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1. Speaker: Pork industry can learn from poultry industry's mistakes [CO]
By Stephanie Alderton, Times staff writer
The Journal-Advocate
November 23, 2015
Morgan County hosted the annual Colorado Pork Producers Council meeting for the first time on Saturday.
Marlin Eisenach, a Morgan County Extension livestock agent who works closely with the pork industry, hosted the meeting at the Mark Arndt Event Center in the Morgan County Fairgrounds. Attendance was down this year, likely due to the freezing temperatures and icy roads all over Colorado on Saturday morning.
Among those who did attend the meeting were guest speakers Keith Roehr, a veterinarian with the Department of Agriculture Animal Health Division, and John Hinner of the U.S. Meat Export Foundation.
Roehr spoke about some of the most common diseases found in swine, and how farmers can keep them from spreading. He argued the pork industry can learn from the poultry industry's mistakes and successes during the avian flu outbreak.
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2. New livestock regulations now in effect [VA]
Augusta Free Press
November 21, 2015
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has announced changes to two state animal regulations: the Animal Importation Regulation and the Livestock Markets and Dealers Regulation.
The new regulations took effect November 19, 2015.
Health Requirements Governing the Admission of Agricultural Animals, Companion Animals and Other Animals or Birds into Virginia - 2VAC5-141
The Animal Importation Regulation no longer requires that all adult cattle be Tuberculosis (TB) tested before entry. Although TB has not been detected in Virginia since 1994, it is still present in the United States. Current information indicates that the disease can be more effectively controlled by tracing infected cattle than by testing individual cattle coming from TB-free states. Recent improvements in the ability to trace cattle, including those that will be implemented as part of the Livestock Markets and Dealers Regulation, led to this change.
Regulations Governing Livestock Dealers and Marketing Facilities for the Purpose of Controlling and Eradicating Infectious and Contagious Diseases - 2VAC5-61
This regulation is the result of two previous regulations on livestock markets and cattle dealers being updated, streamlined and combined. A Livestock Health Advisory Committee made up of livestock marketing facility managers and livestock dealers worked on the new regulation for the past 2.5 years. This regulation requires that all adult cattle sold at a livestock marketing facility or by a dealer in Virginia must be traceable for the purposes of disease control. Many cattle sold in this way are already meeting this requirement. The regulation allows the marketing facility the discretion to charge a fee for performing such identification.
Cattle eligible for official identification include those over 18 months of age as well as cattle of any age sold for breeding purposes. If the eligible cattle being sold do not already have an official identification tag, an official ID tag will need to be placed before the cattle leave the facility, and the livestock dealer or marketing facility manager must keep appropriate records of having sold the animal. VDACS staff will educate markets and dealers about this new requirement over the next eight months.
"We have learned over the past decade or so that being able to trace diseased animals is vital to containing the spread of disease," said Dr. Richard Wilkes, Virginia State Veterinarian. "The new regulations will help us do that, resulting in a safer food supply."
For more information, see vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/regulations.shtml or contact VDACS' Office of Veterinary Services at 804.786.2483.
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3. Tulare Co. ag crimes detectives arrest 4 in calf-rustling ring
By Lewis Griswold
Fresno Bee
November 20, 2015
Four South Valley men have been arrested on suspicion of stealing calves from dairy farms and selling the animals to unsuspecting buyers, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said Friday.
They are suspected of stealing calves and supplies from dairies for at least three or four months and were caught after a six-week investigation that included surveillance of dairies by airplane, he said.
At least two more arrests are expected, he said.
"If you are stealing livestock in Tulare County, we will put every resource available to make sure you are put behind bars," Boudreaux said.
"In this case, we're just happy to see this ring is coming to an end."
Those arrested had years of experience in dairies and used their inside knowledge to steal calves and supplies without being caught, Boudreaux said.
Sixteen calves, 156 bags of powdered milk used both to feed the stolen calves and to sell on the black market, and medication supplements such as antibiotics were recovered, he said.
"Five of these calves were located in a very small confined area with no water, and when detectives located these calves, we were very pleased in the recovery of those," Boudreaux said.
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4. In Thanksgiving tradition, Dayton lauds turkey industry's comeback from flu outbreak [MN]
By Abby Simons
Minneapolis Star Tribune
November 23, 2015
Tenderly stroking "Aaron," the bird he named after the quarterback who led Sunday's 30-13 drubbing of the Minnesota Vikings, Gov. Mark Dayton lauded the Minnesota turkey industry's comeback from a devastating avian flu outbreak.
