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Rancher would lose much, gain little by slaughterLANDER, Wyo. (AP)--Ranchers and livestock officials say a western Wyoming rancher who has seen more than 20 of his cattle test positive for brucellosis would have much to lose and little to gain by slaughtering his entire herd. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is pushing the rancher, who hasn't been named, to slaughter the animals. That would wipe out years of breeding work by the rancher. If he doesn't slaughter, Wyoming would lose its federal brucellosis-free status--assuming that no other herds test positive, in which case Wyoming would lose its brucellosis-free status regardless of the rancher's decision. Loss of that status would mean additional testing requirements for Wyoming cattle. But ranchers throughout western Wyoming must already submit cattle to additional testing because they're in a brucellosis surveillance area. "We have to test in order to sell breeding livestock," said Lynda Vickrey, a Daniel-area rancher. "We are not the same as the rest of the state. We are currently under restriction, and we don't have the same rights as everybody else in the state." State Veterinarian Walt Cook has asked the federal government to extend its slaughter deadline until later this fall, when the 11 other herds that have had contact with the infected herd can be tested. The USDA rejected Cook's initial request for an extension, and he has appealed that decision. Another Daniel-area rancher, Charles Price, said that by refusing to extend the deadline for the rancher to make his decision, the federal government is pressuring the rancher to slaughter his breeding cattle. "They're trying to force him. They're trying to make it so bad he'll have to slaughter," Price said. "The guy's worked on those cows for years. It's a high-altitude herd. These cattle have been acclimated to this area. So why should he have to start all over again? He's choosing between two evils." Livestock officials point out that the rancher could preserve some of that breeding effort through "test and slaughter"--testing his cattle and killing only those that test positive. The program would take at least one year to complete. In the meantime, Wyoming would lose its brucellosis-free status. Randy Stevenson, a Wheatland cattle rancher, said he would support the rancher if he decided not to slaughter his breeding cattle, even though that would add a burden to his own operation. "It's a genetic base he's been working on for generations of cattle. He's been selecting and raising his cattle according to what he sees as most fit for his environment and the customer," Stevenson said. "If he were to depopulate, he'd liquidate that genetic base that he's been building for years. I understand very much his reluctance." Stevenson said he believes the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has given the rancher an unwarranted ultimatum by holding fast to its Aug. 29 slaughter deadline. "Brucellosis isn't like foot-and-mouth or other highly contagious diseases," Stevenson said. "When it has been quarantined, there isn't any danger to public health, nor the health of the national cattle herd." 8/18/08 Date: 8/13/08
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