Texas Parks and Wildlife Commissioners approved a new federal rule last week that outlines changes in animal health regulations that will affect protocols for handling and testing for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the Texas deer population.
The new rule will be published in the next issue of the Texas Register and allows for a 20-day period for public comment before the rule takes affect.
State wildlife and animal health employees say the new rule is “timely” after Texas experienced its first case of CWD in June this year when two male mule deer near the New Mexico border in Far West Texas tested positive for the disease.
The new rule represents the second attempt by TPWD to put the issue before the public. The first set of proposed rules was withdrawn by Commissioners when additional study indicated parts of the proposed rules required amendments. The new federal rules address not only monitoring and movement of cervid populations in the wild but also those at breeding facilities across the state.
TPWD closed the Texas border in 2005 to the entry of out-of-state captive white-tailed and mule deer over fears of CWD and has increased regulatory requirements regarding disease monitoring and record keeping. Since 2002, the department has tested more than 26,500 wild deer in Texas for CWD, and cervid producers have submitted more than 7,400 test results to the department.