No CWD in trace investigation and a One Health reminder

Minnesota Board of Animal Health sent this bulletin at 11/08/2021 02:22 PM CST

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Animal Bytes

November 2021

CWD not detected in farmed cervid connected to a positive farm in Wisconsin

A small Sherburne County white-tailed deer farm has been released from quarantine after CWD was not-detected during a Board investigation.

The Sherburne County farm received animals from a Taylor County, Wisconsin farm in October 2017. In August 2021, Wisconsin animal health officials notified the Board that an animal from the Taylor County farm tested positive for CWD. The Board immediately conducted an investigation and quarantined any living animals moved to Minnesota that may have been exposed to CWD. The following is a summary of what the Board uncovered during its investigation and actions taken to mitigate the spread of CWD.

The Sherburne County herd received three does from a breeding herd in Taylor County Wisconsin in October 2017. When the Wisconsin farm tested positive for CWD the does were immediately considered CWD exposed and the Board quarantined the entire herd.
Only one of the three CWD exposed does from the 2017 import was alive when the Board investigated. The other two does were both harvested on the farm earlier this year and tested not-detected for CWD.
The owner of the Sherburne County herd requested federal indemnity to have the exposed five-year-old doe CWD tested and it was killed and sampled in October.
Results were confirmed and reported to the Board by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories on November 3. CWD was not detected.
The quarantine was released on November 4.

Background of the Sherburne County herd

The producer successfully CWD tested every deer death in the herd over the age of 12 months since March 2016. Annual inspections reflect secure fencing and cooperation to quickly rectify record keeping discrepancies with the Board. There are no documented compliance actions against this herd and no record of escapes.

Keep reading...

Beef, pork, poultry and more...are you secure?

Secure Food Supply Plans should be one of the first steps in your farm’s emergency preparedness for a Foreign Animal Disease. These plans can work to limit exposure of your animals through enhanced biosecurity. As an incentive, animals with no evidence of infection may qualify more quickly for a movement permit during an outbreak. The basis of the plans is for business continuity in the livestock industry, transporters, packers and processors. Learn more about supply plans for specific species below:

One Health Day celebrated November 3

The world celebrated One Health Day on Wednesday, November 3. One Health is a healthcare approach recognizing the health of people, animals and our shared environment are closely connected. Zoonotic diseases are one of the primary focuses of the One Health model because they can emerge and spread across species like humans and animals. Consider this statistic from the CDC, "More than half of all infections that people can get are zoonotic."

The reason a One Health approach is pivotal and paves the path to success is because it addresses public health threats from all angles. If we can successfully protect one part of the chain from infecting the other we can achieve positive outcomes to protect the whole chain.

Looking for recent evidence of a disease moving between people, animals and the environment? Look no further than the growing list of new species confirmed with the COVID virus since the start of the pandemic. One Health is a reminder we all need to work together to address diseases. Learn how you can support One Health.

Board updates

There are two open livestock producer positions on the Board of Animal Health. Interested applicants can apply on the Secretary of State's website.

The Board of Animal Health will convene on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. Review the latest agenda on the Board members webpage.