Funding approved for Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance in Mississippi

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith announced over $200,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding has been approved for Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance in Mississippi.

Senator Hyde-Smith said the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks will use the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service funding as part of a national effort to develop and implement CWD management and response activities in deer and elk.

The spread of CWD in the state threatens the deer population and the recreational hunting and outdoor tourism of the state.

The grant redefines testing protocol, normally a deer can only be tested after it is dead.

The redefined test could allow wildlife management to detect CWD in populations months or even years earlier.