Farmed elk and deer are arguably, the most regulated livestock in Minnesota. With every new case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the industry is pointed to as being the cause.
There are so many other considerations to the threat of CWD in Minnesota, the least of which is the already heavily regulated farmed cervid industry.
Epidemiology reports from the latest two cases of CWD in farmed deer point to taxidermy waste stream and a rubbish (bone) pile as being potential vectors of the disease to the farms. These issues ultimately stem from movement of CWD infected hunter harvested carcasses which have been transported into Minnesota ending up at the taxidermist, a bone pile or any number of places where a carcass could be disposed of.
See below for a position statement about CWD from the association as well as statistical evidence of how much testing the industry is conducting compared to wild deer surveillance in Minnesota.
Minnesota Elk Breeders Association CWD Position Statement
CWD Testing Statistics in Minnesota
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