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1. Quarantine lifted for all Iowa poultry farms hit by bird flu
By Associated Press
KCRG.com
November 6, 2015
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - State agriculture officials have lifted the quarantine on all 72 commercial poultry farms in Iowa affected by the bird flu clearing the way for them to restock.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture said Friday all sites have completed cleaning and disinfection and have had negative lab tests for the bird flu virus. Commercial farms had to remain empty for at least 21 days before quarantine could be lifted.
Iowa had 77 farms and 31.5 million birds affected by the H5N2 virus, leading state officials to call it the worst-ever animal health emergency. That included 35 commercial turkey flocks, 22 commercial egg production flocks, 13 young chicken flocks, a chicken breeding flock, a mail order hatchery, and five backyard flocks.
The backyard flocks remain under quarantine until next month. Farms with backyard flocks must remain empty for 180 days before restocking.
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2. Poultry production may not be fully back from bird flu until 2017 [IA - edited]
By Dar Danielson
RadioIowa.com
November 6, 2015
All 72 of the commercial turkey and chicken operations hit by the avian flu have been released from quarantine and can start to bring in new birds, but a poultry industry spokesman says it could take up to two years before every operation is back to normal.
The commercial operations are now cleared to start introducing new birds into the facilities, but the executive director of the Iowa Poultry Association, Randy Olson, says it's not going to happen overnight.
"While I hear stories of progress and farms beginning the repopulation effort, I am also hearing stories that the timeline will be at through least all of 2016 - and even into the start of 2017 - before these barns are fully repopulated," Olson says.
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3. TPW Commission Adopts Interim Deer Breeder Movement Rules [TX]
Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission News Release
November 5, 2015
AUSTIN - The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission at its Thursday public hearing adopted interim rules for captive deer movement requirements to provide the deer breeding industry with continuity and consistency through the 2015-16 hunting season.
The interim rules will replace emergency rules currently in effect that were developed as appropriate measures to protect white-tailed and mule deer in Texas in response to the discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a captive deer breeding facility in Medina County this summer. Those emergency rules would have expired prior to the end of deer season.
The new rules allow all deer breeders that met previous movement qualifications, except a CWD-positive facility, the opportunity to continue to move and release breeder deer in an effort to balance the needs of the many and varied landowner, management, and deer hunting interests in the state. The interim rules increase the probability of detecting CWD in permitted deer breeding facilities and release sites where it exists, which would allow TPWD and TAHC to promptly implement a response plan designed to contain the disease to that immediate area.
A significant component of the new rules is the requirement that breeder deer may be released (liberated) only on release sites that are surrounded by a fence of at least seven feet in height and that is capable of retaining deer at all times.
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4. Panera Bread says it will move to cage-free eggs by 2020
NYST Post
November 5, 2015
Quinoa Oatmeal Other restaurant chains have also made commitments to improve animal welfare in recent years as the public becomes more concerned with where their food comes from.
Panera Bread Co. plans to move to 100% cage-free eggs by 2020.
"For more than a decade, we've been working to reduce antibiotic use and confinement across our supply chain", said founder and chief executive officer Ron Shaich. "We are honored to have been recognized as one of the two best performing national restaurant companies in an independent report on antibiotics usage and transparency in September".
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5. USDA Loan Repayment Awards $4.5 Million to Ensure Access to Veterinary Services in Rural Communities
USDA Office of Communications Bulletin
November 6, 2015
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2015 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today awarded more than $4.5 million to 49 American veterinarians to help repay a portion of their veterinary school loans in return for serving in areas lacking sufficient veterinary resources. The awards, made through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), will help fill shortages in 26 states.
"Rural America is challenged with recruiting veterinarians", said Dr. John Clifford, Chief Veterinary Officer for the USDA. "These professionals often face high student loan debt, leading them to work in locations with larger populations and higher pay. This program offers loan-repayment assistance to veterinarians, allowing them to fill shortages and work in rural areas, ultimately improving the well-being of livestock and providing an abundant and safe food supply for America."
Veterinarians are critical to America's food safety and food security and to the health and well-being of both animals and humans. Studies indicate there are significant shortages of food animal veterinarians in certain areas of the country, and in high-priority specialty sectors that require advanced training, such as food safety, epidemiology, diagnostic medicine and public health. A leading cause for this shortage is the heavy cost of four years of professional veterinary medical training which leaves current graduates of veterinary colleges with a mean debt burden of $135,283.
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6. Ten cases of rabies in Middlesex County a fraction of what's out there [NJ]
By Anthony G. Attrino, NJ Advance Media
NJ.com
November 6, 2015
OLD BRIDGE - A health official on Friday identified five Middlesex County towns where 10 rabid animals have been found this year, along with a caution that the true numbers might be much higher.
"These are just the ones that are found," said Health Director Tom Sikorski. "Rabies is throughout the state of New Jersey, particularly in bats and raccoons."
The latest rabid animal was a groundhog found in a woman's back yard in Old Bridge. The animal was alive when found, lying on its back.
The groundhog was one of 123 specimens tested for rabies after being found in Middlesex County. Nine others positive for the virus included cats, dogs, bats and raccoons.
The other rabid animals found in Middlesex County this year were four in South Brunswick; three in East Brunswick; one each in North Brunswick and Monroe Township.
Sikorski, who served for 38 years as the public health official in Old Bridge, said for every one case of rabies in New Jersey, there are perhaps 20 or more that health officials never know about.
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7. Research Board expands its membership [PRRS Research]
Source: Respiratory Disease Research Board
National Hog Farmer
November 5, 2015
For the first time in its history, the Respiratory Disease Research Board (formerly the PRRS Research Review Board) will expand its membership in 2016 to include the American Association of Swine Veterinarians' (AASV) Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year.
The AASV Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year is chosen every March at the association's annual conference. Dr. Aaron Lower, DVM, of Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd., in Carthage, Illinois, will be the first to serve in this role, and will be a member of the Respiratory Disease Research Board from January through December 2016.
"Our young veterinarians are the future of swine veterinary medicine," Dr. Luc Dufresne, Seaboard Foods veterinarian and member of the Respiratory Disease Research Board said. "It's exciting to have Aaron join our board and to set a foundation for including outstanding young veterinarians in the Research Awards selection process."
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