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1. Minnesota records 13 straight days with no new bird flu
The Associated Press
St. Cloud Times
June 18, 2015
ST. PAUL - Minnesota recorded its 13th straight day with no new cases of bird flu on Thursday as the focus on recovery continues.
Minnesota producers have lost around 9 million turkeys and chickens on 108 farms to the H5N2 avian influenza virus since its presence was first confirmed in early March. But with the dust settling, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health said it would scale back its updates to just a weekly email briefing unless new flocks test positive.
Two turkey farms, in Pope and Stearns County, have been restocked so far and several others are set to restock next week, the board statement said.
Poultry farmers who have suffered losses are now eligible for interest-free disaster loans, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced this week. The Minnesota Rural Finance Authority has been given $10 million to help producers replace their flocks, make building improvements and cover lost revenues.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/q8gn8a3
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2. No New EHV-1 Cases Reported in Oregon Since June 1
By Edited Press Release
TheHorse.com
June 19, 2015
There have been no additional cases of horses infected with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) since the June 1 reported infection of a 14-year old Quarter Horse gelding in Marion County.
The horse was treated at Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine's Large Animal Hospital and returned to his stable, which remains under quarantine. All horses located at the stable remain under active observation by owners and their veterinarians for clinical signs of disease.
All eight quarantines associated with previous EHV-1 cases in Oregon have been released.
Full text:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/35960/no-new-ehv-1-cases-reported-in-oregon-since-june-1
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3. Iowa Governor: Bird Flu Could Leave 1,500 Unemployed by August
Associated Press
AgWeb.com
June 19, 2015
More than 1,500 Iowa workers are expected to lose their jobs as a result of the bird flu outbreak and the cost to the state's egg industry alone will exceed $1 billion, Gov. Terry Branstad said Thursday in a letter seeking a major disaster declaration from President Barack Obama.
The lost jobs represent about half of Iowa's workers in commercial poultry production operations, Branstad said.
A presidential disaster declaration would draw federal help in coordinating recovery efforts.
Branstad, in the letter addressed to Obama and the regional administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, asked for the declaration to cover Buena Vista, Sioux, Webster and Wright counties, the four hardest hit in the bird flu outbreak. Branstad said additional counties may be added.
"I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments and that supplementary federal assistance is necessary," Branstad said.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/q4j3kmx
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4. VFD webinar now available on-demand
By John Maday, Editor, Bovine Veterinarian
PorkNetwork.com
June 19, 2015
On June 17, Zoetis sponsored a free webinar outlining the FDA's new Veterinary Feed Directive rules, which place the use of medically important antibiotics administered in feed under the direct supervision of veterinarians.
Over 1,000 participants linked into the live webinar through BovineVetOnline.com, CattleNetwork.com and PorkNetwork.com. The one-hour webinar now is available for viewing on-demand.
The webinar presenters include:
John Hallberg, DVM, PhD, director of Regulatory Affairs for Veterinary Medicine Research and Development at Zoetis.
Paul Ruen. DVM, a partner at the Fairmont Veterinary Clinic in Minnesota and member of the AVMA Steering Committee for FDA Policy on Veterinary Oversight of Antimicrobials.
Gatz Riddell, DVM, Executive Vice President of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP).
Following the presentations, the webinar includes a 20-minute question and answer session, with a panel of experts addressing a variety of questions on the new VFD rules.
View the webinar at BovineVetOnline.
[http://www.bovinevetonline.com/webinars/zoetis-vfd-webinar ]
Source:
http://www.porknetwork.com/news/industry/vfd-webinar-now-available-demand
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5. Texas Tech, Kansas State Enter into Collaborative Agreement in Beef Industry
Posted By Staff
EverythingLubbock.com
June 19, 2015
LUBBOCK, TX (PRESS RELEASE) -- Texas Tech University and Kansas State University have entered an agreement to bring Texas Tech into the Beef Cattle Institute (BCI), which fosters collaboration to deal with issues relating to the beef industry.
Established in 2007 under the leadership of Dan Thomson, a Texas Tech alumnus, in the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine, the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State has become one of the premier collaborative centers anywhere in the world for research, education and outreach in the beef industry. Texas Tech and Kansas State are leaders in providing the beef industry, from producers to retailers, with the people and tools needed to succeed both today and into the future, making this collaboration a natural fit.
"An integrated approach between our schools is a smart use of our resources so that collectively, we can better serve the beef industry that provides significant economic infrastructure for our schools and our states," said Thomson, the Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology and BCI director. "I look forward to growing opportunities for our faculty and students together through research, outreach and educational opportunities."
By adding expertise from Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, these universities hope to take the BCI to another level of success, deliver far-reaching solutions for the beef industry, provide expanded opportunities for students and faculty and better serve the interests of our citizens.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/o6zldjp
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6. FDA Announces New Grant Funding Opportunity to Support Development of New Animal Drugs Intended for Minor Use or Minor Species
FDA Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine News Release
June 19, 2015
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the opening date for applications for grants to support the development of new animal drugs intended for minor species or minor uses in major species (major species are horses, dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, turkeys and chickens). This is a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (#RFA-FD-15-004). Applications must be submitted electronically by August 14, 2015, through www.grants.gov.
The grant program was established by the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004, and funding was authorized to start after finalization of regulations to implement the Designation provisions of Section 573 of the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.
Eligibility requirements to apply for a MUMS grant include: 1) the drug must be "designated" by the Center for Veterinary Medicine's (CVM) Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development (OMUMS) under the MUMS Act (Designations List on FDA website); 2) the grant funding must be used to defray the costs of qualified safety and effectiveness testing expenses associated with the development of the drug for the designated intended use; and 3) interested parties must have a study protocol that has been accepted by CVM's Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation (ONADE) prior to submitting the grant application.
Qualified studies include those intended to support target animal safety or effectiveness, environmental safety, or human food safety. For human food safety, a separate study to validate an analytical method prior to conduct of an in-life study is eligible for funding, if a protocol for the stand-alone method validation study has been accepted by ONADE. Certain manufacturing studies as described in the FOA that are supportive of target animal safety or effectiveness are also eligible for funding, with an ONADE-accepted protocol.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/nqadqj9
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7. House subcommittee advances ag spending bill [edited]
By Jacqui Fatka
Feedstuffs.com
June 19, 2015
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Robert Aderholt (R., Ala.), marked up and approved by voice vote its version of the FY 2016 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill Thursday.
The bill would provide $20.7 billion in discretionary spending, which would represent a 1% reduction from the FY 2015 enacted level, and it is $1.1 billion less than the Administration's budget request. The overall bill totals $143.9 billion.
The bill provides $2.7 billion for agriculture research programs, including the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The legislation includes $871 million - $15 million above the President's budget request and approximately the same as the fiscal year 2015 enacted level - for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The increase will help address harmful outbreaks of citrus greening and highly pathogenic avian influenza, the subcommittee said.
Full text:
http://feedstuffs.com/story-house-subcommittee-advances-ag-spending-bill-45-129000
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