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1. Foreign animal disease requires planning, disease awareness
By Barbara Porter-Spalding, DVM and Veterinary Medical Officer at USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
PorkNetwork.com
April 7, 2016
Preparedness and response planning for foreign animal disease (FAD) incidents are crucial to protect public health, animal health, animal agriculture, the environment, the food supply and the economy, said Barbara Porter-Spalding, DVM and Veterinary Medical Officer at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), speaking at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) annual meeting in late February.
"Preparing and responding rapidly and appropriately to foreign animal disease threats and incursion in the United States will determine how our international and domestic trade is impacted and for how long," said Dr. Porter-Spalding. "It is the responsibility of all ... to prepare sufficiently, respond rapidly and control adequately to mitigate the impact of a FAD incursion on trade."
Described below are just a few of the more classic foreign animal diseases that Dr. Porter-Spalding said would be considered catastrophic if they entered the United States. Production losses would be substantial and trade losses would impact the entire agricultural landscape.
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2. AGFC begins new statewide search for CWD [AR]
Posted by Ronnie Weston, Operations Manager
KAIT8.com
April 7, 2016
LITTLE ROCK (AGFC) - With 56 confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease found in northern Arkansas so far, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is widening its search to determine if it is in other parts of the state.
"Our first phase of CWD surveillance focused on determining disease prevalence rate," said Cory Gray, AGFC deer program coordinator. "Once all samples have been received, we should be able to calculate prevalence rate for our survey area."
The final results from the AGFC's original testing phase should be complete late this week, but biologists have already confirmed a larger instance of CWD than anticipated.
The second phase of CWD surveillance will be to determine how far the disease has traveled in the state. AGFC will take samples from any sick or dead deer reported throughout the state. A primary focus will be on road-killed animals.
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3. Avian flu was a biosecurity 'wake up call'
Posted by Ken Anderson
Brownfield Ag News
April 5, 2016
Biosecurity for animal agriculture is the focus of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) annual conference in Kansas City.
The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2015 is a big topic of discussion. Conference co-chair Dr. Michael Coe with Animal Profiling, Inc. says the rapid spread of the virus-and the destruction it caused-was a wake up call for many who work in the animal agriculture industry.
"Our discussions will not focus just on poultry, but also on the swine industry and some outbreaks we've had there," Coe says, "and then how do we use this to get prepared for any diseases that come-and keep us really vigilant on protecting our food supply and keeping those diseases out of our herds in the U.S."
Coe says there's one disease concern that's always near the top of the list.
"We're always concerned, in the back of our minds, with Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) for cattle-and it crosses into horses and swine," he says.
BVD in cattle and PRRS and PEDv in swine are other top concerns, Coe says.
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4. Parx: Third horse tests positive for equine herpesvirus
By Jim Dunleavy
Daily Racing Form
April 7, 2016
A third horse tested positive for the equine herpesvirus at Parx Racing on Wednesday. The soonest a quarantine at the track can now be lifted is May 4.
All three horses to test positive are from Barn 30, where trainers Michael Aro and Ron Dandy are stabled. Salute to Bob, a 3-year-old trained by Dandy who had been racing in the lower maiden-claiming ranks, tested positive for the virus Wednesday after becoming ill.
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5. Piroplasmosis Case Now Closed [NM]
New Mexico Livestock Board News Release
April 6, 2016
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. -- The Equine Piroplasmosis case has been closed on a private racehorse-training facility in southern New Mexico. There are no known Piroplasmosis cases remaining in our state.
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6. USDA issues revised Senecavirus A guidelines
By Harry Snelson American Association of Swine Veterinarians
PorkNetwork,com
April 7, 2016
The USDA has issued a revised guidance document describing procedures and responsibilities for handling herds suspected of having senecavirus A to ensure that foreign animal disease investigations occur per agency guidelines.
Accredited veterinarians must immediately report all diagnosed or suspected cases of animal diseases not known to exist in the United States to State or Federal animal health officials and take precautions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
Any swine having vesicular lesions are suspects for foreign animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), until determined otherwise by Veterinary Services (VS) via the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and through authorized testing at approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) laboratories.
Vesicular lesions in swine are caused by several viral pathogens, including FMD, swine vesicular disease, vesicular stomatitis virus, and Senecavirus A. They cannot be differentiated without diagnostic testing. The guidance document is posted on the AASV website.
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7. Helping Organics Grow with Clear Livestock and Poultry Standards
Posted by Elanor Starmer, AMS Administrator
USDA Blog
April 7, 2016
USDA has proposed changes to ensure consumer confidence in the growing organic market by promoting consistency across the organic industry, supporting the continued growth of the organic livestock and poultry sector. Click to enlarge.
The mission of the National Organic Program, part of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), is to protect the integrity of USDA organic products in our country and throughout the world. This means clearly defining what it means to be organic and enforcing those rules. Consumers look for and trust the organic seal because they know that USDA stands behind the standards that it represents.
Today, USDA is taking action by announcing that we will soon publish and invite public comment on a proposed rule regarding organic livestock and poultry practices. It's an important step that will strengthen consumer confidence in the label and ensure that organic agriculture continues to provide economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and businesses around the country.
The proposal aims to clarify how organic producers and handlers must treat livestock and poultry to ensure their health and wellbeing throughout life, including transport and slaughter. It would clarify existing USDA organic regulations and add new requirements for organic livestock and poultry living conditions, transport, and slaughter practices. For example, the proposed rule establishes minimum indoor and outdoor space requirements for organic poultry and clarifies that outdoor spaces must be soil-based.
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USAHA News Alert Summaries is a service provided to its members as a timely, up-to-date source of news affecting animal health and related subjects, intended for personal use by USAHA members. Information in these articles does not necessarily represent the views or positions of USAHA.
Sources of articles are state, national and international media outlets, press releases, and direct from organizations or agencies. Each article includes direct citation and link. Comments, questions or concerns about the information included in each article should be directed to the source in addition to USAHA. While USAHA strives for accuracy in the information it shares, the News Alert Summaries should be treated as a tool that provides a snapshot of information being reported regarding animal health and related subjects.
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