3-24-2006 |
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FARMS QUARANTINED FOR TUBERCULOSIS IN PIGS Four agricultural premises have been quarantined after the discovery of tuberculosis in hogs illegally imported from Ohio, according to Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. "I am exercising the powers granted to the Commissioner of Agriculture to ensure that this disease does not spread to any animals in this state and to protect consumers from products that could potentially sicken them," said Commissioner Douglass. WVDA food safety personnel discovered Tuesday signs of tuberculosis in animals being processed at custom meat plants, prompting Commissioner Douglass to activate the Department's Food and Livestock Safety Team. Traces on the whereabouts of suspect animals were initiated and all of the original 206 animals have been accounted for, except for 5-8 hogs. Some carcasses were still in processing facilities and were immediately condemned by WVDA's Meat and Poultry Inspection Division. Some processed hogs had left facilities, but all those consumers were notified, and none of that meat has been consumed. Custom slaughter facilities are licensed by WVDA and inspected at least quarterly. They charge animal owners a fee to provide processing services. Unlike commercial meat processing facilities that can sell retail inspected products to the public, meat processed at custom plants can only be consumed by the person who raised the animal, employees, family and non-paying guests. Suspect live animals were quarantined while arrangements for collection, euthanization and disposal were made. The man who brought the hogs into the state, Tim Reedy of Red House, is cooperating fully with the WVDA and Thursday began collecting live animals he had sold to individuals in this state. Those animals were humanely destroyed and disposed of Friday under the supervision of State Veterinarian Dr. Joe Starcher. The form of tuberculosis carried by the hogs is transmissible to humans through direct contact and through eating improperly cooked meat. Symptoms include respiratory problems. Once contracted, the disease is difficult to treat and eventually may cause lesions inside the lungs. WVDA recommends that anyone who bought hogs from Reedy within the past week – or from someone who may have bought and resold hogs from Reedy – should not eat the meat and should contact WVDA's Animal Health Division at 304-558-2214.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
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