State Senator Jason Rarick (R-Brook Park) released the following statement following a Board of Animal Health announcement that Chronic Wasting Disease has been discovered in a doe on a Pine County Farm:

“We are taking the threat posed by Chronic Wasting Disease extremely seriously, and we will explore every option to prevent this from becoming a full-fledged crisis. I am hopeful that this will be an isolated incident in Pine County and that it hasn’t spread any further.”

In 2019, the Minnesota legislature dedicated $1.8 million to the University of Minnesota for surveillance, research, and preventive measures to protect Minnesota’s deer populations, including a live test to detect Chronic Wasting Disease. The legislature also implemented new rules on farms, such as stricter fencing regulations and a requirement of double gates.