031236 California 2nd State to Limit Cattle From Wyoming

Cheyenne, WY - California became the second state to impose restrictions on Wyoming cattle since a discovery of brucellosis in a herd near Pinedale, an aide to Gov. Dave Freudenthal announced Friday.

Colorado earlier restricted imports of cattle from a wide area of western Wyoming.

California's requirement, imposed statewide, requires all sexually intact Wyoming cattle at least 18 months old to show a negative brucellosis test result within 30 days of entry into California, along with a certificate of veterinary inspection and an entry permit.

Exceptions are livestock from a certified brucellosis-free herd and cattle moving directly to slaughter, said Lara Azar, the governor's press secretary.

"The governor is absolutely still concerned," she said. "While the news out of California isn't the best thing he could have heard today, I found out we generally export only 1,000 head to California a year. It's not a positive step, but it's not the biggest problem we could face right now."

The illness can cause cows to abort and produce chronic flulike symptoms in humans who handle tissue from diseased animals or drink unpasteurized milk. The illness is caused by a bacteria. Brucellosis is carried by some elk and bison in the Yellowstone region, and cattle occasionally are infected despite vaccinations and efforts to separate them from wildlife.

The cause of the latest cases of the disease in livestock has not been determined.

Five of eight herds having had contact with the herd that initially tested positive for brucellosis have tested negative. Results are pending on the other three herds, Azar said.

Analysis of blood samples at the State Veterinary Lab in Laramie and a federal lab in Ames, Iowa, confirmed that 31 of 391 cattle in the initial herd tested positive for brucellosis.

If a cow in a neighboring herd tests positive, it could cost Wyoming its federal brucellosis-free status and subject the state's cattle to more restrictions and testing.

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