Daily News Update, Nov. 13, 2007

Texas ag groups ask for $13 million to fight fever ticks

Three leading Texas beef cattle groups have joined forces to request "desperately needed" funding to fight the current fever tick infestation in South Texas.

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association and the Texas Farm Bureau asked Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner to authorize the release of $13 million from the Commodity Credit Corp. to help eradicate the economically devastating pest.

"The number of cattle fever tick infestations in the permanent quarantine zone and in the tick-free areas of Texas has increased to an alarming level in recent years," the groups said.

Within the past few months the Texas Animal Health Commission has imposed three separate "temporary preventive quarantine areas" in portions of Zapata and Starr counties and outside the permanent quarantine zone in portions of Maverick, Dimmit and Webb counties.

The groups cited several reasons for the increase, including increasing tick pressure from Mexico, treatment resistance, wildlife carriers and insufficient resources.

"The biggest challenge in fighting the fever tick problem is a chronic lack of funding for personnel and resources," they declared.

They said $13 million—in addition to the congressional appropriation that supports the regular tick program—is needed to address the situation in the temporary preventive quarantine areas.

"This funding is needed now," they insisted. "Failure to control cattle fever tick outbreaks in the border area could impact the cattle industry far beyond Texas, resulting in billions of dollars of economic loss!"