Langlade County deer farm depopulated due to CWD concerns

ANTIGO, Wis. (WSAW) - A Langlade County deer farm that tested positive for chronic wasting disease last has been depopulated.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection confirms none of the 47 deer that remained at the property tested positive for CWD.

A DATCP news release did not name the farm, but said the 6-acre farm had been under quarantine since CWD was detected last August. That means no animals or animal carcasses were permitted off of the property. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services depopulated the herd on May 18, and samples were tested at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

The farm owner will receive federal indemnity for the depopulated animals. As a condition of receiving federal indemnity, the farm will not be permitted to hold cervids for five years, and during that time it must maintain fences and submit to routine inspections.

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.