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1. Equine Disease Forum 2016 White Paper Now Available The National Institute for Animal Agriculture and the United States Animal Health Association are pleased to announce the availability of the 2016 Equine Disease Forum White Paper. <http://www.animalagriculture.org/resources/Documents/Conf%20-%20Symp/Symposiums/2016%20Equine/Equine%20Diseases%20Forum%20Whitepaper%20PDF%2006.08.16.pdf> The paper represents a comprehensive summary of the Forum, which took place January 19-21, 2016 in Denver, Colo. The goal of the forum was to bring together industry leaders to specifically discuss the equine health issues currently facing the industry. The forum provided an opportunity to provide the latest updates on disease threats to equine health, identify potential solutions for addressing current risks to equine health and enhance equine industry communications regarding equine health issues. Participants included equine associations, veterinarians and state and federal animal health officials. "The forum was very well received among participants, and served as an important first step to allow the enhancement of communications and collaborations to advance disease control in the equine," says Dr. Katie Flynn, California Department of Food and Agriculture, who served as co-chair of the event. "We look forward to building on the momentum of the Forum and work towards tangible solutions for the equine industry." The White Paper can be accessed directly here <http://www.animalagriculture.org/resources/Documents/Conf%20-%20Symp/Symposiums/2016%20Equine/Equine%20Diseases%20Forum%20Whitepaper%20PDF%2006.08.16.pdf>. Additional resources related to the forum and equine diseases can be found at http://www.animalagriculture.org/edf2016/resources and http://www.usaha.org/Committees/InfectiousDiseasesOfHorses.aspx. Watch for more information on the upcoming Equine Forum on Advancing Equine Identification, Traceability and Electronic Health Records taking place on January 17 and 18, 2017 at the Double Tree Hotel in Denver, Colo.
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2. Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team mobilized to help out animals in flood-stricken parts of Texas
By Jake Walker
TheEagle.com
June 8, 2016
Residents in Southeast Texas are dealing with record-setting floods as several days' worth of heavy rain flows down the Brazos River - but people aren't the only ones in need of assistance.
An emergency response team of medical professionals from the Texas A&M veterinary school deployed to Fort Bend County on Thursday to help treat animals in need of medical care. The 20-member team of veterinarians, technicians and a handful of administrators moved its mobile medical unit to Brazoria County on Monday, and expects to be there as long as needed.
Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta has issued six mandatory evacuations from dangerous areas in the past few days. Angela Clendenin, public information officer for the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team, said as people began evacuating, first responders came across animals in need of help and transported them to the mobile veterinary unit.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the team had treated close to 100 animals in Fort Bend and Brazoria counties, Clendenin said. They treated 34 dogs and about that many horses in Fort Bend County, and saw 16 animals Monday night in Brazoria county along with a herd of 10 horses. The team has also treated pet mice, an emu, cats, cows and goats, and expects to be busier today and later in the week.
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3. Livestock pest management vital to animal health
NDSU Extension
Ravalli Republic
June 9, 2016
Face and horn flies are the most common and most treated pests on North Dakota livestock operations, producers reported in a recent North Dakota State University Extension Service survey."
Left untreated, these pests can cause significant loss in production," NDSU Extension livestock environmental stewardship specialist Miranda Meehan says. "In the U.S., horn flies are estimated to cause an economic loss of $1 billion annually."
While integrated pest management (IPM) is commonplace for controlling crop pests, similar concepts can apply to controlling livestock pests. These concepts include using the right type of control at the right time for the right duration to control pests effectively.
Many North Dakota livestock producers apply pest control prior to pasture turnout, which may be optimal for control of some pests but not others, according to Patrick Beauzay, NDSU Extension entomology research specialist.
Horn flies are gray and look like small houseflies. Horn flies bite and spend most of their time clustered around the head, shoulders and back of cattle. These blood-sucking flies feed up to 30 times per day. This constant biting causes cattle pain and stress, and can reduce the cattle's weight gains by as much as 20 pounds.
