Farm Families and Bovine Tuberculosis

Abstract

Some farm families in Michigan are finding that their cattle have Bovine Tuberculosis. When this occurs, they face a challenge to their family business, their family processes, and their way of life. The Michigan Bovine TB eradication program also confronts them. Together, Bovine TB and the eradication program cause significant stress, straining the relationship of farmers with their farm ecosystems, and causing the loss of ability to effectively participate in decision-making that is crucial to the farm family and the farm business. These experiences define farm families as recipients of environmental injustice. There is a need to achieve environmental justice by reducing the impact of Bovine TB, as well as adverse effects of programs designed to eliminate the disease.