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1. Work begins on $1.2 billion NBAF facility in Kansas
Daniel McCoy, Reporter
Wichita Business Journal
May 27, 2015
Federal and state officials on Wednesday broke ground on the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, seven years after the city was named the chosen site.
According to a press release from Homeland Security, the facility is expected to fully operational by 2022 at a cost of $1.25 billion.
Design changes have ballooned the cost since Manhattan was chosen in 2008, at which time the project was estimated at around $450 million.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/pydt32l
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2. Helping in the fight against avian flu [WI - edited]
By Kelly April Tyrrell
Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison News
May 27, 2015
Avian influenza has made headlines in Wisconsin and several other states in recent weeks. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) are on the front line in responding to and understanding the virus and providing critical testing for food producers and commercial and private flock owners.
Kathy Kurth-Toohey, virology section head at WVDL, has led diagnostic efforts at the laboratory. The laboratory tests turkeys, chickens, and ducks twice every 14 days in the infected, buffer, and surveillance zones established by DATCP and the USDA.
Researchers at UW-Madison are also leading efforts to study the virus and reduce its harm.
Animal sciences professor Mark Berres is examining the prevalence of the virus among Red Jungle Fowl, the direct ancestors of domestic chickens. Like other wild waterfowl, Red Jungle Fowl can harbor the virus but do not get sick. Berres seeks to understand how chickens lost their resistance to the virus over the course of domestication or through selective breeding.
Yoshihiro Kawaoka, professor of pathobiological sciences in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) is testing the virus found on Wisconsin's farms to better understand it and the impact it could have on other species. He is also studying how some chickens have survived infection, despite its nearly 100 percent mortality rate.
Full text:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/23806
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3. Natural Enzyme Examined as Antibiotics Alternative
By Jan Suszkiw
Agricultural Research Magazine
May 28, 2015
Lysozyme, a naturally occurring antimicrobial enzyme, is used in food and beverage applications such as cheese- and wine-making. Now, it may also prove useful as an antibiotic alternative for improved feed efficiency and growth in pigs, according to studies by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.
Their research coincides with ongoing debate over whether using antibiotics in this manner contributes to the emergence of resistant bacteria strains, threatening the compounds' availability and effectiveness as infection-fighters in both veterinary and human medicine. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria sicken more than 2 million people in the United States each year and kill over 23,000 directly.
Swine producers are currently under pressure to eliminate sub-therapeutic antibiotic use throughout the production cycle, according to William Oliver, a physiologist at USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Clay Center, Nebraska. Finding safe and effective alternatives to traditional antibiotics will give swine producers viable options in the event the antibiotics are removed from use, he added.
Oliver and his ARS and university colleagues began investigating lysozyme in 2010. In a recently published trial conducted at Clay Center, they compared the growth rates and weight gains of two groups of 600 piglets placed on one of three diet regimens: a standard feed regimen of corn/soybean meal and specialty protein, a second regimen of the same with lysozyme added, and a third containing the antibiotics chlortetracycline and tiamulin hydrogen fumarate rather than the lysozyme.
The groups were also kept in weaning pens that had either been disinfected or left uncleaned since the last group of animals had occupied them. The latter was done to stimulate chronic, or long-term, immune activity, including the production of cytokines, which divert nutrients away from growth in swine and result in slower weight gain.
Full text:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2015/150528.htm
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4. Answers to bird flu questions remain elusive to producers, researchers alike
AgWeek.com
May 28, 2015
OLIVIA, Minn. - Jeff Barber found himself on the front line in the bird flu epidemic in April when one of his turkey flocks became the first to be infected in Minnesota's Nobles County.
Research is needed to determine what biosecurity measures can be effective in keeping the avian influenza virus from entering turkey and chicken barns, said Steve Olson, executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and of the Chicken and Egg Association of Minnesota.
One month later, Barber, of T & M Farms, of Worthington, drove north to Olivia looking for answers.
"It's hard to find answers, nothing is being done for us down there,'' Barber said.
He was among 14 people, ranging from turkey and poultry growers to agency workers involved in the fight, who joined State Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, and State Sen. Lyle Koenen, DFL-Clara City, on Wednesday to learn about the epidemic and what is being done.
Many answers remain to be found: "How it is being spread, we don't really know,'' said Dr. Carol Cardona, D.V.M., Pomeroy chair for avian health with the University of Minnesota.
