Additional 3-mile surveillance circle for bovine TB set in Huron County
Additional 3-mile surveillance circle for bovine TB set in Huron County
Contact: Bridget Patrick 517-284-5661May 9, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Bridget Patrick, 517-284-5661 or patrickb@michigan.gov
Lansing – The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) today set up a three-mile radius around the location of the Huron County feedlot announced as bovine Tuberculosis (TB) positive in March 2014. The circle is a boundary established to conduct bovine TB disease surveillance testing in cattle, and is the second three-mile TB testing circle announced in Huron County this year. The delay in establishing the circle test was due to confirmation tests from the laboratory which indicate a genetic link between infection in this steer and infection in the Saginaw County dairy of last year.
A public meeting to discuss the disease surveillance testing, and the strain type of bovine TB in the steer is scheduled for:
May 22, 2014 7:00 p.m. Sand Beach Township Hall , 1170 South Lakeshore Road, Harbor Beach, Michigan
To date, disease surveillance testing (as opposed to direct trace testing) of 107 herds and 11,438 cattle was completed in Saginaw, Gratiot, Midland, and Arenac counties with no further disease discovered. The most recent positive animal found at slaughter makes six bovine TB positive locations, including the original farm. All of this testing is related to the discovery of a bovine TB positive animal found at slaughter in February 2013 that was traced back to a Saginaw County dairy.
• A trace investigation into where the original farm’s cattle went or came from in the past five years, found three TB positive premises. • Slaughter surveillance found three bovine TB positive premises. • Disease surveillance testing thus far has shown no bovine TB.
Additionally, MDARD completed bovine TB testing all cattle herds within three miles of the Arenac County feedlot identified as having a TB positive steer in September 2013. Michigan has been testing for bovine TB in cattle and working to eradicate the disease since 1995.
For more information, visit: www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases .
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