Coleman seeks federal role in battle against bovine TB

Brad Swenson

Bemidji Pioneer

Calling bovine tuberculosis “a very, very serious issue for Minnesota cattle producers,” U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman said he’s seeking a greater federal role in eradicating the disease from northwest Minnesota cattle herds.

Bovine TB has been detected in 11 herds in Beltrami and Roseau counties, mostly in the Skime area. The latest discovery last month has led the Minnesota Board of Animal Health to downgrade Minnesota’s TB status to Modified Accredited, the third of five categories which has state producers adhering to stricter rules in testing and shipping cattle or bison.

“We’ve had a TB-free level for years and now we’ve had 11 herds with bovine TB,” Coleman told Minnesota reporters Thursday in a telephone news conference. “We eradicated TB from seven, but still have four left with the latest.”