Animal Disease Eradication - Brucellosis

 NCBA Final Comments on the USDA concept paper A New Direction for the Bovine Brucellosis Program (Dec. 4, 2009) 
      (80 KB)

 NCBA Final Comments on the USDA APHIS Proposed Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis Draft Regulatory Framework (July 5, 2011) 
      (95 KB)

Summary:

Over the past 50 years we have reached a point where the eradication of brucellosis is being realized.  In 2007, the national brucellosis eradication program reached an all-time low national herd prevalence of 0.0001 percent or one brucellosis-affected herd in approximately one million herds. In February 2011, a cattle herd in Texas was diagnosed with brucellosis. However, Texas will not lose its Class Free Status. As of July 10, 2009, all 50 States were Class Free for the disease in domestic cattle herds.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the last known focus of brucellosis is in wild elk and bison in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA). The management of brucellosis in wildlife and therefore prevention of recursions into the cattle population is of great importance to the U.S. cattle industry. NCBA has and will continue working with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to achieve eradication of brucellosis. Adequately and appropriate addressing this challenge will require cooperation by the federal and state agencies of jurisdiction, working collaboratively and in partnership with APHIS and industry stakeholders.

Another issue cattlemen face is ensuring there are adequate indemnity finds available, so if a herd needs to be depopulated, it can be done quickly with the producer being compensated in a fair and equitable manner.

Background:

In 1934, Cooperative State Federal Brucellosis Eradication Program was established. The program's Uniform Methods and Rules (UM&R) set forth the minimum standards for states to achieve eradication. A state is designated as Brucellosis-free when none of the cattle in that state are found to be infected for 12 consecutive months under an active surveillance program. A state's Class Free status, however, can change. If Brucellosis is found in more than one herd of cattle in a Brucellosis free state within a two-year period, the state is downgraded to Class A status.

A chronic lack of adequate federal funding and research of brucellosis in order to progress knowledge of the disease and improve testing, surveillance, diagnosis and treatment and to decrease the need for depopulation continue to stand in the way of disease eradication.

USDA’s APHIS released a concept paper with regard to updating the brucellosis eradication program and is currently working on a proposal to update both the brucellosis and the cattle Tuberculosis programs. NCBA is carefully monitoring the status of this program update and will continue working with APHIS to achieve eradication of brucellosis. NCBA is supportive of discussions to move forward a more risk-based approach for animal health programs that provide greater flexibility to improve the regulatory framework. NCBA also supports research to develop protocols and determine the economic impact of a domestic regionalization approach of states of an area.

Key Points:

• USDA announced on July 10, 2009, that for the first time in the history of the Brucellosis program, all 50 States were Class Free for the disease in domestic cattle herds.
• The Cooperative State Federal Brucellosis Eradication Program was established in 1934.
• According to USDA, the last known focus of brucellosis is in wild elk and bison in the GYA. The management of brucellosis in wildlife and therefore prevention of recursions into the cattle population is of great importance to the U.S. cattle industry.
• NCBA continues to voice is the chronic lack of adequate federal funding and research of brucellosis in order to progress knowledge of the disease and improve testing, surveillance, diagnosis and treatment and to decrease the need for depopulation.
• USDA’s APHIS is in the process of updating its brucellosis eradication program. NCBA is carefully monitoring the status of this program update and will continue working with APHIS to close knowledge gaps and to improve surveillance, testing and preventative measures in order to achieve eradication of brucellosis.