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1. EHV-1 Confirmed in California Polo Pony
By Erica Larson, News Editor
TheHorse.com
February 11, 2016
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has reported that a polo pony euthanized after developing neurologic signs tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1).
"A 14-year-old polo mare, in Riverside County, displaying acute onset neurologic signs was euthanized on Sunday, Feb. 7," the CDFA said in a Feb. 9 statement. "The necropsy results from the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory on Feb. 9 confirmed the non-neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1."
The CDFA noted that 70 exposed horses have been placed under quarantine with required twice daily temperature monitoring.
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2. NIFA Webinars Slated for New Veterinary Services Grant Program
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Bulletin
February 11, 2016
USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host two webinars, Feb. 17 and Feb 25, 1-2:30 p.m. EST to seek public comment and input regarding the new Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP).
The Veterinary Services Grant Program is authorized by Section 7104 of the 2014 Farm Bill and received a first-time appropriation of $2.5 million in the FY16 Federal budget. NIFA will be developing and implementing the VSGP over the next several months. NIFA anticipates releasing the first Request for Applications for this program in April 2016 and announcing the first grants awarded under this program by Sept. 30, 2016.
Broad eligibility includes for-profit or non-profit entities, or individual veterinarians operating clinics in rural veterinarian shortage situations, as well as institutions carrying out programs or activities to relieve veterinarian shortage situations.
The Veterinary Services Grant Program is intended to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support veterinary services in the United States. Grants will be made available on a competitive basis to qualified entities to develop, implement and sustain veterinary services through education, training, recruitment, placement, and retention of veterinarians and veterinary students. Grants will also be awarded to establish, equip, or expand veterinary practices in underserved areas.
Any U.S. citizen interested in the program may submit written comments, suggestions, or questions about the VSGP at www.nifa.usda.gov/vsgp. Submissions will be accepted beginning Feb. 17 through 5 p.m. EST, Feb. 29. A link on that page for submitting comments will become live on Feb. 17.
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3. Subcommittee examines the United States' ability to respond to possible introduction of Foot and Mouth Disease
House Agriculture Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee News Release
February 11, 2016
Today, Rep. David Rouzer (NC-7), Chairman of the House Agriculture Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee, held a hearing to examine the preparedness of the United States in the event of the introduction of foot and mouth disease (FMD) into the country. Members heard from a panel of witnesses who shared what steps have been taken and what still needs to be done to achieve the objective of establishing a vaccine stockpile deployable within 24 hours of an outbreak. This hearing is a continuation of the committee's series highlighting the importance of agriculture to national security.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that causes illness in cows, pigs, sheep, goats, deer, and other animals with cloven hooves. The first goal is to keep FMD out of the United States through monitoring and surveillance activities. However, if an FMD outbreak were to occur, several strategies are available for responding to the outbreak including the use of vaccine. Currently, the amount of vaccine available at the North American FMD Vaccine Bank is below what would be required for an outbreak. The funding USDA has and is receiving for the National Veterinary Stockpile (NVS) is insufficient to provide adequate FMD vaccine stockpiles, which would slow the deployment of a vaccination strategy. Several funding options are under consideration and were discussed in today's hearing.
"The last case of Foot and Mouth Disease in the U.S. was in 1929, which exemplifies how dedicated we have been as an industry to eradicating this catastrophic virus from our country. Even though we do not have FMD here in the U.S., it still occurs in many parts of the world. The USDA, along with its state and industry partners has done a great deal of work to ensure this fast-spreading disease has not come to our shores. FMD would be extremely detrimental to our livestock industry if it were to be introduced into the U.S. and those economic effects would be felt far beyond animal agriculture. I am encouraged by the amount of work government and industry are doing cooperatively to prevent FMD being introduced, and appreciate everyone's willingness to explore options to ensure we have an adequate vaccine stockpile should we ever have to face this viral disease. Thank you to all of our witnesses for sharing with us your expertise on the progress that has been made and sharing improvements that can be explored to better defend against this virus," said Subcommittee Chairman Rouzer.
