North Dakota will keep its import restrictions on Minnesota cattle for now, despite the easing of federal requirements for bovine tuberculosis testing in much of that state.

The restrictions put in place by North Dakota's Board of Animal Health in February are aimed at protecting the state's "TB-free" status, which it has held for more than 30 years.

The federal Agriculture Department on Thursday announced "split state status" for bovine TB in Minnesota. That lessens testing requirements for all cattle producers except those in parts of four northwestern counties, where the disease has been found in cattle and deer.

North Dakota's Board of Animal Health historically has not recognized split-state designations, said Susan Keller, the state veterinarian.

"(North Dakota) currently has a board order in place and that order will remain in effect," she said.

The restrictions, which apply to cattle and other livestock as well as farmed deer and elk, are detailed and complicated. They require more stringent testing and inspections before the animals can be brought across the Red River.

During a Board of Animal Health meeting last month, North Dakota officials said they wanted assurances that monitoring and control of northwestern Minnesota cattle and wild deer would be adequate under a split-state designation.

Keller said the board does not meet again until Dec. 10, though it could meet earlier by conference call to discuss details of Minnesota's revised status. The board's president, Nathan Boehm of Mandan, did not return a telephone call Thursday seeking comment.

North Dakota has taken other measures to guard against the spread of bovine TB across the border. The state Game and Fish Department increased the number of available deer licenses in the northeastern part of the state and held a special seven-day doe season in two hunting units. The goal is to reduce deer numbers in the region as a precaution.

The special season ended a week go. Randy Kreil, the department's wildlife division chief, said the results won't be known until hunter surveys are analyzed following the regular deer gun season, which ends in late November.

"We're not sure exactly how well (the special hunt) worked; we're trying to find out," Kreil said. "Anecdotally we heard that participation was modest and widely spaced, but the people we did hear from, it seemed that they were successful in taking deer."

Tests of hundreds of deer killed by hunters in eastern North Dakota last year found no evidence of bovine TB, the Game and Fish Department said. The agency decided Thursday to run TB tests on deer killed in the two hunting units where the special seven-day season was held, though the decision was not specifically tied to Minnesota's split-state designation.

With the potential for the spread of disease, "we want to be on top of it each year," said Dale Repnow, a Game and Fish Department administrative assistant. "It would be silly not to."

The Board of Animal Health earlier this year also expanded restrictions on imports of California and New Mexico livestock, in response to confirmed cases of bovine TB in those states.