A herd of cattle has been quarantined with tuberculosis in north-central Nebraska, and state and federal agriculture officials are working to find how the herd got the disease and if the disease has spread. For story by Associated Press, click here. USDA officials are working to determine the extent of the disease in Nebraska and if the state should lose its “tuberculosis-free” designation. According to the story, [a]t stake is the state's tuberculosis-free designation from the USDA. Were that to change, Nebraska producers shipping cattle to other states might have to prove their cattle are disease-free — an expensive proposition when margins are already tight[.]If the designation was lost, cattle would need two visits to a vet in order test for TB. Nebraska has been designated TB-free for the past 17 years, and it could take USDA officials up to five weeks to make their final determination.
For more on bovine tuberculosis, click here for information on APHIS’s website.
Posted 06/02/09
