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New Mexico's TB-free cattle status at risk
SANTA FE (AP)--The federal government could cancel New Mexico's status as a cattle TB-free state unless the state can prove in the next 60 days that a tuberculosis outbreak in a Curry County dairy is isolated and won't spread. In early July, the state's congressional delegation and Gov. Bill Richardson expressed concern that federal agriculture officials appeared poised to change New Mexico's status. All dairies and beef cattle operations in New Mexico would have to test for bovine TB if the state loses its status as a TB-free state. "Losing the TB-free status would be a huge, huge hit for the livestock industry," said state veterinarian Dr. Dave Fly. It would cost $4 million to $6 million for the tests, he said. The test requires each cow to go through a chute twice in three days, costing both time and money, said Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association. Currently, only part of southern New Mexico is required to test cows for bovine tuberculosis before they're shipped out of state. The rest of New Mexico is considered TB-free, and producers can take cattle across the state line freely with testing every few years. It's the first time in two years that new TB cases have been found in the state, but it's an industrywide problem, Fly said. "We have two serious investigations under way in two other states with possible cases of TB in beef cattle that trace back to (New Mexico)," he said. "This is not just a dairy issue." Bovine tuberculosis can be passed to humans, but that's rare, Fly said. About 170 dairy cows out of 3,000 in an isolated dairy farm in Curry County tested positive for TB in mid-June, Fly said. The infected cows were taken out of the milk line when they showed positive signs of infection and were slaughtered, he said. Pasteurization kills the bacteria in milk, ensuring consumer safety, he said. The infection was found in an area that had been TB free, prompting a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation. The infected cows were at two dairies owned by the same person. The state could have instantly lost its TB-free status if the USDA had decided the cows were from two herds. However, the agency ruled Wednesday it was one herd. Last year, sales of New Mexico milk and beef cattle totaled close to $2 billion. Date: 7/19/07
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