Earlier this year, Bluestem had posted about Chronic Wasting Disease found on Todd Miller's long quaranteed farm in Winona County in MN Board of Animal Health: CWD confirmed in quarantined Winona County captive deer herd and Todd Miller's deer farm was depopulated Tuesday among other posts.
On Monday, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health updated the news on the deer farm in a press release, No additional Chronic Wasting Disease detected in remaining depopulated deer on Winona County farm:
A Winona County deer farm went through a mandatory herd depopulation in October, and no Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was detected in any of the 120 white-tailed deer tested. The Winona County farm had been quarantined since October 2020 because of its connection to other Minnesota CWD positive farms. In August 2022, CWD was confirmed in a 4-year-old doe in the herd (https://www.bah.state.mn.us/news_release/cwd-confirmed-in-quarantined-winona-county-deer-herd/). A total of three CWD positive deer have been confirmed on this farm when two deer harvested after the August detection also tested positive for CWD.
“Unfortunately, we rarely find a definitive answer to how CWD was introduced into a herd. We will continue to work with farmers and state and federal partners to better understand how these animals were infected,” said Senior Veterinarian Dr. Courtney Wheeler. “We’re fortunate this producer is interested in solving this puzzle and is working with us, the USDA and the University of Minnesota on further research. Tissues from the depopulated deer will be submitted for a federally funded genomic testing project to understand if some deer are more susceptible to CWD than others.”
The Winona County herd actively participated in the national CWD Herd Certification Program since 2012 and tested more than 100 deer for CWD before the disease was detected in August 2022. The herd was in a CWD endemic area of Minnesota where there is a high prevalence of CWD in the wild deer population. The farm and deer enclosures had been double fenced since 2015.
As part of an agreement with state and federal animal health officials, the herd owner is required to clean and disinfect all enclosures and must maintain fencing on the property for five years from the date of the last detection. The farm is not allowed to have any deer or elk for five years, and the property owner must maintain fencing to prevent wild deer from accessing empty pens. Biohazard signs will be posted on the fencing and must be maintained for the entire five-year fallow period.
Update: While wording of the Board of Animal Health press release implies that the agreement is a negotiated settlement, these conditions are in fact law. See 35.155 FARMED CERVIDAE Subd. 11, d:
(d) The owner of a premises where chronic wasting disease is detected must:
(1) depopulate the premises of Cervidae after the federal indemnification process has been completed or, if an indemnification application is not submitted, within a reasonable time determined by the board in consultation with the commissioner of natural resources;
(2) maintain the fencing required under subdivision 4 on the premises for five years after the date of detection; and
(3) post the fencing on the premises with biohazard signs as directed by the board. [end update]
The December 5 press release continues:
CWD is a disease of the deer and elk family caused by prions, which can damage brain and nerve tissue. The disease is most likely transmitted when infected deer and elk shed prions in saliva, feces, urine, and other fluids or tissues. CWD is not known to naturally occur in other animals. The disease is fatal in deer and elk, and there are no known treatments or vaccines. According to the CDC, consuming meat from a CWD positive animal is not advised.
The press release mentions '"Tissues from the depopulated deer will be submitted for a federally funded genomic testing project to understand if some deer are more susceptible to CWD than others.”
Board of Animal Health's November 2022 "Animal Bites" noted:
Determining Genomically Estimated Breeding Value to identify animals least susceptible to CWD
The Board of Animal Health is utilizing USDA CWD Cooperative Agreement Funding to determine the Genomically Estimated Breeding Value (GEBV) in more than 3,000 Minnesota farmed white-tailed deer. The GEBV looks at genetic markers to reduce the animals' susceptibility to CWD. To determine the susceptibility of an individual animal, more than 100,000 regions of the white-tailed deer genome are analyzed using computer modeling and machine learning to identify regions unique to animals known to be CWD positive. All genetic information for animals with a GEBV calculated are saved in the North American Deer Registry database and used for comparison. A computer scans this genomic data and provides a score related to the degree in which it is similar to CWD-positive animals. This allows geneticists to classify animals into three categories: highly susceptible, moderately susceptible, and minimally susceptible. Farmers can use those ratings to make breeding or culling decisions on their farm.
Miller is the brother of Minnesota state senator Jeremy Miller, whose service as Majority Leader was brought to a close with the DFL gaining the majority in the upper chamber.
The legislature may move on CWD policy with both chambers under DFL control. Last week in the Outdoors section of the Star Tribune, Tony Kennedy reported in Majority shift in Minn. Senate leads way for new fish and game leader:
. . . [Sen. Foung Hawj (pronounced HER)], who lives near the south end of Lake Phalen and owns 30 acres of recreational land in Kanabec County, said he shares several legislative goals with his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Rick Hansen, D-South St. Paul. . . .
Hawj and Hansen said they'll also look to reform laws pertaining to the oversight of deer farms in Minnesota. State wildlife biologists have told lawmakers that deer farms have contributed to the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild deer. One proposal still considered viable by Hansen is to place a moratorium on the establishment of any new deer farms in the state.
"Because of CWD, we need to re-evaluate how to make deer farming safer,'' Hawj said.
Both committee chairs hunt whitetails in Minnesota. Hawj, who is self-deprecating about his bow-hunting and fishing expertise, said he's harvested only a handful of deer in 20 years. "I'm not that skilled, but it allows me to be out there in nature, meditating,'' he said. . . .
We'll be watching to see how much sway the new BAH talking point about the Genomically Estimated Breeding Value (GEBV) and breeding CWD resistant deer has in policy discussions in Hawj and Hansen's committees, as well as the legislature's ag committees.
Related posts
- MN Chronic Wasting Disease dilemma: should new deer farms be blocked? The old bought out?
- Todd Miller's deer farm was depopulated Tuesday
- Chronic Wasting Disease: St. Louis County permanently bans new or expanded cervid farms
- On Facebook, operator of CWD doomed Winona County deer farm wears Miller Scrap hat
- MN Board of Animal Health: CWD confirmed in quarantined Winona County captive deer herd
- Update: More on Miller family deer farm interests
- Senate DFL Leader Franzen raises conflict-of-interest concerns in Republican leader's role overturning bipartisan vote to protect wild deer
Screengrab: The OAH's flow chart of CWD spread to MN deer farms.
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