The Economic Impacts of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Wisconsin

The major economic impacts of CWD have been on hunters rather than other sectors of the Wisconsin economy. This article shows that by using available data and plausible assumptions, hunter losses likely amounted to between $53 million and $79 million in 2002 and $45 million to $72 million in 2003. CWD has also likely caused deer hunters to spend less on their sport than they have in the past, but the net impact of reduced hunter spending on the Wisconsin economy as a whole probably did not total more than $5 million per year in 2002 and 2003. Losses in some rural areas, however, may have been substantial, but data are not available to estimate these losses. The State of Wisconsin absorbed costs of about $14.7 million in fiscal year 2002–2003. Data are not currently available to quantify losses to deer and elk farmers, feed dealers, and deer viewers.