By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Dept. of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto recently signed off on new zoning rules that will make it easier for farmers to move cattle.

Although this is good news for ranchers, it doesn’t reflect an upgrade of Michigan’s Bovine tuberculosis (TB) status, only an attempt on the part of the federal government to update its rules. Bovine TB has been around for over 100 years and some of the federal government’s rules regarding TB have been around since 1917.

According to James Averill, a veterinarian and the MDA’s TB eradication program coordinator, a federal rule that requires cattle to have a movement test even if they are being moved from a better zone to a worse zone doesn’t make sense. The new regulations went into effect April 29, 2010. The new rules affect most of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, namely those areas that are a part of the modified accredited advanced zone (MAAZ) for TB.
Now, farmers in subzones 2 and 3 of the MAAZ that raise cattle and want to move them across a zone may do so as long as they have a permit and an electronic I.D. According to state officials, all cattle being moved across a zone must have electronic identification tags.
“Cattle in Ingham County can now be moved to Ohio without a movement test,” Averill said.

Most of the Lower Peninsula is now a part of the MAAZ, which means that it’s close to being considered TB free. The Upper Peninsula has TB free status.

The other states affected by TB include California, New Mexico and Minnesota. On Jan. 4, 2010, Michigan shrank its modified accredited zone (MAZ), an area around Alpena, where TB is still considered to be endemic.

To make matters a little more confusing, the MAAZ in Michigan has a subzone 1 that is treated differently. The reason for this is the presence of TB in wild, free-ranging deer. Minnesota also has subzones.

“In subzone 1, we know there’s still some risk and cattle there can become infected,” Averill said. Subzone 1 includes Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet and Otsego counties.
In subzone 1, cattle from a federally accredited “TB Free Herd” may be moved across a zone without a movement test and cattle from subzone 1 that aren’t federally-accredited TB free can also be moved across a zone without a movement test if the rancher participates successfully in the state’s wildlife risk mitigation plan (WRMP); they would also had to have had and passed a whole herd test for TB since that winter verification. If they don’t meet either of the above requirements then the rancher must have his cattle tested within 60 days before they are moved.

All cattle in subzone 1 leaving the farm must be accompanied by a movement certificate and must be a part of the TB surveillance program. Farmers selling breeding animals must do an annual whole herd test on all animals 18 months of age and older and those selling feeder calves and dairies must do a whole herd test every two years. Feedlots must do a whole herd test every three years.