IV. PROGRAM FOR ELIMINATION OF DISEASED CATTLE Measures to accelerate and extend the 20-year old Federal-State cooperative program for elimination of bovine diseases in cattle, through the use of funds appropriated to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, were launched in July 1934. These measures were administered through the Bureau of Animal Industry, in cooperation with State agencies, with funds allotted by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. The program for elimination of cattle infected with bovine tuberculosis has been materially expanded, and a program for eliminating cattle with Bang's disease begun. In order to carry on this work Congress on April 7, 1934, in section 6 of the Jones-Connally Cattle Act, authorized the appropriation of $50,000,000 to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to take steps to eliminate diseased dairy and beef cattle, including those affected with tuberculosis and Bang's disease, and for other purposes. In order to continue the disease-elimination program, and for other authorized purposes, Congress in 1935 reappropriated the unexpended balance of the funds appropriated in section 6 of the Jones-Connally Cattle Act and authorized the appropriation of an additional $40,000,000, of which amount $10,000,000 was actually appropriated. On June 4, 1936, Congress reappropriated $21,364,000 from any unobligated balances of the appropriation made for cattle disease elimination and continued their availability, together with any unexpended balance of the $10,000,000 previously appropriated pursuant to section 37. These funds remain available until June 30, 1937. BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS Most of the bovine tuberculosis work in 1936 consisted of testing cattle under the area plan. During the year, 15,268,618 tuberculin tests were applied to cattle in 1,077,098 herds and 124,111 reactors were eliminated. (See table 8.) The percentage of reactors among the cattle tested in 1936 was 0.6 percent, which was the lowest degree of infection since 1917, when tuberculosis eradication was started. In July 1934 when Agricultural Adjustment Administration funds were first allocated for this program, the percentage was 2.9. During the calendar year the expenditures from funds allocated by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration for the cattle tuberculosis work amounted to $3,910,263. Indemnity payments to cooperating cattle owners could be made from these funds without requiring payment from the cooperating States, territories, or counties. This permitted material advances in the work in areas where no State, territory, or county funds were available. TABLE 8.-Summary, tuberculin-testing under regular Federal appropriation and La Follette Amendment to the Jones-Connally Cattle Act, Jan. 1, 1936 to Jan. 1, 1937 The following 10 States were added to the modified accredited area during 1936: Delaware, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, Connecticut, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Pennsylvania. The progress of the tuberculosis-elimination program is indicated by the fact that on July 1, 1934, only 13 States were in the modified accredited area, while on January 1, 1937, a total of 43 States had been included. The modified accredited area consists of those States in which cattle infected with tuberculosis constitute less than one-half of 1 percent of the total number. From July 1934 to December 31, 1936, inclusive, 53,951,055 tuberculin tests were applied to cattle in 4,724,629 herds. Tubercularinfected cattle to the number of 589,535 were eliminated. The total cost over the entire period was approximately $16,918,855. BANG'S DISEASE Elimination of cattle reacting to the test for Bang's disease, which has caused heavy losses to farmers, was continued in 1936 on a scale larger than before. The program was conducted with the cooperation of livestock owners and State authorities and continued on a voluntary basis as far as the Federal Government was concerned. In Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, owners of cattle which reacted and which were eliminated received state payments for these animals, in addition to the Federal indemnities. Provision has been made in Virginia for the pro rata payment of about $27,000 on all Bang's reactors in the State during the 1936-37 fiscal year. Approximately $14,554,829 was spent for operating and indemnity payments during 1936. During this year, 7,690,376 agglutination tests for Bang's disease were applied to cattle in 585,213 herds and 433,984 reactors were eliminated (see table 9). A considerable number of the tests were retests. The percentage of infection for the country as a whole continued to decline from 9 percent in 1935 to 5.6 percent in 1936; in July 1934 it was 14.9 percent. In most States cooperating owners receive certificates showing that their herds have passed a sufficient number of tests to be certified as free from Bang's disease. The Federal Government does not participate in furnishing these certificates. In several States plans have been made for testing cattle for Bang's disease on an area basis. Usually the area consists of a county or parish. Thus far, more progress has been made with this form of work in Virginia than in any other State. From the initiation of the program in July 1934 through December 31, 1936, there were 14,017,427 agglutination tests given to cattle in 1,004,026 herds, from which 1,052,119 infected animals were eliminated. The total cost of this work approximated $32,565,000. MASTITIS Work on elimination of mastitis among cattle, started on January 1, 1935, continued through 1935 and for 6 months during 1936 and was terminated on June 30, 1936. The activity provided for elimination of cows showing marked physical evidence of mastitis. The Federal indemnity payment was limited to $20 for grade cows and $50 for purebred registered cows. Approximately $224,163 was expended during this 6 months of 1936 and 62,338 physical examinations for mastitis were made in 2,469 herds with 7,048 eliminated. Most of the work was carried on in States located in the New York milk shed. During the entire period in which the program was effective 235,354 cattle in 9,801 herds were examined. Of this number 28,439 milk cows were eliminated. The total cost of these operations was approximately $849,806. |