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1. USDA Announces $4.4 Million in Available Funding for Veterinary Loan Repayment
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Bulletin
April 5, 2016
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced $4.4 million in available funding to help repay veterinary school loans in return for veterinarians serving in areas lacking sufficient veterinary resources. The funding is available through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
"Veterinarians are critical to America's food safety and security, as well as to the health and well-being of both animals and humans" said Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, the NIFA Administrator. "There are significant shortages of veterinarians in areas of this country, and a leading cause is the heavy cost of four years of professional veterinary medical training, which leaves current graduates of veterinary colleges with an average debt of more than $135,000."
Recipients are required to commit to three years of veterinary service in a designated veterinary shortage situation. Loan repayment benefits are limited to payments of the principal and interest on government and commercial loans received while attending an American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited college of veterinary medicine resulting in a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree or the equivalent.
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2. APHIS Seeks Anti-Soring Rule Change
By Pat Raia
TheHorse.com
April 5, 2016
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has developed a new rule intended to strengthen the Horse Protection Act (HPA), which prohibits soring (the deliberate injury to a horses' feet and legs to achieve an exaggerated, high-stepping gait). The proposed role would place APHIS in charge of enforcing the law.
Tanya Espinoza, APHIS spokeswoman, declined to reveal the specific language of the proposed rule because it remains under study by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB, which reviews the procedures of federal agencies to see if they comply with presidential policy). She did say the proposed rule would make certain changes to existing HPA regulations with the aim of decreasing the rate of noncompliance, and would allow the agency to focus investigative resources on other important cases.
"Congress charged USDA with enforcing the HPA and eliminating the abusive practice of soring, which, in turn would restore fair competition and sales within the gaited horse industry," Espinoza said. "However, soring remains a problem within the Walking Horse industry."
In developing the proposed rule, the agency considered a 2010 Office of the Inspector General report that found the existing regulations-which require Horse Industry Organizations to hire and train inspectors to identify sore horses at industry-sponsored shows-effective.
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3. Second horse at Parx tests positive for herpes
By Jim Dunleavy
Daily Racing Form
April 5, 2016
A second horse has tested positive for the equine herpesvirus at Parx Racing, which will extend the current quarantine into at least early May.
The 3-year-old filly Monkey Hill was tested for the virus after becoming sick, and on Monday afternoon it was confirmed she had tested positive. Monkey Hill is trained by Michael Aro, the trainer of No Quid Pro Quo, who last Friday was determined to have the herpesvirus. No Quid Pro Quo was sent to the Mid-Atlantic Equine Center in Ringoes, N.J., the middle of last week after becoming ill, and has since died.
Sam Elliott, the director of racing at Parx, said Monkey Hill's temperature had subsided by Tuesday morning and that he was in the process of attempting to locate an offtrack farm where Monkey Hill could be isolated.
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4. Pinedale G&F updates brucellosis actions [WY]
By: Joy Ufford
Sublette Examiner
April 5, 2016
PINEDALE - To continue reducing brucellosis transmission from elk to cattle, domestic bison or other elk, Wyoming Game and Fish (G&F) Pinedale biologists updated its brucellosis management action plan (BMAP).
The five-year update was a top recommendation from the Governor's Brucellosis Coordination Team (GBCT), according to G&F brucellosis program supervisor Brandon Scurlock at a public meeting March 24 at the Pinedale G&F Office.
"We met with producers and partners in late December and asked how to better reduce transmission from elk to cattle and elk to elk," he said. Those comments were integrated into the BMAP that G&F will present to the GBCT at its April 13 meeting in Pinedale.
The 10 BMAP elements are feedground locations, elk population reduction, feedground phase-out, reducing feed season length, habitat enhancement, fencing, acquisitions and easements, test and slaughter, vaccine investigation and map areas of brucellosis risk.
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5. CSU professor's research links livestock to greenhouse gas emissions
Julia Rentsch
Rocky Mountain Collegian
April 5, 2016
Research that suggests the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock has recently been published with the help of Richard Conant of the Colorado State University Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.
The paper, published in the journal "Nature Climate Change," says that this can be done by increasing the efficiency of land use by both agriculture and forestry, as well as looking at livestock dietary patterns and how the global need for food is addressed.
The paper's primary author was Mario Herrero of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia; in total, 14 scientists from around the world contributed to the research.
In a CSIRO news release, Herrero said that this research is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the global greenhouse gas mitigation potential for livestock, as it considers both the supply and demand sides of the industry.
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6. Kentucky Mosquitoes' Impact on Horses
By Equine Disease Quarterly
TheHorse.com
April 5, 2016
Kentucky is home to more than 50 mosquito species with a range of breeding sites and survival strategies. Some thrive when above-normal rainfall creates temporary ground pools; others develop in small accumulations of stagnant water during dry periods.
Many of our mosquito species spend the winter as freeze-resistant eggs that can survive prolonged harsh conditions. A few, such as the house mosquito (Culex pipiens), spend the winter as adults in protected places. They are vulnerable to severe cold, but like most insects have the reproductive capacity to build numbers by late summer, even if winter mortality is high.
Several mosquito species feed on horses with varied effects that range from adverse skin reactions to disease transmission. Proteins injected in mosquito saliva can produce irritating bites that can cause skin reactions in sensitive individuals. The inland floodwater mosquito (Aedes vexans) is a widespread pest that can develop in any ground pool that lasts 10 to 14 days. It causes a significant and chronic problem in some parts of the state and can give rise to several generations each year.
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7. FDA Finalizes Rule to Ensure Food Safety During Transport
FDA Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine News Release
April 5, 2016
Food Safety Modernization Act and Animal Feed
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the most sweeping reform of our food safety laws in more than 70 years, was signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011. FSMA aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination of the food supply to preventing it. The law applies to human food as well as to food for animals, including pets. FDA's FSMA page contains complete information about the implementation of the law, and the intent of this page is to highlight the FSMA content that will be of most interest to manufacturers and distributors of animal food. Please go to the Safe Feed page for additional, specific information about the regulation of animal feed.
FDA Finalizes Rule to Ensure Food Safety During Transport - April 5, 2016
The FDA has finalized a new rule* that will help to prevent food contamination during transportation. The rule will require those involved in transporting human and animal food by motor or rail vehicle to follow such practices as properly refrigerating food, adequately cleaning vehicles between loads, and properly protecting food during transportation. See the Sanitary Transportation Final Rule fact sheet for additional information. [ http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm383763.htm ]
A webinar is planned for April 25, 2016 to present key pieces of the final rule.
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