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1. Congress Considering Bird Flu Insurance or Disaster Program
WNAX.com
August 10, 2015
Congress is working on some type of risk management or disaster program to assist poultry producers hit by avian influenza. House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota says this was the worst animal disease outbreak the U.S. has ever experienced and the virus may reemerge this fall. That is why some type disaster program is needed. However, he says catastrophic poultry insurance may not be the best option.
Instead Peterson says a better option may be to look at insuring the lost income from the time the flock is depopulated until producers go through sanitation, certification and get birds back to market.
He says the Ag Committees tried to include poultry insurance in the recent farm bill, but it was stripped out for budgetary reasons.
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2. Congress asks USDA for continued avian influenza assistance
By P. Scott Shearer, Bockorny Group, Washington, D.C.
National Hog Farmer
August 10, 2015
Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN), ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, was joined by 28 other Congressmen in asking the USDA for its continued assistance for poultry producers who have been affected by the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Indications are more than 48 million birds have been lost. The Congressmen are appreciative of the USDA's efforts to combat the spread of HPAI, but are asking for continued assistance in these areas.
Complete biosecurity research in a timely manner to ensure industry can take any immediate steps before fall. This critical research will help make sure that any financial requirements by industry, and certainly the federal government, are practices that are based on science, will improve biosecurity and reduce the impact of this disease on farmers, communities and consumers.
Complete research and development of a viable commercial vaccine, so that it is available for fall should it be needed. The USDA is applauded for its ongoing work on vaccine development.
There are major concerns the United States will have another major outbreak of HPAI this fall.
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3. Life after avian flu in Iowa
By Jacqui Fatka
Feedstuffs
August 10, 2015
Iowa was one of the hardest hit states in this year's avian influenza outbreak. Nearly all of the control zones have been lifted in the state and restocking of birds is underway.
Since April 13, 2015, there has been 77 total premises and 34 million birds affected with H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza in Iowa. There are 35 commercial turkey flocks, 22 commercial egg production flocks, 13 pullet flocks, 1 breeding flock for a mail order hatchery, and 6 backyard flocks.
Depopulation and disposal has been completed at all 77 premises. Sixteen sites have completed the cleaning and disinfection process. Four sites are now eligible for repopulation.
Brad Moline, owner and operator of a turkey farm near Mason, Iowa, hosted a news conference Monday to highlight actions he's taken and the restocking of his flock that began July 31.
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4. Research: Making animal vaccines safer with sweetcorn
Purdue Univ.
WorldPoultry.net
August 10, 2015
Animal vaccine manufacturers could benefit from the work of two Purdue University researchers who are testing biomaterial made from sweetcorn to make vaccines safer.
Harm HogenEsch, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Yuan Yao, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture, are developing biomaterial from a non-genetically modified variety of sweet corn to use as an adjuvant in animal vaccines. Adjuvants are substances that are added to vaccines to stimulate an immune response and to improve the performance of vaccines.
Drawbacks of commonly used adjuvants
HogenEsch said commonly used adjuvants like oil emulsions and aluminum have a number of drawbacks. "The conventionally used oil emulsions and aluminum are poorly biodegradable and can induce a long-lasting inflammatory response at the injection site. Especially for food animals, that's an issue," he said. "The corn-derived biomaterial being developed and tested at Purdue may address these issues in a sustainable way."
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5. Meat of the matter: After the "ag gag" reversal
By Dan Murphy
Drovers CattleNetwork.com
August 10, 2015
No surprise that Idaho's ban on undercover surveillance was overturned; the law ran afoul of the First Amendment, so it was an easy call for the court. But there's a serious lesson to be learned.
A federal judge has lifted the ban on undercover surveillance inside meat plants and livestock facilities in the state of Idaho. U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled on Monday that Idaho's "ag gag" law violated the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights to free speech.
"An agricultural facility's operations that affect food and worker safety are not exclusively a private matter," the judge wrote. "Food and worker safety are matters of public concern."
Members of Idaho's dairy industry spearheaded a bill in the state legislature last year that effectively criminalized attempts at capturing undercover video footage in agricultural facilities. As most industry participants remember, the Idaho law was prompted by the release of a video made by an operative for Mercy for Animals that purported to show workers at Bettencourt Dairies, Idaho's largest dairy farm dragging and beating and shocking cows.
The video evidence led to criminal charges of animal cruelty against several employees and one of the farm's managers. In response, state dairy operators, who labeled the stunt as an attempt to damage agricultural businesses in the state, rallied state legislators to pass a law making it a crime to film inside agricultural facilities, and in 2014 Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed it into law.
A coalition of animal activists, civil-rights groups and media organizations petitioned in federal district court to overturn the ban on the grounds that it impeded citizens' exercise of free speech.
Winmill agreed, ruling that the law violated the First Amendment and the equal protection clause because it was motivated by animus towards animal activist groups.
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6. Christensen Farms takes action to protect animal welfare
Feedstuffs
August 10, 2015
Christensen Farms & Feedlots Inc. announced Aug. 7 that it has suspended seven employees and is conducting a full internal investigation after learning of possible improper animal care at one of the company's Minnesota hog facilities.
"We were disappointed to learn of alleged violations of our animal welfare policies at one of our facilities," Christensen Farms chief executive officer Glenn Stolt said. "At Christensen Farms, we take the health and welfare of our animals very seriously. It is our responsibility, and we owe it to our packer customers and consumers to provide uncompromising care to our animals. There is no place in this industry for individuals who mistreat animals."
All Christensen Farms employees are trained in proper animal care, and employees are required to sign a document agreeing to the company's strict animal welfare policies, the company said in a statement, adding that employees who fail to live up to Christensen Farms' high standards are held accountable.
"While these allegations are very disappointing, we have a history of continually improving our animal welfare processes," said Stolt.
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7. Feral Swine Damage Management Final Environmental Impact Statement; Record of Decision
Federal Register Volume 80, Number 154 (Tuesday, August 11, 2015)
Notices
Pages 48071-48072
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19699]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Docket No. APHIS-2013-0031
Feral Swine Damage Management Final Environmental Impact Statement; Record of Decision
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: This notice advises the public of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's record of decision for the final environmental impact statement titled ``Feral Swine Damage Management: A National Approach.''
DATES: Effective August 11, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may read the final environmental impact statement and the record of decision in our reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.
The record of decision, final environmental impact statement, and supporting information may also be found by visiting the APHIS feral swine environmental impact statement Web page at www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife-damage/fseis. To obtain copies of the documents, contact the
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Kimberly Wagner, USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services, 732 Lois Drive, Sun Prairie, WI; (608) 837-2737; kimberly.k.wagner@aphis.usda.gov.
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