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4. Three new PEDv cases confirmed on Manitoba farms
Despite industry concerns, a program allowing hog trucks and trailers to be disinfected in Canada rather than the U.S. has come to an end
By Shannon VanRaes
Manitoba Co-operator
June 9, 2016
The news of new PEDv cases is extremely unwelcome, but not entirely unexpected.
After nearly 16 months of being in the clear, three new cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea have been confirmed in Manitoba.
"We're very disappointed this has happened," said Andrew Dickson, general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council. "We've sent a note out to all our producers advising them that this has happened and encouraging them to step up their biosecurity. This is not a time to relax, this is time for constant vigilance."
The most recent PED cases bring the total number of outbreaks in the province up to eight. The first reported case was diagnosed on Valentine's Day, 2014 and the sixth case was identified at a sow barn this May 26. The seventh confirmed positive came only days later - from a finisher barn - on June 2.
Late Monday morning the province announced the disease had been found at another sow barn on June 4.
All confirmed cases of the disease have occurred in southeastern Manitoba, although exact locations have not been made public.
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5. State to investigate Maine egg facility in wake of video, says eggs are safe to eat
By Julia Bayly, BDN Staff
Bangor Daily News
June 9, 2016
TURNER, Maine - There have been no prior reports of food safety violations at a southern Maine egg facility that was the subject of a recent Humane Society of the United States undercover operation facility, according to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
But on Wednesday the department did release a statement confirming it has started an official investigation of the Turner egg production plant owned by Jack DeCoster and operated by Pennsylvania-based Hillandale Farms.
The animal rights group and Hillandale Farms separately requested the state investigation in the wake of the video released earlier this week showing chickens in inhumane and unsanitary conditions, according to John Bott, director of communications for the department.
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6. Navajo Student Helps Launch CSU Vet Program Home Community
By Colorado State University
TheHorse.com
June 9, 2016
Colorado State University (CSU) veterinary students on Monday (June 6) began essential animal-care instruction for high-schoolers in the Navajo Nation, equipping teenagers with basic veterinary skills in a region dependent on livestock production while also encouraging the teens to pursue college education.
In another part of the newly launched project, starting in August, the CSU Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program will provide weeklong surgical clinics for pets, horses and livestock in the Monument Valley region of the Navajo Nation. The area in northern Arizona depends on agriculture and is in dire need of veterinary services.
The two-pronged project is largely prompted by Navajo veterinary student Patrick Succo, 26, who grew up in Ts'ah bii Kin, or "House in the Sagebrush," and was inspired a decade ago to pursue veterinary medicine in a program very much like the one he's now leading in the very same place.
"Veterinary medicine is what I really want to do, and that's where it all started," said Succo, entering his second year in Colorado State's DVM Program. "I'm hoping the high-school students attending our workshops will gain the motivation to pursue higher education like I did."
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7. Advisory Committee; Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee; Termination [FDA]
Federal Register Volume 81, Number 111 (Thursday, June 9, 2016)
Rules and Regulations
Page 37153
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13705]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
21 CFR Part 14
Docket No. FDA-2016-N-0001
Advisory Committee; Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee; Termination
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the termination of the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee. This document removes the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee from the Agency's list of standing advisory committees.
DATES: This rule is effective June 9, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Emery, Division of Scientific Advisors and Consultants, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm. 6132, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-402-8054, FAX: 301-595-1307, or bryan.emery@fda.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee (the Committee) was established on June 9, 1995 (60 FR 31311, June 14, 1995; 21 CFR 14.100 erroneously lists the date of establishment as June 21, 1995). The Committee reviews and evaluates available scientific data concerning the safety of products that may be a risk for transmission of spongiform encephalopathies having an impact on the public health as determined by the Commissioner of Food and Drugs. The Committee makes recommendations to the Commissioner regarding the regulation of such products. In recent years, the number of issues requiring Committee advice has declined, and the Committee has met very infrequently. Therefore, the effort and expense of maintaining this advisory committee is no longer justified. Any relevant Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy issues in the future could be addressed by the Agency's other advisory committees, such as the Agency's Blood Products Advisory Committee, with additional augmentation of expertise by appropriate subject matter experts serving as temporary members on the committee.
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