FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2022
Contact: Kevin Hoffman, Public Information Officer, (608) 224-5005,
kevin.hoffman@wisconsin.gov
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MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirms that a Waukesha County deer farm that tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) earlier this year has been depopulated. Of the 20 animals depopulated, eight tested positive for the disease.
In February, DATCP immediately quarantined the farm when two 3-year-old white-tailed bucks tested positive for CWD. A quarantine means that no live animals or whole carcasses are permitted to leave the property. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services depopulated the herd on August 3, and samples were submitted to the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, for testing.
The farm owner will receive federal indemnity for the depopulated animals. The farm will not be permitted to hold cervids for five years, and during that period it must maintain fences and submit to routine inspections.
CWD is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal's brain, and testing for CWD is typically only performed after the animal's death. DATCP regulates deer farms for registration, recordkeeping, disease testing, movement and permit requirements.
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