KGLP Slide Show

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

New Mexico Livestock Board issues streamlined directive to contain livestock virus

Contact:
Katie Goetz
Public Information Officer @ New Mexico Department of Agriculture
575-646-2804
New Mexico Livestock Board issues streamlined directive to contain
livestock virus
In order to simplify the efforts to contain a virus hampering the state’s livestock trade, the
New Mexico Livestock Board (NMLB) has issued a directive that no livestock animal be
allowed to enter a public event in the state without a clean bill of health.
The directive aims to contain a strain of vesicular stomatitis (VS) that first appeared in New
Mexico this spring, prompting other states to place cumbersome trade restrictions on
livestock from New Mexico.
The text of the directive is as follows:
“The organizers of all public livestock events including but not limited to rodeos,
ropings, horse shows, fairs, jackpots, trail rides and gymkhanas will require that a
health certificate (Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, or CVI) issued by an
accredited, licensed veterinarian, written within the preceding five (5) days be
presented prior to entry into the event. Organizers should deny entry to any
participant without the required CVI.”
“This directive ensures that regulatory measures are applied fairly to all livestock, all
livestock owners, and all events across the state – no exceptions,” said Myles Culbertson,
executive director of the New Mexico Livestock Board. “It also ensures that New Mexico
can continue having public livestock events like rodeos without threatening the interstate
sales of New Mexico livestock.”
Culbertson said his agency’s inspectors continue to be actively involved in VS surveillance
and control. Inspectors have increased their road stops, random checks for paperwork,
patrolling, and checkpoints at the entrances to public livestock events. As a result, a
number of animals with suspect lesions have been identified and quarantined, awaiting test
results.
“We understand this requires an extra effort from the state’s veterinary community, and we
thank them for all their assistance and diligence to stop the spread of VS,” said state
veterinarian Dr. Dave Fly, DVM.
Dr. Fly said the directive is in effect until VS is eliminated from the state of New Mexico.
The directive covers all species of livestock.
VS can affect horses, cattle, and pigs; it can also affect sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas.
While not usually fatal, VS causes blister-like lesions that can be so painful they limit an
animal's ability to eat and move. VS is spread from infected animals to healthy animals
through insect carriers, as well as saliva and fluid from ruptured lesions.
Livestock owners across New Mexico are encouraged to protect against VS by isolating
their livestock from other people’s livestock, using insect repellant and eliminating insect
breeding grounds, and monitoring their animals for symptoms.
For more information, visit NMLB’s website at nmlbonline.com and click on “What’s
Hot”.
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