MATT JOYCE Associated Press Writer | Posted: Thursday, June 26, 2008 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - As Wyoming and Montana investigate brucellosis outbreaks, state veterinarians from those states and Idaho plan to meet Friday to discuss strategies for controlling the disease in the greater Yellowstone area.
Montana state veterinarian Marty Zaluski said the meeting, which will be held in Helena, Mont., will cover short- and long-term goals for brucellosis management in the region.
Livestock officials in Montana and Wyoming are in the midst of investigations to determine the cause of brucellosis infections in cattle herds in both states this month. Brucellosis, a bacterial disease transmitted between cattle and wildlife such as elk and bison, can cause spontaneous abortions, infertility, decreased milk production and weight loss.
"The three states are faced with a common problem, and we thought it was best to strategize to try to help one another and protect our individual state industries," said Bill Barton, Idaho's state veterinarian.
Montana livestock officials want to learn about how their neighboring states went through the process of regaining brucellosis-free status in recent years, Zaluski said.
With the second detection of brucellosis in a Montana cattle herd in two years, the state will lose its federal brucellosis-free status, meaning Montana ranchers will have to test their cattle before shipping them out of state.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture bestowed brucellosis-free status on Idaho last year and Wyoming in 2006 after each state dealt with outbreaks in cattle herds.
Zaluski said the veterinarians will also discuss working with state and federal wildlife officials to stop the disease from spreading from wildlife to cattle.
"If in fact Montana's case is linked to wildlife, and if in fact Wyoming's case is linked to wildlife, then looking at how we address these in the future is part of preventing it from happening again and figuring out what to do next," Zaluski said.
Also on the agenda for Friday's meetings are discussions on updating federal regulations for handling brucellosis outbreaks and legislative priorities related to the issue.
Jim Schwartz, director of the Wyoming Livestock Board, said he'd like the Department of Agriculture to revisit a rule that requires ranchers with infected cows to slaughter the entire herd for the state to have a chance at maintaining its brucellosis-free status.
The slaughter rule, referred to as "depopulation," made more sense when brucellosis was more commonly transmitted among cattle, rather than from wildlife to cattle, he said.
"We're trying to figure out a different way to wrestle with this," he said. "I think we need to have some changes in federal rules and regulations."