Fever Tick Eradication
The Issue
In 1893, the Texas legislature created the Livestock Sanitary Commission (now the Texas Animal Health Commission) with the mission of wiping out the fever tick. At the time, cattle fever ticks were endemic in the South, Southeast and in Southern California. By 1943, combined state and federal efforts pushed them back to the Mexican border in Texas. Since then, USDA's efforts have concentrated on keeping the tick contained within the permanent quarantine zone.
In the summer of 2007, it was discovered that the ticks had spread beyond the permanent quarantine zone, which is a narrow strip of land running for 500 miles along the U.S. Mexican border from Cameron to Val Verde Counties. As a result of this discovery, temporary quarantine zones were quickly added. Boundaries of the temporary zones have been adjusted several times since 2007, but maps of the current temporary zones can be found at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/. Cattle from the permanent and temporary quarantine zones must be individually inspected and dipped before being allowed to leave the zones. There have been debates about how to most effectively combat the spread of fever ticks, but almost everyone agrees that no matter what methods are used, more funding is needed.
Past Actions
For over three years, STPRA has been very active in advocating for more funding and solutions for fever tick eradication. In December of 2007 and the summer of 2008, STPRA sponsored large gatherings of ranchers, interest groups, and government officials in the Rio Grande Valley to discuss the fever tick issue and design remedies. STPRA board members and the executive director have also been very active in attending other meetings and working group sessions on fever ticks. Our organization has communicated diligently with state and federal agencies to seek their involvement and cooperation. We have asked the Food and Drug Administration to speed up research and approvals of vaccinations and treatment drugs. The membership has been kept informed on the issue through updates and presentations at member meetings. We have testified before legislative committees and have actively pursued additional funding at both the state and federal levels.
Partially as a result of STPRA's efforts, some progress has been made in securing additional resources for fighting fever ticks. In 2008, the USDA dedicated about $5 million from an emergency fund to be applied toward fever tick eradication. In 2009, Congressman Henry Cuellar was successful in gaining approval of an increase in annual appropriations from about $9 million to about $20 million. Also in 2009, the Texas legislature increased appropriations by about $1 million, with an additional $500,000 for game fencing because wildlife often spread the ticks.
Future Actions
The battle with fever ticks is far from over. Waging it has gotten increasingly complex and difficult as border violence has grown. STPRA will continue to be a loud, clear voice, both independently and with our allied organizations, advocating new effective approaches for controlling fever ticks and adequate funding to implement them. Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers estimates annual losses to the beef industry of up to $1 billion a year if fever ticks are allowed to spread. STPRA is committed to doing our part to protect the livelihoods of property owners who are threatened by a failure to eradicate fever ticks.