive quarantine orders covering a wider geographic area or more animals than would have been necessary with timely reporting.
• Animal seizure — Violating disease control rules can mean your animals get seized — that is not a fine, that is your livestock being taken away.
• Movement restrictions — Reportable diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, and equine infectious anemia must be reported immediately, or ranchers risk quarantines and movement restrictions.
• Civil penalties pursued by the Attorney General — In severe cases, the Texas Attorney General’s office may pursue civil penalties.

Beyond the legal penalties, the practical consequences of a delayed or missed report can be far more damaging. A disease that could have been contained to a single premises can spread to neighboring operations, triggering industry-wide movement restrictions and market access problems that affect every producer in the region.

The reporting process allows state and federal veterinarians to quickly respond to a variety of diseases with the potential to cause devastating damage to individual animals, the animal industry, the marketability of Texas livestock commodities, and in some cases, human health. When you report promptly, you are not just complying with the law — you are protecting the $15 billion livestock industry that Texas producers depend on.

For producers managing animal health across multiple species, understanding disease dynamics is essential. Resources on zoonotic diseases and bovine disease can help you stay informed about conditions that may carry dual reporting obligations. Producers with equine operations should also review reporting requirements for tick-borne illnesses that can affect multiple species, and those with poultry should consult the TAHC Poultry and Fowl page for the latest flock health guidance.