WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana's Congressman, Denny Rehberg, joined a bipartisan coalition of colleagues in asking the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to clarify its interim rule on brucellosis control and urged the federal government to work more closely with the states to develop a successful plan to eradicate the disease.  The letter specifically asks USDA to  ramp up efforts toward developing a more effective vaccine to better manage the spread of brucellosis, a disease which effects livestock and wildlife and threatens the health of Montana’s livestock industry.   

“I commend USDA for finally getting on board with the efforts of states like Montana to develop more effective tools to manage brucellosis, but we need to make sure that the federal and state governments are on the same page if we want to eradicate this disease,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Beef Caucus.  “The interim rule is a step in the right direction, but the overall success of the program depends greatly on our ability to develop an effective vaccination program.”

New interim rules developed by the Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are aimed at helping states maintain a “Class Free” brucellosis status and managing the disease, but Rehberg and other Members feel that the new plan needs to include more specifics about what resources are needed to meet the proposed objectives.  The letter also urges the department to develop a more effective vaccination program as a long-term solution, something not adequately addressed by the new plan.

LETTER:

Dear Under Secretary Avalos and Under Secretary Jahn:

We write regarding the Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) recently implemented interim rule on brucellosis regulations. This interim rule [Docket No. APHIS-2009-0083] amends existing brucellosis regulations to refocus agency resources on the prevention and control of the disease in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA). We share your goal of finding a long-term solution to completely eradicate this disease and commend APHIS’ efforts to improve brucellosis management. However, we wish to express our concerns regarding the agency’s utilization of resources to achieve its goals as well as the need for a long-term research program to develop an improved brucellosis vaccine.

As you know, brucellosis increasingly continues to threaten the health of domestic livestock and wildlife in the GYA. Confirmed cases of the disease in several separate cattle and bison herds in late 2010 highlight the severity of the situation and the need to continue and improve brucellosis management in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.  APHIS’ interim rule takes several necessary steps to improve brucellosis management including increased monitoring, surveillance, testing and development of individual herd plans with livestock producers.

As part of this rule, states with established reservoirs of brucellosis are required to develop an agreement with federal managers to implement a management plan for both livestock and wildlife within six months. While we believe that these agreements will increase management activities, the rule does not identify the source of additional resources needed for states to implement these management plans.  Since 1973, federal law has required that a certain level of state funds be involved in the administration of any brucellosis control program.  So far GYA states have been willing to provide those resources.  To reach agreements with APHIS and allocate the necessary resources towards management plans, states need advance notification of the level of federal funding that will be provided. Given the short window of time available to complete these agreements, it is especially important that this information be provided to states as quickly as possible. The severe constraints currently on state and federal budgets make the immediate release of these details to our animal health officials even more necessary. Additionally, we request your assurance that federal funding will continue to be made available to reimburse cattle owners for the value of livestock where partial or whole herd depopulation is the most feasible response to addressing an infected herd.

We emphasize that any efforts to eradicate brucellosis in the GYA must also include a long-term research program to develop a more effective vaccine. The interim rule does not address the need for such a program, but the 2008 Farm Bill recognized the development of a brucellosis vaccine as a high-priority.  This bill authorized research and extension grants relating to the “development of vaccines and vaccine delivery systems to effectively control and eliminate brucellosis in wildlife, and to assist with the controlling of the spread of brucellosis from wildlife to domestic animals.”  While we appreciate the extensive coordination that interagency programs require, we encourage APHIS to collaborate with the appropriate agencies within the Department of Agriculture to fund these objectives. We also request that the Department of Agriculture and the Consortium for the Advancement of Brucellosis Science (CABS) cooperate to advance an improved brucellosis vaccine research program. As a nationwide cooperative of brucellosis researchers with a stakeholder advisory team of leaders from the federal government and the states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, CABS would be a valuable partner and resource for the Department with regard to brucellosis research and management programs.  This group is immediately available to help the Department facilitate research and has already taken steps to develop a strategy to advance brucellosis vaccine research.

Again, we commend APHIS’ efforts to improve brucellosis management in the GYA. The agency is moving in the right direction to help eradicate this disease but our states need to be informed about the source of federal resources necessary to complete this task. This information is essential as they will be expected to produce, in a relatively short period, agreements with the Department on brucellosis management.  In addition, we strongly urge you to consider the importance of a research program to develop a more effective vaccine as a long-term solution to managing this disease.  Thank you for your attention to these matters. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely