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Veterinary Health Division

The Veterinary Health Division is responsible for the prevention, control and eradication of diseases in livestock and poultry. The Louisiana state veterinarian, working with other LDAF state regulatory veterinarians, animal health technicians and laboratory personnel, work daily to ensure that Louisiana has healthy animals.

Major emphasis is devoted to the control and eradication of brucellosis in cattle, tuberculosis in all warm blooded species, equine infectious anemia in horses and pseudorabies in swine. Ongoing surveillance is also maintained to detect endemic and exotic diseases in Louisiana.

Major components of the overall disease control program are to improve and expand the diagnostic service programs. The Poultry Diagnostic Laboratory in Homer, LA, tests birds on a regular basis for the poultry industry as well as performing other diagnostic studies. This division is also responsible for the licensing and supervision of livestock dealers and the chartering and supervision of auction markets.

The Veterinary Health Division sees that all auction market services are in compliance with all laws and regulations pertaining to animal health and offers protection to consumers using auction market services.

Since the passage of Louisiana Act 615, this division has been actively working with other agencies and volunteer groups to fine tune our animal evacuation and sheltering plans in case of a natural or man made disaster.


Guidelines For Showing Livestock in Louisiana CLICK HERE


Equine Piroplasmosis


Bovine Trichomoniasis


Animal Health, Rules & Regulations


**Feral Swine Rules & Regulations


Important Phone Numbers

LDAF Veterinary Health Division
Phone: 225-925-3980

USDA APHIS Veterinary Services Area Veterinarian in Charge’s office
Phone: 601-936-8580
Mailing address: 345 Keyway Dr.
Flowood, MS 39232

Federal Epidemiologist’s office
Phone: 255-935-2174

LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (www.vetmed.lsu.edu)
Large Animal Clinic: 225-578-9500
Small Animal Clinic: 225-578-9600

Louisiana Racing Commission
Dr. Matt Cooley, Equine Medical Director
Phone: 504-483-4000

Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
Phone: 225-578-9777
Mailing address: River Road #1043
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
By Fed Ex (best to assure delivery to the front desk over the weekend) or UPS

Call USDA, Veterinary Services, at 601-936-8580 for:
Animal(s) Leaving the United States
Request for International Health Certificates
International Import/Export Regulations
Veterinary Accreditation

Call Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, at 225-765-2362 for:

  • Questions concerning importation or owning of Wild or Exotic Animals
  • Issues concerning non-human primates and wolf hybrids

Poison Control for Animals

Equine Regulations
Requirements for horses residing in Louisiana are simple: annual test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA or Coggins Test) permanent identification.

All equine imported into Louisiana for any purpose other than consignment to an approved Louisiana livestock auction market or an approved slaughter establishment for immediate slaughter shall be accompanied by a record of a negative official test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) conducted within the past 12 months. The official test shall be conducted by an approved laboratory. The name of the laboratory, the case number and the date of the official test shall appear on the health certificate.

If there has been a change in ownership of the horse, the Coggins test must be current within six months of the transaction.

The State of Louisiana has significantly reduced our numbers of EIA positive horses since implementing this program in the early 1990s.

Louisiana sets the standard other states use to make their equine regulations. The permanent identification was a significant help after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and other states have adopted our regulations as a model.

General Animal Industry Links Premises Identification
Under the new Premises Identification Program, a Location Identification Number (LID) is assigned to your agricultural business or farm operation. That information is used strictly for Animal Disease Traceability purposes in case there is a disease outbreak in the state. Only that LID and address of operation are visible in the allocator system for outside use. All other information is held in a secure database managed by the Office of the State Veterinarian in the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. This LID has replaced the former Premises Identification Number or PIN, but both numbers are still valid.

Louisiana is building on its Animal Disease Traceability Program in order to better control livestock diseases. Since the state gained brucellosis free status on July 26, 2000, fewer cattle have been officially tagged and identified like they were in the old brucellosis database. With the current federal traceability rule that became effective March 11, 2013, all livestock entering interstate commerce are required to be officially identified and accompanied by a movement document such as a health certificate, commuter herd agreement, or owner shipper statement, unless they are specifically exempt. The LID or PIN shows that the producer is eligible to purchase official ID from a manufacturer, ID such as the USDA metal Brite tag or 840 RFID tag. The LID or PIN is then used by our office to identify the location of a species of livestock in a disease outbreak to better assess the risk of disease spread in an area. The number is also used for traces in an epidemiological investigation for diseases such as bovine tuberculosis.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry is committed to safeguarding the health of its animal agriculture. Fundamental to controlling any disease threat, whether foreign or domestic, is to identify where our animals are located. We are committed to safely and privately managing this information by using the latest technology to electronically capture, store, and quickly retrieve information when needed.

Animal Disease Traceability and Location Identification Numbers are disease control programs. Traceability applies only to cattle, bison, horses and other equine, poultry, swine, sheep, goats, and captive cervid that move interstate. Location identification is a voluntary program and LIDs facilitate the purchase of official identification devices and aid in disease tracking. Our goal is to facilitate commerce while ensuring the health of livestock in Louisiana. Please contact us if you have any questions.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is the lead agency charged with the evacuation and sheltering of household pets during a declared disaster in Louisiana. Our emergency plan is the Emergency Support Function 11 (ESF 11) which addresses all hazards preparedness and response to emergencies related to food, agriculture, livestock, and household pets in Louisiana.

Recent history involving natural disasters has illustrated the need to include animal and household pet evacuation as an integral part of human evacuation plans while preparing for and responding to such events. Legislative Act 615 of the 2006 Regular Session states that parish governments and animal/pet facilities must file an emergency plan with the local parish office of emergency preparedness and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry by March 1st on an annual basis. This information is critical for planning, preparing, and responding to the parishes that need assistance to evacuate and shelter the household pets of their Critical Transportation Needs population during a state declared emergency. Our mission is to assist the citizens of Louisiana in developing a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan by providing informational resources for Livestock and Household pets. These guidelines offer recommendations for Livestock and Household Pets that will help owners prepare to evacuate their Livestock and Household Pets at the same time they evacuate themselves from threatened areas.

Business/Farm Premises ID Application

For more information on Premises ID, contact call 225-925-3980 or Email.


For more information, contact LDAF at the address, phone numbers or e-mail listed below.

LDAF Office of Animal Health and Food Safety
Veterinary Health Division

5825 Florida Blvd., Suite 4000
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Fax: 225-237-5555
Phone: 225-925-3980
Email