8 CCR 1201-17, pt. 2 - Surveillance for Chronic Wasting Disease in Domesticated Elk, Quarantine and Depopulation

2.1. Except as set forth in Part 2.5 a mandatory CWD surveillance program applies to all Colorado licensed alternative livestock farms, as set forth below:

2.1.1. Brain tissue, retropharyngeal lymph nodes, and any other tissue or other appropriate sample must be submitted for examination, as directed by the State Veterinarian, of domesticated elk 12 months of age or older that die for any reason, within 15 working days of any mortality. If the USDA testing requirement is lower than 12 months of age, the USDA requirement shall apply. Notice must be given to the State Veterinarian if the specimen condition is questionable or unusable. If any animal or animals remain untested or unaccounted for or cause of death is otherwise unknown or in question, CWD Surveillance Status may be determined by taking into consideration the possibility of predation, theft, or other relevant factors, or CWD Surveillance Status may be reduced to the date the untested or unaccounted for animal or animals with the unknown or questionable cause of death were introduced into the herd. After initial CWD Surveillance Status is determined, the State Veterinarian will update CWD Surveillance Status annually thereafter. If CWD is detected in any animal, the CWD Surveillance Status of the herd exposed to such animal will be reduced to 0 months unless CPW and the State Veterinarian agree otherwise.

2.1.2. The tissues/samples must be submitted for testing to a laboratory designated by the State Veterinarian. All sample results, regardless of result, must be reported to the State Veterinarian's Office.

2.1.3. The costs of sampling and testing will be borne by the Colorado licensed alternative livestock farm.

2.2. CWD clinically suspect animals tested in connection with slaughter must be held, with carcasses intact, until the test results for the sample are obtained. If the test is positive for CWD, the carcass of the affected animal must be destroyed by a means approved by the State Veterinarian.

2.3. A positive diagnosis of CWD in an alternative livestock farm, including in a wild cervid within the exterior boundaries of the farm, shall subject the herd to immediate quarantine by the State Veterinarian. The quarantine shall remain in place and no re-stocking of any domesticated elk will be allowed, including, but not limited to, stocking for the purposes of the operation of a terminal farm, until a herd plan has been successfully developed and approved as set forth in these rules.

2.4. Each Colorado licensed alternative livestock farm shall comply fully with tissue submission, reporting of test results, investigation of the origin of test positive animals and quarantine measures.

2.5. A Colorado alternative livestock producer who has had no CWD positive tests in the previous 60 months and who has at least 60 months of CWD surveillance status may apply to the Commissioner for a waiver from the requirements of this Part 2. Such application for waiver must be made on a form approved by the Commissioner.

2.5.1 Once approved for waiver, any approved Colorado alternative livestock producer who imports animals from another farm with at least 60 months of CWD surveillance status, and who harvest any such imported animal within 12 months of importation, must alternatively store the brain specimens and retropharyngeal lymph nodes of each animal harvested from that producer's farm for a period of no less than three years rather than submitting the samples for testing.

2.5.2 In the event any animal tests positive or is diagnosed CWD-positive either at the owner's farm or at any premises-of-origin, the producer must submit all such stored samples for testing within 15 working days of receiving notice of the CWD diagnosis or of the positive test results. In all such circumstances, the producer must pay for all associated testing expenses.

Notes

8 CCR 1201-17, pt. 2

38 CR 23, December 10, 2015, effective 12/31/2015 40 CR 09, May 10, 2017, effective 5/30/2017 45 CR 10, May 25, 2022, effective 6/15/2022