In a tradition dating back more than 70 years, Dayton began Thanksgiving week alongside Minnesota turkey farmers and one chosen bird. This year was particularly significant in the wake of the avian flu crisis-the largest animal disease outbreak in the country's history. Despite its devastation in Minnesota, 99 of the 104 affected turkey farms in the state are approved to be restocked. Although the amount of turkeys produced in 2015 has dropped because of the outbreak. Minnesota remains the No. 1 turkey producing state, raising 20 percent of all U.S. turkeys. Minnesota turkey growers typically grow 46 million birds annually. In 2015 the number was closer to 40 million birds. Growers say there will be plenty of meat available to consumers for the holidays.
The Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and Minnesota Turkey Research & Promotion Council celebrated the rebound by donating $12,000 to Hunger Solutions Minnesota, which helps to feed the estimated 9,000 Minnesotans who visit food shelves daily.
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5. VFD seminar agenda announced for 2016 IPPE
Feedstuffs
November 23, 2015
The American Feed Industry Assn. (AFIA) will host a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) seminar on Jan. 26, 2016, as part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Ga. The two-hour session will cover changes made to the VFD rule in spring 2014 and describe the challenges industry can expect moving forward.
The seminar is ideal for feed industry personnel responsible for handling VFDs and those interested in learning what to do with old animal drug premixes after the policy goes into effect in January 2017.
Agenda:
2:00-3:00 p.m. - Veterinary Feed Directive - What you need to know before January 2017 - Richard Sellers, AFIA, senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs.
3:00-3:45 p.m. - Panel Discussion - Dr. Dave Pyburn, National Pork Board, vice president of science and technology; Kelly Marie Klaus, Animal Health Institute, manager of regulatory affairs; Tom Frost, Ph.D., Wayne Farms LLC, director of nutrition and research. Moderated by Richard Sellers, AFIA, senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs.
3:45-4:00 p.m. - Questions and Answers - Richard Sellers, AFIA, senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs.
"Changes to the Veterinary Feed Directive and animal drugs used in human medicine have been very complicated for many in the feed industry," said Sellers. "AFIA is striving to make this transition as smooth as possible by providing assistance for our members and the industry to stay one step ahead of FDA proposed changes."
To register online, visit www.ippexpo.com. On-site registration will also be available.
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6. FDA approves vaccine for use after known or suspected anthrax exposure
FDA Press Release
November 23, 2015
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new indication for BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) to prevent disease following suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax disease. The vaccine's new use is approved for people 18 through 65 years of age in conjunction with recommended antibiotic treatment. BioThrax was initially approved by the FDA in 1970 for the prevention of anthrax disease in persons at high risk of exposure.
Anthrax disease, especially the inhalation form, is often fatal if not promptly treated. Anthrax is considered one of the more likely agents to be used in a biological attack, primarily because its spores are very stable and easy to disperse. Although it is rare, people may contract anthrax disease through natural exposures, such as contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.
"With today's approval of BioThrax, we now have a vaccine that can be used, together with antibiotic treatment, to prevent disease after exposure to anthrax spores," said Karen Midthun, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
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7. 'World's Largest Cloning' Factory to Open in China in 2016
A new facility will begin with production of Japanese cows.
By Sam Blum
Inverse.com
November 23, 2015
China will soon be home to the largest animal cloning facility in the world, where everything from cattle to domestic pets will be factory-engineered starting in 2016.
A subsidiary of Boyalife, a biotech conglomerate with operations spanning 16 Chinese provinces, will be leading the operation alongside South Korea's Sooam Bitotech Research Foundation and two other Chinese research institutions.
Pending an injection of 200 million Yuan, or $31 million, the facility will begin with production of Japanese cows, which according to Dr. Xu Xiaochun, chairman and CEO of Boyalife, might help control the price of beef in the Chinese market.
Speaking with Chinese media, Dr. Xiaochun said: [We are] now promoting cloned cows and cloned horses to improve China's modern animal husbandry industry."
A cloning factory might seem like an especially grim, biological assembly-line that easily dips into nightmare territory, but a large part of the enterprise factors into studying disease and improving livestock breeding. China is no stranger to large-scale contagions disrupting its dairy industry.
Xu has said that studying "disease models," or animals predisposed to certain illnesses, will be a primary aim of scientists involved, so large outbreaks might be stymied in the future.
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