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1. Audit Finds APHIS Wildlife Services is a Necessary and Important Part of Wildlife Damage Management
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
September 17, 2015
Following a routine audit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) predator damage management program, the U.S. Office of Inspector General (OIG) found WS was in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws. OIG also determined that WS was a necessary and important wildlife management program that protects the health and safety of people, animals and property, as well as wildlife itself.
"WS consistently strives to run a professional, transparent program" said APHIS Administrator Kevin Shea. "This audit confirms that we are successfully carrying out our mission of resolving conflicts between humans and wildlife, and helping to create a balance that allows coexistence while reducing damage."
In the audit, OIG sought to determine if WS' operations were justified and effective, assess the controls over cooperative agreements, examine WS' information system reliability and integrity, and follow up on prior audit recommendations.
WS complied with all of OIG's requests for information and assistance throughout the audit process. Auditors visited five states and 12 district sites and accompanied 40 specialists in the field . They witnessed aerial control operations and field work, and spoke with more than 100 program leaders and researchers, State fish and wildlife officials, and property owners. The process did not reveal any systemic problems in the conduct of the control program.
Auditors did make recommendations to help WS improve its record keeping, and WS has issued directives to implement procedures to help alleviate future concerns.
Wildlife is a publicly-owned natural resource that serves an important public good, but it can also create substantial damages and recurring nuisances. Annually, predators account for the loss of more than 500,000 head of livestock valued at $138 million; birds cost catfish, rice and sunflower farmers up to $50 million a year. Most often those needing help are small producers, least able to absorb losses. To mitigate these serious economic impacts, WS works closely with, and at the request of State wildlife agencies, State agriculture departments, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. National Park Service, and many other local, State, and National partners to manage wildlife damage.
OIG Auditors reported that, WS experts use a science-based Integrated Wildlife Damage Management (IWDM) decision-making model and make decisions in compliance with applicable State and Federal laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. WS conducts activities to minimize negative impacts to overall native wildlife populations.
The full version of the audit can be viewed at: http://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/33601-0002-41.pdf
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2. Establishment of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
OASH Press Office
EIN News
September 15, 2015
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announce the appointment of nationally recognized experts to the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (the Advisory Council).
"Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health threat across our country. That's why it's so important that we work together to address this challenge," said HHS Secretary Burwell. "Work is underway to implement a National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, a research-driven plan to identify and coordinate action across the administration to prevent and control outbreaks of resistant pathogens. We have made progress including CDC's new recommendations for nursing homes to improve antibiotic prescribing. But there is still more to do. I know this council will be important to this effort and provide invaluable advice on our programs, policies and plans to continue our work to combat this growing global threat."
Antibiotics reduce illness and death from infectious diseases. However, an increasing number of bacterial infections no longer respond to our most powerful antibiotics, putting patients at risk for severe infections and even death. Detecting, preventing, and controlling antibiotic resistance requires a strategic, coordinated, and sustained effort. The work of the Advisory Council complements other federal efforts, including the National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria. Together, these efforts provide a roadmap to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics, strengthen surveillance, prevent the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, further new research, and improve international coordination.
"The range and depth of expertise on the Advisory Council will be invaluable to USDA and our partner agencies as we work to ensure the continued effectiveness of antibiotics," said Agriculture Secretary Vilsack. "We at USDA look forward to working with these council members who have dedicated their careers to addressing what has become a critical public health concern."
[This article includes a listing of the Council members.]
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3. NDA Confirms Additional Vesicular Stomatitis Cases in Horses [NE]
Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture News Release
September 17, 2015
LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) this week has confirmed additional cases of Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) in Panhandle horses. State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes said NDA has confirmed a total of five cases, including the case from last week. Four of those cases are in Scotts Bluff County and one is in Sioux County. Five additional cases are being investigated with test results pending, including four in Scotts Bluff County and a fifth in Lincoln County.
Hughes said the additional cases are not unexpected, based on transmission patterns in other stateswhere the disease is present, and he is encouraging horse and cattle owners to take precautions, particularly with animals that may be comingling with other animals at events over the next several months.
"We just want owners to be aware of the cases and consider taking precautions, especially now that we know the disease is spreading in Nebraska," Hughes said. "The primary way the virus is transmitted is from biting insects or midges, so consider treatments to reduce flies and mosquitos in quarters where animals are housed. We also want owners to be cognizant of the fact that VS also can be spread by nose-to-nose contact between animals."
