USDA to upgrade Minnesota's bovine TB status
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to upgrade the bovine tuberculosis status in most of Minnesota to TB-Free in October, state officials announced Thursday.
Bovine TB was first detected in cows in northwestern Minnesota nearly five years ago, prompting a downgrade in status by the USDA that comes with restrictions and testing requirements.
A smaller section of northwestern Minnesota will remain "Modified Accredited Advanced," which means cattle in that zone will still be subject to shipping and testing restrictions. The rest of the state will be considered TB-Free.
Cattle in the TB-Free areas will not have to undergo as many tests or be subject to as many restrictions, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.
The last TB-infected herd was found in northwestern Minnesota 18 months ago. And 450 deer removed from the area earlier this year all tested negative for the disease.
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