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1. USDA prepares for bird flu vaccines despite uncertainty
Christopher Doering
DesMoines Register
August 20, 2015
WASHINGTON - The Agriculture Department is moving closer to adding vaccines to its arsenal to help fight any re-emergence of the deadly bird flu this fall despite uncertainty as to whether such an effort will be effective.
USDA's Agricultural Research Service is developing its own vaccine that would prevent chickens and turkeys from dying from the deadly virus, and reduce how much of the influenza is produced or emitted by the bird into the environment where it could affect other animals. Other companies, including Harrisvaccines of Ames, Iowa, are working on their own solutions.
But a vaccine, if the USDA decides to use it to help eradicate the disease, is being developed based on the strain that hit Iowa and 14 other states earlier this year - much like an influenza vaccine is prepared for humans ahead of the winter flu season.
"We may find that even though we purchased vaccines and got prepared we might see that over a number of months that have gone on since the last cases that the virus has mutated," T.J. Myers, associate deputy administrator of veterinary services for USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said in an interview. "There might be a new strain out there and we don't know how the vaccines will do."
In Iowa alone, almost 34 million birds were lost to the disease, including about 40 percent of the state's egg-laying hens. A study released this week by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation estimated the outbreak cost the nation's largest egg-producing state $1.2 billion in lost production and wages. The last case to be discovered in the state was on June 17.
State and federal officials are closely watching to see if the avian influenza virus, which thrives under cool, damp conditions, returns this fall as wild birds migrate.
The USDA's efforts to eradicate the disease have focused on culling all birds in a facility where the virus has been found, cleaning the operation and eventually allowing it to reopen. If the USDA deploys vaccines, Myers did not rule out the possibility that it could use multiple versions if, for example, one works better with younger birds while another is more effective with older ones.
"We need to be flexible. We need to be evaluating things as we go," he said. "The issue with avian influenza vaccines and avian influenza is it's like following a moving target."
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2. Private deer operations find new life in ruling by circuit court
By Brent Frazee
Kansas City Star
August 19, 2015
Score this round for Missouri's deer farmers.
A ruling by a Missouri circuit court issued late last week blocked enforcement of new regulations by the Missouri Department of Conservation that owners of private deer operations said could put them out of business.
The new regulations, including prohibiting the importation of captive deer and other cervids into the state, went into effect earlier this year. But the preliminary injunction issued last week keeps the Department of Conservation from enforcing those rules until the their legality can be resolved.
The tighter regulations were established by the Department of Conservation in the midst of its aggressive campaign to control the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a transmissible, fatal disease that wildlife biologists say threatens the future of Missouri's free-ranging deer herd.
Though there is no proof that ties the spread of CWD from captive deer to the wild herd, the hot spot for the disease in Missouri is in the northeast part of the state where 11 captive deer and 10 free-ranging deer were initially found with the disease in 2010 and 2011.
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3. Walworth County deer farmer penalized for violating quarantines [WI]
By Trisha Bee
Fox6Now.com
August 20, 2015
WALWORTH COUNTY - A Walworth County farm-raised deer keeper agreed to a civil forfeiture for violating quarantines imposed to manage the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The quarantines were issued in February 2007 and September 2008, the State Veterinarian's office said today.
In a plea agreement, Dana Montana, owner of Lake Geneva Animal Gardens, agreed to a settlement without further litigation. Montana has agreed to pay a total of $8,000 to Walworth County Circuit Court including court costs and fees by December 31, 2015.
"Animal disease control is a priority for this department so the rules exist for a good reason," said State Veterinarian Dr. Paul McGraw. "We impose quarantines to ensure that diseases like CWD do not spread."
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4. New Jersey Agriculture Department Launches Animal Emergency Assistance Website
SNJToday.com
August 19, 2015
MILLVILLE - New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today announced the launching of a new website at www.animalemergency.nj.gov that will provide the public with up-to-the-minute information they would need to protect their pets and livestock in times of emergency.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture's Animal Emergency Response website and its companion mobile and tablet sites provide resources for animal owners to prepare for disasters of all kinds. It gives them resources on what they can do prior to, during and after emergencies.
"New Jersey has faced many emergencies, both large and small, in the last several years, and we know that people feel very strongly about protecting their animals in those situations," said Secretary Fisher. "Our new website gives folks the resources they need to care for their animals in those trying times and also keep themselves safe in the process."
The site is interactive, allowing people to simply type in their location to find the nearest help available, including animal shelter, veterinary hospitals, offices of emergency management, feed stores, county fairgrounds, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension offices.
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5. Senators Follow up on Unanswered Antibiotic Resistance Questions
By Linda Larsen
Food Poisoning Bulletin
August 19, 2015
United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) sent a letter to the Interagency Task Force for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, asking again for information on how that body plans to address critical gaps in the FDA policies on overuse of antibiotics in food animals. A letter was sent in December 2014, but they have not received a formal response.
AntibioticsThe letter states, "we are extremely disappointed that we have not received a formal response form your office. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria present a major public health threat and public health experts agree that antibiotic resistance stems not only from antibiotic use in human medicine, but also from use in animals."
The senators asked for a response within 30 days. They also want the Department of health and Human Services to appoint at least three experts who understand the line between the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, and who do not have a conflicting business interest, to the Presidential Advisory Council on Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.
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6. Potential Massachusetts ballot question would protect farm animals from cruelty
Associated Press
WNYT.com
August 19, 2015
BOSTON (AP) - Animal advocates are planning to converge on the Statehouse to launch a ballot question campaign they say will help protect farm animals from cruelty.
The coalition, Citizens for Farm Animal Protection, includes veterinarians, animal welfare groups, farmers, and others hoping to eliminate what they describe as the extreme confinement of farm animals in small crates and cages.
The measure would require that animals have enough room to turn around, lie down and stretch their limbs.
Supporters expected Wednesday include representatives from The Humane Society, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston.
The question has been filed with Attorney General Maura Healey, who must determine if it passes constitutional muster - the start of a long, uncertain journey to next year's ballot.
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7. Collecting On-Farm Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Data; Public Meeting; Request for Comments
Federal Register Volume 80, Number 161 (Thursday, August 20, 2015)
Notices[Pages 50638-50639
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20557]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
Docket No. FDA-2015-N-2768
Collecting On-Farm Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Data; Public Meeting; Request for Comments
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is announcing plans for a jointly sponsored public meeting to obtain public input on possible approaches for collecting additional on-farm antimicrobial drug use and resistance data. Such data are important for assessing the impact of measures being implemented to foster the judicious use of medically important antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals.
Date and Time: The public meeting will be held September 30, 2015, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Although you can comment on the interagency plan for collecting on-farm antimicrobial drug use and resistance data at any time, to ensure that the Agencies consider your comment before updating this plan, submit either electronic or written comments by November 30, 2015.
Comments: Regardless of attendance at the public meeting, interested persons may submit either electronic comments to http://www.regulations.gov or written comments to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852, by (see Date and Time). It is only necessary to send one set of comments. Identify comments with the docket number found in brackets in the heading of this document. Received comments may be seen in the Division of Dockets Management between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and will be posted to the docket at http://www.regulations.gov.
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