MCA Supports Board of Livestock Brucellosis Motion

The Montana Cattlemen's Association (MCA) applauds the motion recently passed by the Montana Board of Livestock (BOL) that directs the Department of Livestock to pursue all opportunities to regain Montana's class-free brucellosis status.  Such a comprehensive approach includes defining a high-risk management area and split-state status.  This motion compliments MCA policy passed in 2007.  Comments from the audience during the meeting also supported split-state status.

President of MCA Brett DeBruycker said, "I am delighted that reason prevailed and politics failed.  Now we can get on with the hard work of regaining our class-free status, defining the high risk zone, and actively pursuing split-state status." 

MCA Vice-President Kim Baker acknowledged the producers in the high risk area who have already voluntarily adopted herd management plans, including enhanced vaccination, robust testing, and achieving temporal and spatial separation of wildlife and cattle.  MCA will work to seek financial support for these continued efforts.

In support of the BOL motion, MCA submitted the following comments:

1.  MCA does not believe the 95% of Montana producers outside the Yellowstone area should be penalized with expensive testing if they are not at risk.  There are a lot of miles between Yellowstone Park and Glendive, Havre, and Eureka.  It is unfair to place such a heavy penalty on those producers if it is avoidable through plans such as split-state status.

2.  We are pleased that other cattle groups have joined MCA in requesting split-state status.  We recognize some may want to call it by a different name, but whether you call it "split-state", "hot zone", "two area management", or "hot spot management", the principle is still the same.  What is important is that APHIS recognizes it as split-state status so we can relieve the vast majority of Montana producers from the adverse affects of losing our free status statewide. 

3.  We need to work with producers in the "high risk zone" to better manage commingling of cattle and wildlife and obtain financial relief for the burden of extra testing in that area. Until an effective vaccine is developed or until the disease is totally eradicated, it is crucial to separate cattle and Yellowstone wildlife wherever possible. Common sense dictates there will be additional cases of brucellosis positive cattle detected in the Yellowstone area until the disease is finally eliminated from bison and wildlife and as long as commingling of cattle and wildlife in this area occurs.

4.  Work with Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the National Park System, and other governmental agencies to manage the disease in bison and wildlife within the Greater Yellowstone Area.  We all know it will take several decades to totally eradicate the disease, even with extensive wildlife management. 

Hopefully, Wyoming and Idaho will adopt similar policies that would set the stage for a tri-state management plan.

Montana Cattlemen's Association looks forward to working with the Board of Livestock using a common sense approach to mitigate the expense and hardship on Montana producers and to work toward eventual elimination of the disease.