New Mexico Business Weekly - September 11, 2008
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Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 3:00 PM MDT
Richardson calls TB decision to downgrade cattle excessiveNew Mexico Business Weekly
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has downgraded the state’s bovine tuberculosis status from TB Free Accredited to Modified Accredited Advanced.

The decision has been anticipated since last spring when a single cow tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in a feedlot in eastern New Mexico, according to Gov. Bill Richardson’s office. There is currently no known case of bovine tuberculosis in the state, he said.

Bovine TB is a contagious and infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis, according to the USDA. It affects cattle, bison, deer, elk, goats and other warm-blooded species and can be fatal. The disease can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected animals or consumption of raw milk. It is not transmitted through consumption of pasteurized milk.

Richardson said the decision is excessive and he called on the USDA to reconsider the status as soon as possible. The status will place a harsh burden on small, family-run ranching and dairy operations, he said. It means thousands of livestock producers will now have to conduct expensive and unnecessary TB tests before shipping livestock out of state, Richardson said.

The change in status means certain breeding age cattle leaving the state will require a negative tuberculosis test within 60 days of export. The test must be administered b a state-federal accredited veterinarian. About 150 vets throughout the state are certified to perform the test. Herds that are certified TB free are exempt from testing.

Myles Culbertson, executive director of the New Mexico Livestock Board, said the requirements will have a financial impact on many of the state’s cattle producers and their families. The board is working with producers, livestock industry organizations and the Governor’s Office and congressional delegation to mitigate those financial impacts. The board submitted an application to USDA to narrow the Modified Accredited Advanced status from statewide to a zone that includes Curry and Roosevelt counties in eastern New Mexico, which is the area most at risk for bovine TB.

According to Richardson’s office, the cattle industry is worth $2 billion annually and employs thousands, while generating millions of dollars of revenue for the state.

For more information on the state’s TB bovine response, go to www.nmlbonline.com.




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