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Bovine TB found in South Dakota cattle herd
Bovine tuberculosis has again been found in a South Dakota beef herd.
State Veterinarian Dr. Dustin Oedekoven says a Hutchinson County herd is affected and under quarantine. An investigation is underway to determine if other herds are affected.
“We are working with the producer as well as our federal counterparts at USDA [Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service] to try and determine if additional animals have been exposed to this herd primarily to limit the economic impact of this disease to the cattle industry,” said Oedekoven, during an interview Monday with Brownfield.
The finding has no bearing on food safety, but there’s concern about the infection spreading to other cattle, said Oedekoven. Neighboring herds are also quarantined until additional tests indicate they’re not infected. Historically, Oedekoven says producers have been paid in cases where a herd is depopulated because of tuberculosis infection.
“If the funding is not available to buy the herd or to depopulate the herd as a method of disposal then the herd would remain under quarantine through multiple herd tests and removal of any infected animals,” said Oedekoven
South Dakota has been recognized as a TB-Accredited-Free state by USDA since 1982 and Oedekoven says it will retain that accreditation.
“So long as the investigation is moving ahead and we’re bringing a thorough understanding of the situation, we should be able to maintain our TB-free status,” he said.
Interstate movement of cattle from South Dakota should not change to most states, however an exception is Wisconsin, which isn’t taking any chances, according to its head veterinarian.
“The dairy industry is too important to our economy to risk by letting our guard down,” said Dr. Bob Ehlenfeldt, Wisconsin State Veterinarian.
Wisconsin’s new requirements for cattle coming from South Dakota include:
- Negative individual tests within 60 days before import for dairy and beef cattle brought in for breeding or exhibition, or as feeder cattle.
- Negative individual tests for veal calves that are 30 days or older unless they’re confined to one premises from arrival until they go to slaughter.
Animals will be exempt from testing requirements if they are from accredited TB-free herds, or go direct to slaughter or approved import feedlots.
South Dakota found two TB-affected herds in early 2010. Those herds were depopulated, and an extensive investigation was completed.
Brownfield reporter Bob Meyer contributed to this article.
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