This project provides a CWD herd management option for a very large CWD-positive WTD herd because indemnity is not available for whole herd depopulation, and the owner does not wish to depopulate…

This Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care federal grant program (CFDA 10.025) provides a management option for a large CWD-positive white-tailed deer herd. The $249,820 award, granted on September 15, 2024, supports the removal of CWD-positive deer identified through ante-mortem IHC rectal biopsy, as well as deer highly susceptible to CWD based on predictive genetics. This approach aims to reduce environmental contamination and limit the spread of CWD, providing an alternative to whole herd depopulation. The award recipient, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, has previously demonstrated the effectiveness of this CWD management strategy in cleaning up one CWD-positive herd. This cooperative agreement offers states an option to manage and mitigate CWD incidence in farmed deer, rather than relying solely on whole herd depopulation.

This project provides a CWD herd management option for a very large CWD-positive WTD herd because indemnity is not available for whole herd depopulation, and the owner does not wish to depopulate their entire herd if IT can effectively be cleaned up. To date, one CWD positive herd has been effectively cleaned up using methods and strategies described in this cooperative agreement. This cooperative agreement option removes CWD positive deer identified by ante mortem IHC rectal biopsy, and deer that are highly susceptible to CWD as identified via their predictive genetics gebv score. Removing CWD positive animals helps reduce environmental contamination and may limit the spread of CWD particularly when coupled with predictive genetics and other best management practices. Whole genome predictive genetics [refs 1-3] can identify deer that are highly susceptible to CWD so that they can be removed from a breeding herd; thus reducing CWD prevalence in positive herds and reducing or eliminating the introduction of CWD into other adjacent populations. This approach provides states with an option other than whole herd depopulation to help manage and mitigate the incidence of CWD in farmed deer.