A deer farm in Iowa County had to be depopulated after animals tested positive for chronic wasting disease.
State officials ordered the move after deer shot in Waupaca County that tested positive for CWD were traced back to the farm.
State ag spokeswoman Leeann Duwe says the culling was required because the only way to test for CWD is after death. “This farm was depopulated, and those 21 CWD positives are a result of those animals being tested.” A total of 103 animals were culled for testing.
Duwe says better testing among game farms is helping the state better track CWD infections. “It allows us to determine to where animals are transmitting the disease, where they are coming from, so we can do traceback from all animals in those locations.”
The farm will now have to undergo cleaning, and won’t be able to be used to raise deer in the future.
