Deer industry braces for fatal disease
If chronic wasting disease is found here, it would halt exports of deer products to key markets. By Gerard Uys.
The deer industry is preparing for the possible arrival of chronic wasting disease. In August, industry representatives signed an agreement with Biosecurity NZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). under the Government Industry Agreement framework, to work towards readiness for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
Emil Murphy, policy and research manager at Deer Industry New Zealand, said CWD was a progressive neurological disease and always fatal.
There was no specific response plan for CWD, and the government would follow the generic plan for responding to an exotic disease, he said.
“If CWD is confirmed ... the relevant farm, and possibly all farms in the region or nationwide, would be placed under movement control to prevent further spread. Slaughter of the infected herds with intensive testing will happen.”
A Deer NZ newsletter said the disease had spread in North American and north Scandinavian deer populations, and it was vital to keep it out of New Zealand.
Murphy said it took 18 to 24 months from infection to develop symptoms, and cases occurred in adult animals. The most obvious and consistent clinical sign was chronic weight loss.
“Behavioural changes are common and include decreased interactions with herd-mates, listlessness, lowering of the head, blank facial expression, repetitively walking in set patterns, and increased drinking and urinating. In Wapiti, behavioural changes also include overexcitement and nervousness.
“Many of the countries that we export to require attestation that New Zealand is free from CWD so those exports will be halted.
“Unless we were be able to eradicate the disease, we would likely be unable to export to key markets that don’t have CWD already or are trying to eradicate it. This would severely restrict our export markets and the viability of deer farming.
“The agent that cause CWD is very persistent in the environment, so the farm would likely not be allowed to have deer on it for a very long time. For comparison, the reindeer population where CWD was first found in Norway was culled in 2017-18 and they are looking at least till 2025 before starting to reintroduce animals, potentially longer.”
MPI already actively tested for CWD, he said. “The key is testing animals with symptoms that might be CWD.’’
There were incentives for farmers and veterinarians to submit up to two samples from animals they euthanised that showed symptoms similar to CWD, he said.
To be eligible for this sampling, a deer from which a sample is sent “must be two years or older and showing signs of either a progressive non-responsive nervous disease or ill-thrift, or acute or peracute pneumonia, or aspiration pneumonia.”
“In addition, about 300 samples are taken from adult deer at the slaughter plants. As the test we use in New Zealand can only be done post-mortem there is no sampling of live animals.”■