|
* * * * * * * * *
1. Health officials quarantine 4 Arizona properties for bird flu watch
By Associated Press
KTAR.com
June 12, 2015
PHOENIX -- Officials said quarantines were ordered for four properties in Arizona that had quail, chickens and eggs that came from an Iowa facility where other birds tested positive for a bird flu virus.
The Arizona Department of Health Services said the properties were located in Pinal, Mohave, Santa Cruz and Yavapai counties.
It's unknown whether the birds in Arizona have contracted the virus.
They will be tested for the virus but it could take as long as six days to get the results.
Full text:
http://ktar.com/22/1841864/Health-officials-quarantine-4-Arizona-properties-for-bird-flu-watch
********
|
|
2. Spread of bird flu in Iowa slowing down
By Katrina Lamansky
WQAD.com
June 12, 2015
The spread of bird flu across the State of Iowa is slowing down.
Only one new case of avian influenza was reported during the week of June 8, 2015, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. They confirmed that all infected turkey flocks have been euthanized and are in the process of being composted.
The last backyard flock that the department planned to euthanize was set to be complete by Friday, June 12.
Euthanasia has yet to be completed at one more pullet facility. It is expected to be done early in the week of June 15.
Full text:
http://wqad.com/2015/06/12/spread-of-bird-flu-in-iowa-slowing-down/
********
|
|
3. Message from the APHIS Administrator About Avian Influenza Response
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
June 12, 2015
Dear Stakeholders:
Right now, hundreds of veterinarians from my Agency are working around the clock to help egg and turkey producers battle a severe outbreak of avian influenza that has affected 50 million of their birds over the last 6 months. I couldn't be more proud of our employees and their admirable work alongside veterinarians from State Departments of Agriculture, producers, and thousands of contractors. Together, they are leading the response so that these vital businesses, and all who depend on them, can get back to work as soon as possible.
Outside of rural America, our Agency and our work may not be very well known. But to our Nation's farmers and ranchers, we are a trusted partner who keeps their plants and animals healthy and marketable. Over the course of our history, we have successfully eradicated livestock scourges, such as screwworm and pseudorabies, and led responses to detections of exotic Newcastle disease, avian influenza, and other diseases so consumers can be confident about our food, and important export markets remain open for producers.
We take the trust placed in us extremely seriously and I assure you that includes being ready to help producers and respond to outbreaks of serious livestock diseases. We have specific plans in place for responding to the most serious threats to livestock, including foot-and-mouth disease. These plans call for our veterinarians to set policies to appropriately and adequately respond to the threat, and lead response teams comprised of State partners, producers, and contractors in carrying out those plans and policies. If needed, we can tap into a large network of food animal veterinarians and veterinary students who are trained and ready to augment our response efforts. We also partner and train with other Federal agencies to ensure we're ready to work with them as part of an all-hands response.
APHIS knows some of the best information to improve our systems comes from real-world experience. Our employees' excellent work in Minnesota, Iowa, and other States is the best evidence we have of the success of our investments in workforce planning, emergency response, and employee training, even as our appropriation has been consistently reduced over the last several years. This will most likely be the most comprehensive response to a livestock disease in our Nation's history. We will carefully assess our efforts, and make sure that we continue to do all we can to build and support our veterinary workforce, which is the finest in the world.
Source:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/109585c
********
|
|
4. Hearing On The Avian Flu Set For July 7th [U.S. Senate]
ABC9 News
June 12, 2015
Washington, D.C. - The Senate committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will hold a hearing on the avian flu.
The hearing is happening after senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst requested the governments response on the ongoing outbreak.
"This is an important opportunity to bring leaders and key stakeholders together to review the pandemic spread of this deadly disease, identify areas for improvement within response procedures, and set the stage to ensure we are better prepared in the future," say Ernst, in a statement.
The hearing will be held on July 7th [10 AM ET], and is titled "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: The Impact Of The U.S. Poultry Sector And Protecting U.S. Poultry Flocks."
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/njvs8a7
********
|
|
5. Officials say avian flu is headed for North Carolina
By Ed Crump
ABC11.com
June 11, 2015
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- State officials are taking steps to prevent the avian flu from spreading to birds in North Carolina.
On Wednesday, the Agriculture Department addressed the growing concern at the N.C. State Fairgrounds.
Avian flu has caused the price of eggs to spike higher than they have in more than 60 years. The biggest threat to the state's poultry industry will come next fall during the migratory bird season.
Scientists believe avian flu is spread by wild waterfowl and because of that, state agriculture officials decided ban all poultry shows and public sales from mid-August to mid-January.
Right now the avian flu is spreading from the Northwest to the Midwest, already hitting 20 states. But it could easily move south when wild waterfowl begin migrating in that direction in just a few months.
North Carolina's $18 billion poultry industry isn't sitting by idly, waiting to see what happens.
"We know this is going to affect a number of poultry shows and kids who have planned to exhibit at their county fair or their state fair," said NC Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
Troxler said the decision to ban shows wasn't made lightly or in a vacuum. He was joined by the state's lead veterinarian, Doug Meckes, who recently returned from a summit with others in his position across the Southeast.
Meckes said it's not "if" the virus comes to the Southeast, but "when."
Full text:
http://abc11.com/news/officials-say-avian-flu-is-headed-for-north-carolina-/778490/
********
|
|
6. Vesicular Stomatitis Update [Texas]
Texas Animal Health Commission
June 12, 2015
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has confirmed one new case of Vesicular stomatitis (VS) in a horse. The premises is located in Ward County, approximately 30 miles north of Fort Stockton, TX. This is the first case of VS in this county.
The two previously infected herds in Reeves and Pecos County have been released.
The newly identified infected premises is currently under quarantine by the TAHC. Affected horses will be monitored by regulatory personnel until all lesions have healed and a decision is made to release the quarantine (a minimum of 14 days). There is no known exposure to other horses around the state, or at any equine events. It is believed that the virus overwinters in the sand and black fly population in northern Mexico and then moves northward in warmer weather.
Full text:
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/news/pr/2015/2015-06-12_VSUpdate.pdf
********
|
|
7. Suspected mad cow disease means crisis for US sale of Irish beef
Cathy Hayes
IrishCentral.com
June 12,2015
Ireland's beef trade could be dealt a harsh blow as 90% of meat is exported abroad. Photo by: iStock
A suspected case of BSE, known as mad cow disease, had been identified in a dairy cow in County Louth. The news comes just four months after the United States announced they would drop their ban on Irish premium beef, which was in place since 1999.
This County Louth discovery would be the first confirmed case of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in Ireland since 2013. It comes shortly just after World Animal Health Organization (OIE) moved to recognize Ireland as having a "negligible risk" for the disease.
Ireland's Department of Agriculture says it has informed the European Commission. It added that the Department will liaise closely with trading partners, such as the United States, and stated that a full "transparent" investigation is underway. This suspected case, found in a five-year-old cow, was discovered during the Department of Agriculture's ongoing surveillance of animals that die on farms.
According to the Department's statement "The animal was not presented for slaughter and did not enter the food chain."
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/p6nu424
********
|
|
