Annual Testing in Bovine TB Area Finds Infected Herd

Agency: Agriculture and Rural Development

Producer meeting will be held on August 6, 2015 at 7 p.m.

For immediate release: July 23, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Holton, 517-284-5724 or holtonj@michigan.gov
Lansing Routine bovine tuberculosis (TB) surveillance testing conducted by the Michigan Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently
confirmed a small beef herd as bovine TB positive in Alcona County. This is the 62nd cattle herd found in
Michigan with bovine TB since 1998 and the second in 2015.
An informational meeting for beef and dairy cattle producers in Alcona County is scheduled for:
August 6, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Barton City VFW Post 8135, 2118 W. Trask Lake Road, Barton City, Mich.
48705.
Bovine TB is an infectious bacterial disease that primarily affects cattle; however it can be transmitted
between wildlife populations and other mammals, including humans. This herd is located in a small area
of Michigan where TB is endemic in wild deer. Any contact either directly or indirectly with the wild deer
can spread TB to a herd.
Finding TB is always hard on the impacted farm and this case illustrates that any size herd can be
infected, which is why MDARD works with producers of all sizes to mitigate their risk to help prevent the
transmission of the disease into their herds from wild deer, said Dr. Rick Smith, Assistant State
Veterinarian.
Annual surveillance testing is designed to catch the disease in the very earliest stages. In order to prevent
it from spreading to other farms, each herd must undergo annual testing and any additional movement off
a farm must include a TB test within 30 days before movement. All cattle in Michigan must also have
electronic identification eartags before they may move from the farm. Electronic identification allows
MDARD to trace cattle and control the spread of disease in the event of an investigation.

For more information, visit: www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases .

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