Brucellosis In The Wild May Lose Wyoming Disease Free Status
WYOMING — A state task force decided Thursday to back Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s opposition to drafting federal rules to deal with wildlife diseases in a way that might impact cattle ranchers.
27 April 2007
1 minute read
State officials said they have not been allowed to see the draft rules, which could affect both wildlife and livestock in Wyoming. The first draft is slated for publication in the fall, according to Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Terry Cleveland, who said his agency wants to be allowed to see the rules and offer input before publication.
Cleveland said he’s worried the rules could open the door to penalizing Wyoming cattle ranchers because the state’s elk population is infected with the disease brucellosis.
“I don’t want Wyoming livestock producers to lose [brucellosis-free] status because of disease in wildlife,” Cleveland said.
The U.S. Agriculture Department in September declared Wyoming’s cattle herds to be free of brucellosis. The state had lost its brucellosis-free status in 2003 when the disease was found in a cattle herd near Pinedale that was close to an elk feed ground.
During a Thursday meeting of the Brucellosis Coordination Team, a governor-appointed task force, Cleveland told the team he has received verbal assurances from a federal official that such a situation would not occur. But team members said such assurances could be lost as federal officials change jobs – especially if guarantees are not in writing.
Source: JacksonHole
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