The Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium’s annual meeting focused on Wisconsin’s established animal disease traceability system.
So far in 2025, Wisconsin has had one case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry. There were four cases of HPAI in poultry flocks in Wisconsin in 2024.
The state has had zero cases of HPAI in dairy cattle. Wisconsin is at a “provisionally unaffected” status regarding HPAI in dairy cattle. The state will be working toward a status of “unaffected” via testing with the National Milk Testing Strategy. NMTS will start soon to understand where the virus is present in U.S. dairy herds.
Renewal Year
This year also happens to be a livestock premises renewal year, which takes place every three years.
“We recognize more than 65,000 livestock premises are active in our database, and we are currently working on contacting all these livestock owners to review their existing information and renew their premises,” says WLIC Executive Director Julie Sweney. “In light of HPAI impacting several species, it is very important for livestock owners to renew their premises and ensure their information is up-to-date.”
Livestock owners should have received an email requesting that they renew their premises. Call WLIC at 888-808-1910 to renew today. Registrant information is kept confidential by law.
“Renewing your livestock premises is a very simple, easy thing for livestock owners to do to help ensure that this industry we all know and love can continue with minimal interruption when faced with an animal disease outbreak,” says Sweney.
Board Business
Following the member meeting, Scott Schneider of Nature Link Farms was re-elected chair of the board. John Haag of Haag Dairy, representing the Professional Dairy Producers, was re-elected as vice-chair. Re-elected to serve as secretary was Rob Meier, representing Equity Cooperative. Matt Crimmins, representing Johnsonville Sausage, was re-elected treasurer.
The remaining seats of the 12-member board include Kim Bremmer of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Lexi Miller of World Dairy Expo, Nic Rue of Compeer Financial, Steve Spring of the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Hannah Statz of the Wisconsin Beef Council, Tina Peterson of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Betty Lund of Dairy State Cheese, and AV Roth of Roth Feeder Pigs representing Wisconsin Pork Association.