Full text:
http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/26490/
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5. TAHC Urges Livestock and Pet Owners to Protect Their Animals Before Disaster Strikes
Texas Animal Health Commission News Release
May 27, 2015
AUSTIN - With the rain, flooding and tornados across our state, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) reminds Texans to take appropriate steps to prepare your livestock, poultry and pets before disaster strikes.
All animals are vulnerable to issues associated with torrential rains and floods. Such events can easily impact both animal and human health. Proper planning and preparedness are key in preventing or minimizing the loss of livestock and pets. Stay informed and protect your livestock and pets against potential severe weather threats.
Make plans for your livestock and pets in case you need to evacuate your home or ranch. Remember that disasters often displace animals left behind so it is imperative that you have a way to identify your animal(s). Ear tags, microchips, brands, contact information attached to halters/collars, and pictures of you with your animal are good ways to prove ownership after a disaster.
In addition to your personal disaster kit, put together supplies that may be needed for your livestock/pets.
A livestock/pet disaster kit may include:
* A waterproof container in which to store feed and equipment
* A one week supply of feed
* A one week supply of water
* Copies of veterinary records, breed registry and any paperwork proving ownership
* An emergency contact list
* First aid kit
* Detailed diet and medication instructions
* Maps of local area with possible evacuation routes
Full text:
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/news/pr/2015/2015-05-27_ProtectLivestock.pdf
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6. The Federal Government Is Unprepared for a Large-Scale Animal Disease Outbreak
By Eric Katz
Government Executive
May 28, 2015
Federal agencies do not have enough veterinarians to respond to a major crisis, according to a new report, nor do they know how many animal physicians they would need in such an event.
The Government Accountability Office said agencies are not adequately monitoring and developing their animal doctors. In addition to their normal responsibilities, the vets would play a critical role in responding to a widespread viral outbreak.
Most veterinarians in the federal government work at the Agriculture Department, where they maintain the health of American livestock and oversee the humane treatment of animals during slaughter, and at the Health and Human Services Department, where they conduct research related to animal and human disease. Since 2009, in response to GAO-determined shortcomings, the departments have attempted to boost their veterinarian workforce planning efforts.
Despite those steps, and efforts by the Office of Personnel Management and Congress, GAO said the veterinarian workforce "remains high risk." The auditors said HHS and USDA must do a better job determining and addressing skill gaps and addressing other human capital needs. They also said OPM should give agencies direct-hire authority when a "critical need" for animal physicians arises.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/o4uby7h
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7. United States and Canada Announce Regulatory Partnership Statements and Animal and Plant Health Work Plans
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
May 28, 2015
In February 2011, President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Harper announced the formation of the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) as a mechanism to promote ongoing regulatory cooperation and alignment between our two countries. The goal is to develop more effective regulatory approaches to facilitate trade and economic growth in a number of sectors while continuing to protect the health and safety of our citizens. The initial Joint Action Plan and additional information about the projects initiated under the first phase of the RCC can be found at www.trade.gov/rcc.
On August 27, 2014, the RCC released the Joint Forward Plan that describes the accomplishments under the first phase of the RCC and outlines the next phase of work. RCC-2 will move from a focus on individual initiatives toward the development of permanent and ongoing departmental regulatory partnerships and continuing stakeholder engagement.
Today, the RCC published Regulatory Partnership Statements that outline the mechanisms for ongoing regulatory cooperation, as well as work plans describing the new initiatives planned for RCC-2. The United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have been working closely to develop five new work plans under phase 2 of RCC:
Animal Health Work Plans:
FAD zoning: The United States and Canada have agreed to recognize each other's zoning decisions when a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak occurs, to facilitate trade between disease-free zones. APHIS and CFIA published a Guidance Framework for implementing this initiative in 2014. Under RCC-2, the agencies intend to finalize the Framework consultation process, evaluate the use of the Framework for avian influenza outbreaks in both countries, and work toward developing modeling tools to inform certain zoning decisions.
Electronic certification: Animal health certificates are official documents issued by the exporting country to provide the importing country with documentation that consignments of animals, animal products, and other regulated articles meet specified import requirements. Under RCC-2, APHIS and CFIA will work toward implementing mechanisms to allow the electronic exchange of animal health certificates between the United States and Canada. Electronic exchange would increase the efficiency of the process, improve reporting, enhance security during transmission, and reduce the opportunity for fraudulent activity.
Full text:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/106a2cb
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