By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Two Texas universities are among the groups that received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to study chronic wasting disease (CWD).

Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Houston received over $1 million in funding from the APHIS 2024 Farmed Cervid Spending Plan.

State and Tribal partners received about $12 million to further develop and implement CWD management and response activities in wild and farmed cervids.

“Deer, elk, moose and other cervids are important wildlife resources that continue to be at risk of contracting chronic wasting disease,” Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, said.

CWD is a fatal, neurological disease that has spread widely and is difficult to control due to the limited number of effective management tools available.

“This funding will help APHIS and our state and Tribal partners find and implement new solutions to this challenging disease while protecting the health of animals and the livelihoods of our farmers,” Moffitt said.

The projects that received funding will prioritize developing and implementing CWD management, response and research activities in farmed cervids, including surveillance and testing. Funding will be used for projects that propose to research the application of, or implement, whole genome predictive genetics CWD management plans.

Texas projects that were funded include:

  • Establishing a Prion Reduction Plan For a CWD-Positive Deer Farm in Frio County Texas, Texas A&M, $249,820;
  • Establishing a Prion Reduction Plan For a CWD-Positive Deer Farm in Sutton County Texas, Texas A&M, $205,913;
  • Initiating Predictive Genetics for Chronic Wasting Disease Resistance in Mule Deer, Texas A&M $113,975;
  • Screening of strain-specific anti CWD prion molecules, University of Texas Houston, $244,977; and
  • Deploying Predictive Genetics for Chronic Wasting Disease Resistance in Farmed Elk, Texas A&M, $222,335.

Additional universities were awarded funding through the 2024 Farmed Cervid Spending Plan.

View the 2024 Wild Cervid Spending Plan.

View the 2024 Tribal National Wild Cervid Spending Plan.