Animal Disease Eradication – Cattle Tuberculosis (TB)

 NCBA Final Comments on the USDA APHIS Proposed Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis Draft Regulatory Framework (July 5, 2011) 
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 NCBA Final Comments on the USDA concept paper A New Approach for Managing Bovine Tuberculosis (Dec. 4, 2009) 
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Summary:

Over the past 50 years we have reached a point where the eradication of Tuberculosis (TB) is approaching a reality. NCBA shares the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) goal of eradicating the disease from U.S. cattle. The current TB eradication program has resulted in the incidence of cattle TB in U.S. cattle to less than 0.001 percent. 

Background:

History illustrates that Tuberculosis is a very old disease with evidence that it has been present in human populations as far back as 7,000 years. Dr. Robert Koch first identified and described organism that caused TB in humans in 1881. The strain that causes bovine TB is closely related to the form that infects people. Although it is also possible for the bovine TB strain to be transmitted from cattle to humans, the likelihood of it happening is rare. Milk would be the most likely method of transmission, and this is prevented by proper pasteurization. The low risk of transmission from consumption of beef is prevented through live animal and meat inspection and proper cooking.
 
The Cooperative State/Federal TB Eradication Program, started in 1917 and administered by Veterinary Services, state animal health agencies and U.S. livestock producers, has nearly eradicated TB from the nation's livestock population. A major concern NCBA continues to voice is the chronic lack of adequate federal funding and research of cattle TB 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 TB eradication program and is expected to release a proposal to update both the TB eradication program as well as the Brucellosis 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 bovine TB.

Key Points:

• Over the past 50 years we have reached a point where the eradication of Tuberculosis (TB) approaching a reality.
• The current TB program has resulted in the incidence of cattle TB in U.S. cattle to less than 0.001 percent.
• A major concern NCBA continues to voice is the chronic lack of adequate federal funding and research of cattle TB in order to progress knowledge of the disease and improve testing, surveillance, diagnosis and treatment and to decrease the need for depopulation.
• As USDA’s APHIS works towards issuing a proposal to update the TB program, NCBA will continue working collaboratively with the agency to close knowledge gaps and eradicate TB from the U.S. cattle herd.