FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 3, 2023
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 Vernon County deer farm that tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in September 2022 has been depopulated. Of the 32 animals depopulated, four tested positive for the disease.
DATCP quarantined the farm in September 2022 when a 3-year-old white-tailed buck 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, and samples were submitted to the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, for testing.
The farm owner will receive 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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