The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has lifted quarantines from another 14 deer farms, saying that "DNA testing confirmed these farms had no ties to two Adams County deer that died of chronic wasting disease in October ."
A news release posted to the department's website on Friday stated that faulty records at the Adams County farm, where Pennsylvania's first case of the always fatal, brain disease of deer and other cervids was confirmed in October, wrongly indicated that that deer – known as Yellow 903 for its deer farm tag – was born on a Lycoming County farm.
"To ensure the safety of Pennsylvania's farmed and wild deer, the department took precautions and issued quarantine orders on 34 deer farms between October and December of 2012," the news release explained.
"This decision was based on evidence from records kept by the Adams County farm where the first positive deer, known by its farm tag as Yellow 903, originated. The deer farm records indicated that Yellow 903 was born on a Lycoming County farm.
"To ensure the accuracy of those records, the department sent DNA samples from Yellow 903 and several deer that records indicated were related for testing at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
"DNA tests results received this week showed conclusively no family relationship between any of the deer, one of which was reported to be Yellow 903's mother.
"These results confirm that Yellow 903 did not originate from the Lycoming County
farm named in the Adams County farm's records.
"Because the 14 farms were connected to the Lycoming County farm and not the Adams County farm, they have been released from quarantine."
The department's news release did not provide the names of locations of the 14 farms from which the quarantines were lifted.
The phone in the department's press office was not answered at about 6 p.m.
The department's website list of quarantined farms continued to show 21 farms still quarantined and only nine with quarantines "revoked." The list noted that it had been "Updated: Dec. 19, 2012."
The accompanying map on the website showed 26 "quarantined facilities."
The news release continued, "Nine farms are still under quarantine by the Department of Agriculture. Those farms remaining are all directly connected to the Adams County farm where both positive deer were found."
A second deer in the captive herd at New Oxford, Adams County, was confirmed in early November to have been infected with CWD.
No additional cases have been confirmed in the state.
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