Buck from Oneida County deer farm tests positive for CWD

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has confirmed that a deer from an Oneida County deer farm has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The result was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, according to a DATCP press release. The positive result came from a 4-year-old white-tailed buck, the release states.

“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,” the release states.

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, visit https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/ChronicWastingDisease.aspx. For information on DATCP’s farm-raised deer program, visit https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/FarmRaisedDeer.aspx.