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4. MDA urges poultry farmers take bio-security measures [MD]
Lili Zheng, Reporter/Producer
WMDT.com
September 16, 2015
MARYLAND - The first official day of fall is in one week (September 27) and with the cooler temperatures, come the risk of High Path Avian Influenza ("HPAI") according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture ("MDA").
Officials tell us HPAI is not a threat to humans but apparently when it gets colder, Maryland poultry growers are at a higher risk of seeing the virus destroy their flocks. We're told this is because it's generally carried by migratory water-fowl, such as ducks and geese, which begin their migration in September.
State agriculture officials say bio-security measures are the best steps towards prevention, which include covering and securing feed from wild birds, rodents and other animals and restricting access to poultry flocks in general.
Maryland secretary of agriculture Joe Bartenfelder says there is not a single part of Maryland that is at higher risk than another part of the state, so it's important that all farmers take proactive measures.
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5. USDA Licenses Diagnostic for Swine Flu Introduced
USAgNet
WisconsinAgConnection.com
September 17, 2015
Pork producers now have access to a comprehensive diagnostic kit designed to test production animals for swine influenza virus (SIV) subtypes with the launch of the VetMAX-Gold SIV Subtyping Kit, the industry's only U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-approved, real-time PCR test of its kind.
Swine have a unique role in the transmission of influenza viruses among species. They are the only animal raised in abundance that can both be infected by and transmit virus to other pigs. When housed in close contact, the pig can serve as a biological mixing vessel, where influenza genes from any susceptible species can combine and undergo re-assortment within the animal to emerge as a new subtype. The complexity of swine influenza diagnostics requires a robust molecular subtyping solution for reliable differentiation of the swine H and N subtypes, providing information used to monitor and control the disease.
When used in combination with MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit and VetMAX-Gold SIV Detection Kit, the VetMAX-Gold SIV Subtyping Kit provides veterinary diagnostic laboratories with a complete screening and subtyping solution that is both rapid and cost-effective. The SIV Detection Kit provides a detection rate of more than 95 percent in positive samples, and can return results in less than a day.
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6. Pigeon fever sweeps through Douglas County, infecting and killing horses [OR]
By Ian Campbell
NRToday
September 16, 2015
In late August, Jean Kellum noticed a small lump on her horse's side.
Not thinking much of it, Kellum let it be, ensuring that the area was clean, especially after the lump popped.
But shortly afterward, another lump appeared, this time on the horse's stomach. Then another sprouted up between the horse's legs. Soon, a large, basketball-sized growth bulged from the horse's side.
"He suffered a lot and lost about 300 pounds," Kellum said of her husband's registered quarter horse. "But the fever was soon gone and all of the little lumps had popped and been cleaned up."
The next morning, however, their prized horse and companion was gone. Dead from a disease Kellum had learn the name of only a few days prior: pigeon fever.
The disease is commonly spread through bacteria that lives and multiples in dry soil and manure. Typically, horses contract the disease through an open wound or fly bite, with the bacteria entering through an abrasion or bite, according to Joe Roberts, a veterinarian at Calapooia Veterinary Center in Sutherlin.
"It's a bacteria that's found most everywhere worldwide," he said. "It grows best without oxygen and, generally speaking, is transferred by vectors - biting flies or things that can pick up the bacteria and then land on wounds or inject the bacteria into the animal."
Roberts, who formerly worked in Central Oregon, said the disease usually runs in cycles, disappearing for a number of years before ripping through populations.
Once the disease is present, Roberts said horse owners should be extra vigilant about keeping their horses and barns free of flies.
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7. UNH celebrating new veterinary lab
Foster's Daily Democrat
September 16, 2015
DURHAM - The University of New Hampshire and the State of New Hampshire will celebrate the opening of the new facility for the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (NHVDL) at a public open house Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the new facility near the Macfarlane Greenhouses at Main Street and North Drive. Following a welcome from key personnel involved with the project, the public is invited to tour the facility.
"This expanded and much-improved facility has been needed for a long time. The new lab will enhance productivity and expand capacity for handling larger livestock - important for animal agriculture in the state. The new lab's location adjacent to the Thompson School gives farmers and other users easy access to the lab's services. We expect this greatly improved accessibility will result in increased use of the lab's services, which will benefit animal agriculture and help protect public health in the state and region," said Lorraine Merrill, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food.
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