# Ban lifted on cervid farms ?



## Percha Man (Mar 16, 2003)

Has the ban been lifted on Cervid farms ? Can they now go back to buisness as usual and the baiters have to suffer 6 more months possibly when the cervid farms caused this debauchle in the first place?

Just wondering seems odd to do this. To lazy to research myself with so many well educated folk around here already knee deep figured I'd get a better answer.


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## north-bound (Nov 20, 2007)

I saw that on sept. 11 Rebecca put it into motion not sure where it stands now though. It wouldn't suprise me at all if its business as normal for the cervid farms.


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## Tom Morang (Aug 14, 2001)

State finds no more bovine TB in Shiawassee County, lifts 'potential high-risk area' designation
Posted by Elizabeth Shaw | The Flint Journal September 16, 2008 17:41PM

SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, Michigan -- State agriculture and wildlife officials say months of rigorous testing have detected no further cases of bovine tuberculosis in Shiawassee County.

That's given the all-clear to lift a 10-mile "Potential High-Risk Area" declared by the Michigan Department of Agriculture back in February, when bovine TB was confirmed in a doe killed by a Bennington Township hunter on Dec. 29, 2007.

It was the first confirmed case of bovine TB found this far south since the disease was first detected in 1975 on the northeast side of the state.

More than 100 beef and dairy herds and 152 deer were tested and found to be free of bovine TB.
Flint Journal extras

Bovine TB update:

&#8226;Dec. 29, 2007: Hunter reports possible bovine TB in a doe taken in Bennington Township.

&#8226; January, 2008: State wildlife biologists begin testing road-killed deer in Shiawassee County.

&#8226; February, 2008: Tests confirm bovine TB. MDA and DNR declare 10-mile "Potential High Risk Area" to test deer and cattle.

&#8226; March, 2008: Testing begins on 107 beef and dairy herds.

&#8226; September, 2008: Six-month test period ends with no further cases detected. "High Risk" designation removed.

CWD Update:

&#8226; Aug. 25, 2008: CWD confirmed in a doe on a privately owned cervid facility in Kent County.

&#8226; Immediate ban on baiting and feeding of deer and elk in the Lower Peninsula, quarantine on all POC facilities in state and statewide prohibition on the transport of live deer, elk and moose.

&#8226; Sept. 16, 2008: MDA releases first 11 POC facilities from quarantine. Another 50 expected to be released within the next month. Investigation continues into POC facilities linked to the Kent County case. 

"It's nice not to have found it in any cattle but we never did find a source or means by which bovine TB moved into that particular deer," said Dr. Steven Halstead, MDA State Veterinarian. "It's very likely it was just a sporadic occurrence, which can happen when there's a very, very low level of a disease within a population."

Even when the Shiawassee County farms fell under the potential high-risk designation, milk and beef produced in Shiawassee County were considered completely safe for consumption.

The respiratory disease can spread between wild and captive deer and domestic cattle through nose-to-nose contact and saliva.

Michigan is one of the only places in North America where bovine TB has become established in the wild deer population. Over-population and deer baiting practices are key factors in its spread. Livestock feed accessible to deer can also help spread the disease.

"This was a textbook case where industry and government cooperated and got the job done," said Ernie Birchmeier, the farm Bureau's livestock and dairy specialist. "It also speaks volumes of the cooperation between the livestock and dairy industries and the hunting community. The outcome is what both groups want -- a healthy livestock and wildlife population."

The MDA also announced late Tuesday afternoon that the first 11 of about 600 privately owned cervid facilities have been released from a separate statewide quarantine initiated Aug. 25 after Chronic Wasting Disease was confirmed in a doe culled from a Kent County POC facility. Baiting was also banned for the entire Lower Peninsula and all transport of live deer, moose and elk halted.

The first 11 POC facilities were released from quarantine based on five years of good reviews and voluntary compliance with the MDA's CWD and bovine TB surveillance programs.

The next group of about 50 facilities, with two-five years of good reviews, could be released within the next two to three weeks.

"We're hoping to get to them as soon as possible. But we're still investigating herds linked to that positive animal and that's where we're focusing our resources first," said Halstead.
© 2008 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.


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## Percha Man (Mar 16, 2003)

Thank you ..


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