MADISON — A Dane County deer farm was released from quarantine Feb. 7 after authorities determined it had no connection with chronic wasting disease, acting state veterinarian Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt announced.

The farm is owned by Mark and Doug Deegan, Brooklyn. The deer herd was quarantined in October 2002 as part of the investigation into CWD on whitetail farms conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Department of Natural Resources.

A quarantine merely prohibits movement of animals off the farm. It does not imply the presence of disease.

The Deegans had sold a deer to a Portage County hunting preserve prior to the time when official identification numbers were required for moving deer. As a result, it was one of two animals with the same number on the preserve. One of those animals tested positive for CWD in September. Subsequent DNA testing has shown that the animal did not come from the Deegan herd.

No animals from the Deegan herd have ever tested positive for CWD.

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