September 17, 2013

Texas enforces brucellosis testing on all DSA breeding cattle

The Texas Animal Health Commission agreed to impose stricter brucellosis testing protocol for all breeding cattle coming from Montana's Designated Surveillance Area (DSA).

The proposed testing was agreed even after the Montana Department of Livestock sent the state veterinarian before the commission to inform them of the state's Brucellosis management programme.

That means that any calving breeding cattle coming from the DSA could be subjected to over a year of quarantine if purchased by Texas producers, which is 30 to 90 days after a heifer gives birth.

Marty Zaluski, the state veterinarian, said that Montana's Department of Livestock's apprehension that the rule could set a precedent for other states will not happen because the rule is so "unnecessary" and "arbitrary."

There are up to 250 herds that utilise Montana's DSA. Last year about 6,000 breeding cattle were exported to Texas.

Zaluski thinks the rule could stigmatise all cattle coming from the area, not just those that are breeding and susceptible to Brucellosis.

While there are no formal plans, the state vet said that if they were to take the same unnecessary precautions like Texas has, they would have to examine by similar standards Tuberculosis and Brucellosis in cattle coming from Texas that could potentially infect Montana herds.

The DSA is made up of parts of four Montana counties: Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin, and Park.