Minnesota Restricts Movement of Farmed Deer to Curb Disease

ST. PAUL (AP) _ State officials are asking deer farmers to not transport the animals to and from their properties for a month while investigators trace a new case of chronic wasting disease on a farm in western Minnesota.

Reports say the Board of Animal Health last Wednesday asked the state's 330 deer farms to voluntarily stop moving deer until Jan. 15. Tim Spreck, a lobbyist for the the Minnesota Deer Farmers Association, said a mandatory lockdown would have threatened breeding operations.

Democratic Farmer Labor Party member Rep. Rick Hansen said the board's decision could present a threat to wildlife.