The U.S. Department of Agriculture says seven counties in the region are now free from bovine tuberculosis – an area including Antrim, Charlevoix, and Emmet Counties.
That means federal officials are easing regulations on cattle farmers, who have had to test their cattle regularly for nearly 20 years. Infected herds have been destroyed.
Rick Smith is the state’s Bovine TB program director. He says regulations for cattle producers are loosening.
“A lot of the things that they’ve had to do, the hoops they’ve had to jump through because of the TB program, are going away," Smith says. "And that’s a really good thing."
Smith says farmers have done a lot in the past to protect their herds.
“We have on occasions some years ago had TB in some of those counties," Smith says. "But you know it’s been a number of years since we’ve had any TB. And people have developed bio-security plans and done the things that were necessary to you know protect their cattle.”
The state is hosting two public meetings to explain the changes later this month.