Tougher rules on bovine tuberculosis proposed

Even before nearly 200 steers were ordered quarantined in Pinal County over a single case of bovine tuberculosis, federal authorities were already reviewing testing procedures with an eye toward more rigorous standards. A task force from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, began drafting plans to eradicate bovine TB and brucellosis, another serious cattle disease, in September and has been collecting public comment since May. In addition to testing animals when they are imported, the proposal would require retesting 120 to 180 days after they enter the country. No follow-up tests are currently required at the federal level, but some states require retesting of foreign cattle before they cross state lines. The proposal could change after the public comment period, which ends July 5, said Lyndsay Cole, a spokeswoman for the inspection service. Cole said the proposal still must go through the regulatory approval process, and no date has been set for when changes would take effect...more