Minnesota has now detected bovine TB in seven beef herds in Roseau and Beltrami counties in Minnesota.

As part of the disease investigation, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health asked northwestern Minnesota cattle producers within ten miles of an infected beef herd or infected white-tail deer to test their cattle for bovine tuberculosis (TB). As part of this testing, two animals from a Beltrami beef herd tested suspect for bovine TB. Tissue samples were submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, where a diagnosis of bovine TB was confirmed in an 18-month-old beef heifer. The other animal was negative.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is coordinating the details of indemnification and depopulation with the owner of the infected herd. State and federal officials have already begun tracking animal movements into and out of this operation. The newly detected herd is small and has had minimal animal movement.

"This has already been a long road," said Dr. Bill Hartmann, State Veterinarian. "But no matter what it takes, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health is committed to working with Minnesota's cattle producers to eliminate all of this disease. Finding another positive herd will reset our timeline for regaining status, but for the sake of Minnesota's cattle industry, we cannot leave a single infected herd undiscovered."

The state can apply for Accredited TB-free status two years after the depopulation of the last infected herd, pending completion of a thorough disease investigation. In addition to traces and area testing, the state is also conducting TB testing in a targeted sample of cattle herds statewide. This statewide TB surveillance began prior to the discovery of this infected herd and is expected to take at least a year to complete.

Source: livestockroundup.net