MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirms that a Lincoln County deer farm has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The samples were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The positive result came from a five-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, and testing for CWD is typically only performed after the animal’s death. DATCP regulates deer farms for registration, recordkeeping, disease testing, movement, and permit requirements.
For more information about CWD go to: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/ChronicWastingDisease.aspx
For more information about DATCP’s farm-raised deer program: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/FarmRaisedDeer.aspx