"Our nation's security depends on our ability to ensure our agriculture industry is safe from threats to animal and plant health. It is essential we have all of the plans and infrastructure in place so we can be suitably prepared against intentional or unintentional introduction of plant or animal pests and disease. FMD is one of those threats and today we heard about our existing preparation, as well as what can still be done to ensure our farmers and ranchers have the proper tools in place to maintain the safety of our industry so they can continue producing food and fiber to meet the nutritional needs of our nation and world," said Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway.
Written testimony provided by the witnesses from today's hearing is linked below. See this link for more information on today's hearing:
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4. NPPC calls for improved FMD vaccine bank
By PorkNetwork news source
PorkNetwork.com
February 11, 2016
Citing the seriousness of the disease and the devastation it could cause the U.S. livestock industry, the National Pork Producers Council has urged congressional lawmakers and the Obama administration to make dealing with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) a priority.
"Improving preparedness for an FMD outbreak through development of an adequate vaccine bank must be a priority," testified NPPC immediate past president Dr. Howard Hill, a veterinarian and pork producer from Cambridge, Iowa, before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Agriculture.
FMD, a foreign animal disease endemic in Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East, can affect all cloven-hoofed animals, including pigs, cattle and sheep. While it rarely infects humans and isn't a food safety issue, an outbreak in North America, which currently is free of it, could negatively affect meat exports and domestic meat sales.
To deal with any foreign animal disease outbreak, the U.S. pork industry has been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a "Secure Pork Supply" plan, which would enhance coordination and communication among producers and federal, state and local government officials, support continuity of operations for producers and accelerate disease response. Part of that response would be vaccinating susceptible animals.
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5. Key figure in bird flu response set to retire [Dr. Hartmann, MN]
By Brian Bakst
Minnesota Public Radio News
February 11, 2016
The board that directed Minnesota's response to last year's bird flu outbreak is looking for a new leader.
Come June, Dr. Bill Hartmann will retire as the state's chief veterinarian and the Board of Animal Health executive director. A nationwide search for his successor began with a job posting on Wednesday.
Hartmann has worked at the board almost three decades, the last 15 as its leader. He oversaw efforts to combat an avian flu outbreak in Minnesota's poultry industry, chronic wasting disease among deer and bovine tuberculosis.
Hartman said Thursday that he's willing to stay on longer if there's another outbreak of avian flu.
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6. NIAA releases Antibiotic Stewardship White Paper
By John Maday, Editor
Bovine Veterinarian
February 11, 2016
In November 2015, the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) hosted an antibiotics symposium titled Antibiotic Stewardship: From Metrics to Management in Atlanta. This was the latest in a series of conferences NIAA has organized, intending to bring together diverse stakeholders to seek common ground and develop solutions to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogen populations. This week, NIAA, with support from the Beef Checkoff, released a white paper summarizing the outcomes of the workshop.
The 2015 symposium addressed the issue of how to determine the success of current and planned efforts to improve antibiotic use in animal and human health.
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7. UN agriculture agency warns of threat to food security from overuse of antibiotics
UN News Centre
February 10, 2016
The overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents is impacting rural livelihoods and food security, and requires globally coordinated efforts, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.
Speaking to European ministers of health and agriculture at a conference on antimicrobial resistance in Amsterdam, FAO Deputy Director-General Helena Semedo emphasized that antimicrobial agents foster increasing resistance among the very microbes that cause the infections and disease they were designed to quell, thereby threatening to reverse a century of progress in human and animal health.
"Antimicrobial resistance is a global threat that in this inter-connected world cannot be solved in Europe alone," Ms. Semedo said.
"We have to help save live-saving drugs," she added.
Aside from the human health considerations, Ms. Semedo underscored that the emergence of microbes resistant to antibiotics and other pharmaceutical agents puts animal health at risk and consequently has an impact on rural livelihoods and food security.
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