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1. USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic H5N2 Avian Influenza in 2nd Kandiyohi County, Minnesota Commercial Turkey Flock [corrected version]
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
April 7, 2015
WASHINGTON -- The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in second commercial turkey flock in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. This is the eighth confirmation in a commercial flock in Minnesota. The flock of 30,000 turkeys is located within the Mississippi flyway where this strain of avian influenza has previously been identified. CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time.
Samples from the turkey flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa confirmed the findings. NVSL is the only internationally recognized AI reference laboratory in the United States. APHIS is working closely with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the premises and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system.
Full text:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/fd82db
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2. Geese to be tested for avian influenza [IA]
By Jason W. Brooks
Newton Daily News
April 7, 2015
In 2009, the human H1N1 "swine flu" virus was blamed for many event postponements and plenty of panic. Like some of the other animal-named viruses of the past 15 years, the concern was how the virus had spread from animals to humans.
A strain of the bird flu, or Avian influenza, has been reported recently in poultry birds in Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas, so Iowa officials have had to take more precautionary measures - starting with snow geese.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with USDA Wildlife Services, is looking to collect a total of swab samples from 150 snow geese from across Iowa in an attempt to detect any presence of this disease in the state.
Dustin Vande Hoef, who works for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, said last week the USDA has sampled 100 hunter-harvested snow geese in Iowa, but do not have results yet.
"It will likely be a couple of months before they do," Vande Hoef said. "The disease has been found in neighboring states, but there are still no confirmed cases in Iowa."
Full text:
http://www.newtondailynews.com/2015/04/04/geese-to-be-tested-for-avian-influenza/ak80jui/
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3. Turkey farmer attempts to protect flock from avian flu [edited]
By Karen Speidel
Wahpeton Daily News
April 7, 2015
Dave Muehler of rural Hankinson, North Dakota, has reason to be concerned about a recent outbreak of avian flu. He has 40,000 head of turkeys at his farm, Muehler Turkey Farms Inc., and a fifth case of avian flu has been confirmed in Minnesota.
State and federal officials confirmed a fifth Minnesota turkey farm has been infected, this time in one of Minnesota's top poultry producing counties.
"To be honest, we're very concerned about this because if a farm was to be infected with this, it would have absolutely devastating consequences. When a flock is infected with the high pathogenic avian influenza, that flock is going to be lost," Muehler said.
Muehler Turkey Farms Inc. has taken extra measures to prevent the infectious avian influenza from hitting its flocks. There is a sign to stop any vehicle from entering the farm, unless they are on a business call. Passersby are not allowed into the turkey barns because avian influenza can be carried on the soles of shoes or clothing.
Muehler said they have even gone so far as to leave coveralls and foot gear in each barn to avoid cross contamination from one barn into another.
Despite these precautions, there are variables Muehler cannot control. Scientists consider wild migratory waterfowl to be a natural carrier for avian influenza. While wild flocks typically do not become sick from the flu virus, they can spread it through their droppings.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/o3a2sya
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4. Canada Quarantines Eight Farms After Bird Flu Outbreak
Thousands of birds have died after avian influenza strikes turkey farm in southern Ontario
By Paul Vieira
Wall Street Journal
April 7, 2015
Canadian officials placed eight farms in southern Ontario under quarantine Tuesday, after an avian influenza outbreak caused the sudden deaths of thousands of birds over several days.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said its investigation would look at whether the H5 avian influenza originated from the U.S., where 10 states have suffered an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Testing on the strain that struck a turkey farm in southern Ontario is under way, with results expected as soon as later Tuesday.
The agency announced the discovery of the avian flu virus on Monday night. Officials said 7,500 birds have died, and efforts to euthanize more birds are under way.
Full text:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/canada-quarantines-eight-farms-after-bird-flu-outbreak-1428442851
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5. USDA and the World Health Organization Highlight Food Safety this World Health Day
Posted by Al Almanza, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety
USDA Blog
April 7, 2015
Everyone involved in the farm to table continuum has an interest in making our food safe to eat. Because safe food is important to consumers around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) has picked Food Safety as the theme of World Health Day 2015. Today, April 7th, as we observe World Health Day, it is important to take a moment to reflect on what a safe food supply means globally and domestically. WHO estimates that unsafe food causes 2 million deaths each year, with 1,000 of those deaths occurring in the United States. Here at USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), we focus on food safety day in and day out, working around the clock to prevent foodborne illness and protect public health.
In the United States, we are fortunate to have one of the safest food supplies in the world. In the last eight years, the U.S. has seen a decrease in the number of foodborne illnesses with 50,000 fewer reported illnesses since 2007. This decrease is the result of our work to develop innovative ways of educating consumers about safe food handling, our efforts to modernize how we inspect food, and the work we have done with establishments to prevent bacteria from contaminating food. We are committed to using an inspection system based in science-science that derives from the work of researchers and public health experts. It is important to remember how far we've come, but our work is not done.
Modernization is the key to our approach. From research to consumer education, modernization influences all the program areas at FSIS. Last week, FSIS released its new FoodKeeper smart phone application. The FoodKeeper application offers users valuable storage advice about nearly 500 food and beverage items. By providing information on proper storage times and cooking tips, FSIS can help consumers protect themselves and their loved ones from foodborne illness. The application is available for Android and Apple devices.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/l3vn5de
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6. Food safety measures severely underfunded
ByJessica Firger
CBS News
April 7, 2015
In the U.S., food recalls are all too common. E.coli in ground beef. Campylobacter in chicken. Salmonella in walnuts. Listeria in ice cream. The list goes on and on...
Over the past five years federal health officials have sought ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. In January 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act, a complete overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration's food safety efforts, which passed with bipartisan support. The new policies emphasized food contamination prevention rather than merely responding to outbreaks.
But due to budgetary constraints, implementing these new policies has been a challenge. The Congressional Budget Office said the FDA would need $580 million between 2011 and 2015. The New York Times reports that Congress so far has budgeted less than half that amount.
"I don't think it's too much to say that the success" of the overhaul "is on the line," Michael R. Taylor, the deputy FDA commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, told the paper. "We have good plans for moving forward. The problem is we don't have the money."
Full text:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/food-safety-policies-severely-underfunded/
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7. Alabama fights California's ban on battery cages as egg farmers across country scramble to comply
By Kelsey Stein
AL.com
April 7, 2015
Alabama continues to oppose a California requirement that hen cages be large enough so a bird can stand up and turn around.
Last year, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma were involved in a federal lawsuit aiming to keep the California egg law from going into effect. California, as of Jan. 1, banned eggs from producers that don't provide large enough cages for laying hens.
When the lawsuit was initially filed in March 2014, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange issued a news release saying he joined the action to stop California from imposing its own standards on Alabama.
Alabama is the 15th largest egg producer in the nation, with production totaling 2.14 million eggs in 2012 and slightly more in 2013.
"In Alabama, consumers are free to make their own choice of which eggs to buy at their grocery stores, and it is preposterous and quite simply wrong for California to tell Alabama how we must produce eggs," Strange said in the statement. "This is not an animal-welfare issue; it is about California's attempt to protect its economy from its own job-killing laws by extending those laws to everyone else in the country."
Full text:
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/alabama_fights_californias_ban.html
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