01/16/06 Brucellosis Class A status

It started with the discovery of brucellosis in a Swan Valley herd last October and now USDA says Idaho will no longer have the brucellosis free status it has enjoyed since 1991. With the new Class A status will come increased testing of certain cattle. At a minimum, all intact male and female cattle over 18 months of age that are not going directly to slaughter will have to be tested for brucellosis before they can be shipped out of state. Additionally, cattle herds in eastern Idaho that have contact with wild elk in the winter time and are identified as "high-risk" by ISDA will be required to be tested for brucellosis. Such a testing regimen could increase costs for producers like Mark Harris who has vaccinated all his cattle near the Idaho-Wyoming border. HARRIS "Our concern is the elk. They'll come down to the feed grounds and there's some things that we can do like fence off the feed grounds. Fish and Game lately have been very good to help haze the elk away and depredation hunts and things like that." Idaho can apply to regain its Brucellosis-Free status if no new cases emerge after one year. It is believed that bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Area are the predominate source of the bacteria in the region. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott