MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirms that a Rock County deer farm has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The result was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The positive result came from a 4-year-old white-tailed buck. The farm has been placed under quarantine, where it will remain while DATCP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians and staff conduct the epidemiological investigation.
CWD is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal’s brain. DATCP regulates deer farms for registration, recordkeeping, disease testing, movement, and permit requirements.
More information
- About CWD: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/
Programs_Services/ ChronicWastingDisease.aspx - About DATCP’s farm-raised deer program: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/
Programs_Services/ FarmRaisedDeer.aspx