By Candace Krebs

The federal approach to monitoring and containing bovine tuberculosis is changing just in time for the state of Colorado.

Cattlemen packed into the animal health and welfare committee meeting during the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association annual convention earlier this week to hear the latest on a case of four cows at a Colorado dairy confirmed positive for bovine TB. The outbreak was first discovered in a cow sold through the La Junta Livestock Auction.

A discovery of TB within a state has traditionally been cause for concern because it threatens the state’s TB-free status and leads to onerous disease testing requirements and trade restrictions. Once a state loses its TB free status, the process of upgrading its health status can take years.

New Mexico, along with Michigan, Minnesota and California, all had their TB status threatened in recent months when cases cropped up at dairies in those states. Read more…