Farmers, agriculture industry representatives and government officials will gather in Tulare on Monday, April 23, for an update on foot-and-mouth disease and what an outbreak could mean in California.

While domestic animals are at the greatest risk from an outbreak, wildlife are also vulnerable to the disease. Veterinary experts say the disease could affect deer, feral pigs, bighorn sheep and elk, among other species.

Cloven-hoofed wild animals can catch the disease from livestock and also transmit it to livestock.

The Monday symposium is coordinated by the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare. News media are invited to attend a midday news conference; those planning to also attend the symposium sessions (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) should reserve space in advance.

The symposium will be held at Edison Agricultural Technology Application Center (Ag TAC), 4175 S. Laspina, Tulare, Calif.

Media contacts:
-- Lynn Narlesky, Veterinary Medicine Dean's Office, (530) 752-5257, lnarlesky@ucdavis.edu
-- Sylvia Wright, News Service, (530) 752-7704, swright@ucdavis.edu