DOL to host meetings on Official Calfhood Vaccination

DOL to host meetings on Official Calfhood Vaccination

DOL – The Montana Department of Livestock will host a series of meetings to talk with livestock producers about its preliminary proposal on statewide Official Calfhood Vaccination (OCV) for brucellosis, and will additionally solicit comment via an informal public participation process.
The proposal would, in short, require OCV for all sexually intact female cattle and bison not destined for slaughter. A copy of the proposal will be available at the meetings, and has also been posted on the department’s web site at http://liv.mt.gov/.

Currently, the state does not require cattle to be vaccinated against brucellosis except for the four counties (Beaverhead, Gallatin, Madison and Park counties) in the newly created brucellosis Designated Surveillance Area (DSA). A key issue is that buyers of Montana cattle could perceive that the state is doing less than neighboring states – Wyoming and Idaho both have statewide OCV requirements – to prevent transmission of the disease from infected elk and bison to cattle.

“There are advantages to becoming an OCV state, and it’s a good time to have that discussion,” said state veterinarian Dr. Marty Zaluski, who, as chair of the U.S. Animal Health Association’s subcommitttee on brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area, has helped the department play a leadership role in the development of brucellosis policy. “It’s a hot topic, though, and there will be concerns.”

At this point, the proposal is a just a starting point for discussion with the livestock and associated industries.

“Mostly, we just want to talk with producers to get their thoughts on statewide OCV,” Zaluski said. “Producers have legitimate questions, and our goal is providing information that enables them to have constructive, informed input. We want them to be aware of the potential benefits as well as any drawbacks that may exist.”

Meetings have been scheduled for:
Glasgow Stockyards – Wednesday, February 17, 3 p.m.;
Western Livestock Auction, Great Falls – Thursday February 18, 1 p.m.;
Miles City Livestock Commission – Monday, February 22, 1:30 p.m.;
Public Auction Yards, Billings – Tuesday, February 23, 1:30 p.m.;
Montana Livestock Company, Ramsay – Wednesday, February 24, 10 a.m.;
Headwaters Livestock Auction, Three Forks – Thursday, February 25, 1 p.m.

Public comment can be submitted via U.S Postal Service mail at Montana Department of Livestock, ATTN: OCV Comments/Animal Health Division, PO Box 200201, Helena MT, 59620-2001, and via email at [email protected]

With 70 percent of the state’s cattle voluntarily vaccinated by livestock producers, Zaluski doesn’t believe the proposal would require a significant increase in the number of animals needing to be vaccinated.

“The only animals that will require vaccination are sexually intact females retained for the state’s breeding herd rather than those raised for beef,” he said.

The proposal comes as USDA considers changes to its federal brucellosis program.

“If APHIS (USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service) proceeds with its desire to eliminate the Class Free status system, it could put the state at a serious disadvantage,” Zaluski said, referring to a concept paper that outlines a new direction for federal brucellosis policy. “Having a statewide program assures our trading partners that we’re doing everything we can to assure brucellosis-free cattle.”

Statewide OCV, Zaluski added, would also reduce the potential for brucellosis-infected wildlife transmitting the disease to domestic livestock.

“Bottom line, having a statewide OCV rule will look better for states that import Montana cattle, and it will look better for wildlife advocates who say the state isn’t doing enough to prevent transmission of the disease,” Zaluski said.

Zaluski stressed that the proposal is preliminary, and that any decisions regarding OCV would be made by the Board of Livestock after public comment has been collected and evaluated and all possible ramifications of implementation have been examined.

“We’ve invested a lot of time in producer and industry participation in the development of brucellosis policy, including the BAP (Brucellosis Action Plan) and DSA (Designated Surveillance Area ),” Zaluski said. “This is no different, we want and need participation from producers and industry.”

The proposal, if enacted, would not affect current requirements for livestock producers operating within the DSA.

You may download the preliminary proposal here.