GAYLORD -- A chunk of federal change will be used to fight bovine tuberculosis in Michigan, particularly the northeastern region of the Lower Peninsula.
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said $16.8 million will be spent to continue efforts to eradicate bovine TB in three states, including California, Michigan and Minnesota. The money will cover costs to destroy known TB-infected cattle herds and to enhance disease surveillance in both cattle and free-ranging white-tailed deer in Minnesota and Michigan.
Michigan's share of the money is about $3.5 million, said Rachel Iadicicco, USDA spokeswoman.
State officials don't yet know how the federal cash will be lumped for use between livestock and wildlife programs, said John Tilden, TB eradication program director with the state Department of Agriculture.
Bovine TB is a contagious and infectious disease that affects cattle, bison, deer, elk, goats and other warm-blooded species. The disease can be fatal and can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected animals or consumption of raw milk, officials said.
Three cattle herds tested positive for the disease and were destroyed last year in Alcona, Montmorency and Oscoda counties. A total of 44 herds tested positive and were culled over the last decade in Michigan, Tilden said.
Most of the federal grant money likely will be used to compensate farmers who must destroy infected livestock. It's beneficial to have money for that on-hand so there are no delays when infected animals are found, Tilden said.
Checking cattle for the disease involves a skin test, with a follow-up blood test for initial positives. Deer testing is done with tissue samples given by hunters at deer-check stations across the state.
Infection rates among tested wild deer decreased last year after an increase two years ago, said Stephen Schmitt, wildlife veterinarian with the state Department of Natural Resources.
Michigan's core area -- where most bovine TB cases are found in deer and cattle -- includes Alcona, Alpena, Oscoda and Montmorency counties. Baiting and feeding restrictions are enforced there and in three additional adjacent areas, including Crawford, Otsego and Presque Isle counties.
Last year, officials did statewide testing of more than 8,000 deer and found 27 positives. Only three came from outside the four-county core area, Schmitt said.
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