(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House and Senate have agreed to redirect two-and-a-half million dollars that’s sitting unused in the Iowa Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Fund. The fund was created to test for the contagious diseases which were a threat to cattle and other livestock in the past, but have largely been eliminated in the United States. Representative Norlin Mommsen, a farmer from DeWitt, says the focus — and the funds — need to shift to other foreign animal diseases.

“Most of the time the only conversation that takes place about eggs is about how you want them cooked, but with the outbreak of Avian influenza the conversation has been more about price and availability,” Mommsen said. “…We tried to address this issue as best we could.” Mommsen is chairman of the House panel that drafts the annual budget for the Iowa Department of Agriculture. It calls for taking 100-thousand dollars from the State Brucellosis Fund and spending it on development of a bird flu vaccine.

“Second we appropriated money to the Vet Diagnostic Lab and third we appropriated money for the equipment that might be necessary in the event of an outbreak,” Mommsen said. “We attempted to take a broad approach to addresing the price of eggs and other potential disease issues that might affect the State of Iowa.” A 450-thousand dollar technology upgrade will help the state ag department better track outbreaks of livestock diseases in Iowa, based on what’s called a premise number that identifies each Iowa barn and pasture where animals are being raised.

There’s 250-thousand dollars in the legislature’s state bduget plan to cover moving into Iowa State University’s expanded Vet Diagnostic Lab. Another 450-thousand dollars is to be spent on state efforts to buy equipment, plan for, and address any foreign animal disease outbreak. The legislation also eliminates the property levy the Iowa Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradiction Fund. It amounts to less than 50 cents per year for the average Iowa homeowner.