Show Utah Fights Bovine TB Reduced danger to human health and great reduction in economic loses are benefits to public and producers stemming stem stem- stemming ming from efforts to stamp out two costly livestock dis- dis diseases diseases eases and bovine tuberculosis County Agent Kay R Ben Ben- Bendixsen Bendixsen notes that important progress has been made In eradicating both diseases UTAH HAS been most suc- suc successful successful of the Western States In its fight to completely eliminate elim- elim eliminate which can cause undulant fever in man To date 25 of the 29 counties have been certified is free Uintah County achieved that status In 1962 Livestock leaders have set 1975 as a target date to have all counties in the nation certified certified free DR DON W Thomas utah State University extension veterinarian credits much of the progress to many cattle cattle- owners willingness to cooperate cooper cooper- cooperate ate in a program of sticking identification tags on backs of cattle they market He explains that the tags make It possible to check the animals for diseases at the slaughtering plants then trace back to the originating farms to eliminate problems when they are discovered New rules adopted by the theUS US Department of Agriculture Agriculture ture and state sanitary offic offic- officials now make it possible to hit the two diseases brucel- brucel losis and TB with the one tag tag- tagging ging operation Dr Thomas says this is a much simpler method for establishing areas that are free of the diseases than blood testing and inject inject- tag ing on all the farms and ran ran- ranch ranches ch ches Producers may obtain the tags and instructions from the federal veterinarian super super- supervising supervising and TB eradication programs in the area |