SALEM — Oregon ranchers would no longer be required to vaccinate beef cows for brucellosis under a proposal in the state Legislature.

Brucellosis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes spontaneous abortions in cattle. It can be passed to humans, typically by consuming unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from infected animals.

Also known as “undulant fever,” the disease has symptoms including rising and falling fever — hence the name — along with joint pain, fatigue and swelling of the heart in severe cases.

The USDA first implemented a program to eradicate brucellosis nationwide in 1934. Currently, all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are classified as brucellosis-free, meaning no livestock have been infected for 12 consecutive months.

However, the disease is still present in bison and elk herds within the Greater Yellowstone Area. Federal agencies have designated a control zone for brucellosis around Yellowstone National Park, where cattle are subject to additional surveillance and testing.

The last case of brucellosis in Oregon livestock was approximately 25 years ago in Klamath County, said Rodger Huffman, chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association’s animal health, brand inspection and theft committee.

Yet state law still requires that all cows be vaccinated for brucellosis by 12 months of age unless they are immediately going to slaughter.

Eradication efforts have rendered the disease risk “minimal to nonexistent,” Huffman said, though the vaccine requirement continues to add costs for producers while simultaneously lowering the value of unvaccinated cows.

“Why are we vaccinating against a disease that’s not present?” he said. “It makes no sense.”

Senate Bill 57, sponsored by Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, and Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, would amend the law to remove the brucellosis vaccine requirement in the state for beef cows, though it would still be in effect for dairy cows.

“Quite frankly, it’s a very costly program for a disease that’s been eradicated (in Oregon),” Findley said.

If passed, the bill would make brucellosis vaccines for beef cows voluntary, rather than mandatory, said Huffman, who ranches in Union.

He said there was little dissent among OCA members for supporting the bill at the organization’s recent business meeting.

“This proposal is not going to impact anyone who wants to continue vaccinating for brucellosis,” he said.

Dr. Ryan Scholz, state veterinarian for the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said the brucellosis vaccine for cattle is not 100% effective at preventing infection.

On the other hand, the vaccine is highly effective at preventing symptoms, he said. This can actually have the unintended consequence of masking infections within a herd, he added, delaying discovery and allowing the disease to spread.

“I do not think, currently, that Oregon cattlemen vaccinating 100% of their cows changes the risk of the disease being reintroduced in Oregon,” Scholz said. “If anything, it potentially increases the risk that, if a reintroduction happened, it would go unnoticed for a longer period of time.”

Scholz said ODA would still have the authority to enforce quarantines or other control measures working with the livestock industry should the disease be detected in the future.

The Oregon Legislature convened Tuesday, Jan. 17 for the 2023 session. SB 57 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.