HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – Montana continues to prepare for the potential of foreign animal disease (FAD) introduction into the state.
The state’s Animal Health Bureau (AHB) recently was awarded over $29,000 to conduct outreach to cattle producers about biosecurity measures, while the state’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory was awarded $94,500 to progress efficiencies of data entry and analysis of diagnostic test results.
Department of Livestock Laboratory Director Gregory Juda says this funding will allow the state to be prepared if an FAD were to be found.
“What this grant funding was designed to do was to make improvements so that veterinarians in the field can electronically submit the data at the time of collection that will more rapidly transmit to the laboratory and our information system. Then upon our completion of the diagnostic testing, we can send that back to the animal health officials in a nice collated report that they can then act on.”
Juda says potential FADs that could reach Montana include African Swine Fever and Foot in Mouth Disease.
“What you see is now that the population has increased and there is more contact and denser population of animals, there’s always a threat of a disease outbreak like that that could be of high consequence.”
In the coming months, the AHB will hold 10 biosecurity tabletop courses around the state focusing on biosecutiry recommendations from the Secure Beef Supply program.
