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1. New Veterinarian-Hosted Video Explores How Antibiotics Are Used In Livestock
by North American Meat Institute (NAMI)
Perishable News
September 9, 2015
Washington D.C. - Antibiotic use in livestock is one of the most discussed and misunderstood topics in agriculture today, but the newest North American Meat Institute (NAMI) Glass Walls video aims to clarify exactly how, when and why antibiotics are used in animals. The video* features a virtual tour of a livestock production facility from University of Nebraska and Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center veterinarian Brad Jones, DVM. Jones explains the decision-making process regarding antibiotic use in cattle and pigs, including the diagnosis of illnesses, treatment and antibiotic use considerations and how animals are tracked from antibiotic administration to harvest.
[ *See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fxztNFnQGg&feature=youtu.be ]
"I think the use of antibiotics in our industry is appropriate and I would also use the term responsible. It's appropriate for animal well-being and comfort. It's appropriate to treat certain diseases that affect the animal," Jones says. "How we utilize antibiotics and the decisions we make when we give them have a lot of thought behind them; not only thought because we're mandated to because of laws and rules, but thought because we understand the importance of maintaining use of antibiotics in our industry for the health and well-being of animals."
The video was created by NAMI as a way to give interested consumers an inside look at the process of using antibiotics in livestock while addressing many of the common misconceptions about their use. It supplements NAMI's variety of resources on antibiotic use including the "Facts About Antibiotics in Livestock and Poultry Production" brochure and several Meat Mythcrusher videos tackling common antibiotic myths such as 80 percent of antibiotics are used in animals, antibiotics are commonly used for growth promotion and animal agriculture is the biggest contributor to antibiotic resistance.
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2. Three Tennessee agencies prepare for possible bird flu outbreak
WKRN web staff
WKRN.com
September 10, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - Three state agencies came together Thursday at the Tennessee State Fair to discuss bird flu.
Also known as avian influenza, the virus primarily infects poultry and other birds. However, bird flu is known to infect humans and can be transferred from human to human.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Health, and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency are working together to prepare for a potential outbreak of high path bird flu.
The strain has not been detected in Tennessee and poses no risk to human health or the food supply. But it has become the most costly animal health disaster in U.S. history, according to health officials.
State Veterinarian Dr. Charlie Hatcher discussed the risk of bird flu and its possible impact on Tennessee.
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3. North Dakota reports 2nd animal anthrax case, this one in Kidder County
The Global Dispatch
September 10, 2015
North Dakota's state veterinarian says the state's second reported case of anthrax this year is a reminder to livestock producers to take action to protect their animals from the disease, especially in areas with a past history of the disease. The case was confirmed late last Friday afternoon by the North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and a local veterinary clinic.
"Anthrax has been confirmed in a Kidder County steer," said Dr. Susan Keller. "Producers should consult with their veterinarians to make sure the vaccination schedule for their animals is up to date."
The state's first case of anthrax this year was confirmed in June in a Grand Forks County cow.
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4. Battle brewing over fish farming in Great Lakes
By Peter Payette
MLive.com
September 9, 2015
In 1982, a Canadian named Gord Cole built a Norwegian-style fish cage on the far eastern end of Lake Huron, in Parry Sound. He said he believes it was the first use of this technology in fresh water to produce fish for food, and it might be the oldest continuously operated fish farm in North America.
A handful of producers followed Cole's lead, many in Huron's North Channel, around Manitoulin Island, and a modest industry sprang up in the province that now produces about $16 million worth of rainbow trout annually, which are sold to restaurants and groceries. But it's an industry that now is highly regulated, after waste from fish pens was found to starve water in the LaCloche Channel of oxygen and contribute to algae blooms.
No U.S. state has followed Ontario into this type of farming on the Great Lakes. But now a policy debate is underway in Michigan about whether to open Great Lakes to farming operations. A report produced by Michigan Sea Grant last year suggested a billion dollar industry is possible.
Supporters of the idea say Michigan is perfectly positioned to be a world leader in freshwater aquaculture and home to all the science, engineering and manufacturing that would accompany this growing part of the world's food economy. But critics counter the Great Lakes are no place for so-called net-pen fish farming because of the higher risk of disease and water pollution that accompanies this method.
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5. FDA takes important steps in modernizing food safety system
By Samantha Bonar
Los Angeles Times
September 10, 2015
In the midst of a cucumber recall that has sickened hundreds in 30 states, the Food and Drug Administration today finalized the first two of seven major rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) meant to beef up the country's food safety system.
The rules put in place today - the preventive controls rules - aim to hold imported food to the same safety standards as domestically produced food, and seek to develop a nationally integrated food safety system in partnership with state and local authorities
The FDA hasn't forgotten about our animal friends either - the rules finalized today focus on implementing modern food manufacturing processes for both human and animal foods.
Perhaps most significantly, the goal of the new rules is a proactive food-safety system: to prevent hazards to customers on the front end, rather than waiting to act until an outbreak has occurred.
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6. FSMA Final Rule for Preventative Controls for Animal Food
FDA Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine
September 10, 2015
The Preventive Controls for Animal Food rule is now final, and compliance dates for some businesses begin in September 2016.
The preventive controls final rule announced today is the result of an extensive outreach effort, and incorporates thousands of public comments, including valuable input from farmers, consumers, the food industry and academic experts, to create a flexible and targeted approach to ensuring food safety.
For more information:
Food Safety Modernization Act and Animal Feed - http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Products/AnimalFoodFeeds/ucm347941.htm
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7. Scrapie in Sheep and Goats
Federal Register Volume 80, Number 175 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)
Proposed Rules
Pages 54659-54692
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21909]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
9 CFR Parts 54 and 79
Docket No. APHIS-2007-0127
RIN 0579-AC92
Scrapie in Sheep and Goats
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: We are proposing to amend the scrapie regulations by changing the risk groups and categories established for individual animals and for flocks, increasing the use of genetic testing as a means of assigning risk levels to animals, reducing movement restrictions for animals found to be genetically less susceptible or resistant to scrapie, and simplifying, reducing, or removing certain recordkeeping requirements. We also propose to provide designated scrapie epidemiologists with more alternatives and flexibility when testing animals in order to determine flock designations under the regulations. We propose to change the definition of high-risk animal, which will change the types of animals eligible for indemnity, and to pay higher indemnity for certain pregnant ewes and early maturing ewes. The proposed changes would also make the identification and recordkeeping requirements for goat owners consistent with those for sheep owners. These changes would affect sheep and goat producers, persons who handle sheep and goats in interstate commerce, and State governments.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before November 9, 2015.
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