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1. Swine antibiotic system is paramount
By Joy Philippi
National Hog Farmer
June 20, 2016
The development of an efficient system to collect and report antimicrobial use in swine production continues to be a top priority for U.S. swine industry organizations.
The National Pork Producers Council, American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the National Pork Board continue to address issues related in antibiotic use and data reporting.
Recently Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian at the National Pork Producers Council, and Peter Davies, University of Minnesota professor in veterinary population medicine who was on sabbatical, traveled to several northern European countries to meet with government and animal health industry officials. This outreach was done to not only create a positive dialogue with these countries, but also to gather information that will be beneficial to the development of a system here in the United States.
According to Davies, "It is important to the development of a system for use here in the United States that we better understand the systems used in other countries. Assessing the metrics of each system will provide us with critical data necessary to create our own system."
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2. TPW Commission Adopts Amended Deer Movement Rules [TX]
Gilmer Mirror
June 20, 2016
AUSTIN - After extensive public testimony, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Monday approved an amended set of regulations for artificial movement of deer by permit as part of the state's chronic wasting disease (CWD) management plan.
Adopted provisions are the result of extensive collaboration between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the deer breeding community and landowners to address concerns over the future of permitted unnatural deer movement qualifications following the discovery of CWD in 2015, while providing continued protection against the fatal neurological disease for Texas' 4 million free-ranging and captive deer.
"This is bigger than the interests of one group and it's not about choosing winners or losers," said Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman T. Dan Friedkin. "The fundamental issue is how best to protect our state's deer herds from a deadly disease. The overwhelming amount of interest this issue has generated illustrates just how passionate Texans are about deer and our deer hunting heritage. The actions taken by the commission today are the result of extensive deliberation with input from all stakeholders, and I applaud the many individuals and groups from all over the state who took the time and effort to remain engaged in the process until the end."
Among the provisions adopted by the commission include a suite of options to attain artificial deer movement qualified status through a multilevel system of ante-mortem ("live") and post-mortem deer testing for CWD. Key changes to the rules include:
Establishing a minimum level of post-mortem testing in deer breeding facilities at 80 percent
Providing an opportunity for all captive deer breeders to test-up to Transfer Category 1 (TC1) status through 50 percent ante-mortem testing of their entire herd (a proposed May 15, 2017, testing deadline was eliminated from the rules) and breeders may choose their preferred ante-mortem testing means (rectal, lymph nodes, tonsillar etc.).
Clarification that the 5-year, 80 percent eligible mortality testing requirement to realize TC1 status may be obtained through testing a 5-year average of annual mortalities and deer breeders may use a 3:1 ratio to substitute live tests for post-mortem tests to meet required testing thresholds.
Property owners may request to expand release sites, provided release site requirements apply to the expanded acreage.
Elimination of testing requirements on Trap, Transfer and Transplant (Triple T) release sites.
Details of CWD rule changes affecting specific artificial deer movement permits are available online at www.tpwd.texas.gov/cwd/.
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3. FDA Announces Minor Use/Minor Species (MUMS) Grant Application Open Period Due August 12, 2016
FDA Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine
June 20, 2016
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an open period for applications for grants to support the development of new animal drugs intended for minor species or minor uses in major species (major species are horses, dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, turkeys and chickens). This is Funding Opportunity Announcement #RFA-FD-15-004. Applications must be submitted electronically by August 12, 2016, through www.grants.gov.
The grant program was established by the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004, and funding was authorized to start after finalization of regulations to implement the Designation provisions of Section 573 of the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.
Eligibility requirements to apply for a MUMS grant include: 1) the drug must be "designated" by the Center for Veterinary Medicine's (CVM) Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development (OMUMS) under the MUMS Act (Designations List); 2) the grant funding must be used to defray the costs of qualified safety and effectiveness testing expenses associated with the development of the drug for the designated intended use; and 3) interested parties must have a study protocol that has been accepted by CVM's Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation (ONADE) prior to submitting the grant application.
Qualified studies include those intended to support target animal safety or effectiveness, environmental safety, or human food safety. For human food safety, a separate study to validate an analytical method prior to conduct of an in-life study is eligible for funding, if a protocol for the stand-alone method validation study has been accepted by ONADE. Certain manufacturing studies as described in the FOA that are supportive of target animal safety or effectiveness are also eligible for funding, with an ONADE-accepted protocol.
Subject to the availability of funds, grants will be available for up to $100,000 per year for up to two years for routine studies; and up to $150,000 per year for up to two years for studies of unusual complexity, duration or size. A third year of funding may be available for long-term toxicology studies. Therefore, grants could range from under $100,000 for a routine study that could be completed in less than a year, to $300,000 for a complex study requiring two years for completion, to $450,000 for a long-term toxicology study. An indirect cost rate of 10% of modified total direct costs will be allowed if the applicant organization does not have a negotiated Federal indirect cost rate agreement.
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4. Windrowing Litter Can Reduce Pressure from Poultry Viruses, Insects and Bacteria
ThePoultrySite.com
June 20, 2016
GLOBAL - Poultry producers looking to improve litter quality and flock health should consider windrowing - a practice that not only works to control ammonia in the reconditioned litter but also reduces pathogen and insect pressure.
Windrowing involves raking or rolling the litter into even rows. The moisture present in the rows increases litter temperature, which releases ammonia while reducing pathogens including bacteria, viruses and pests.
Producers interested in windrowing should begin incorporating it into their litter-management program during moderate or warm weather, according to Casey Ritz, PhD, poultry-waste management, University of Georgia.
"There's a bit of a learning curve with the process," he said in a WattAgNet webinar.
Ammonia levels will likely increase following the windrowing process, requiring the use of a litter treatment. The intense heat generated by windrowing inhibits microbial and viral growth while allowing the floor to dry between rows of piled litter. The windrow also traps insects, which can make insecticide treatments more effective.
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5. Coalition defends court overturning Idaho 'ag gag' law
By Jacqui Fatka
Feedstuffs
June 20, 2016
A coalition of public interest groups and journalists filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit defending the U.S. District Court of Idaho's August 2015 decision striking down Idaho's "ag gag" law on the grounds that it violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which grant freedom of speech and the right to equal protection under the law.
The Ninth Circuit will be the first appellate court in the nation to consider the constitutionality of an ag gag law. Animal rights groups say these types of laws "gag" speech because journalists, workers, activists and members of the public can be convicted for documenting animal cruelty or life-threatening safety violations.
After the briefing is completed, an oral argument date will be set, and the Ninth Circuit's decision could be expected sometime next year. Members of the coalition also have lawsuits pending in federal district courts challenging the constitutionality of similiar laws in Utah and North Carolina.
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6. First Zika vaccine ready for human trials, CNN reports
Jed Lipinski, The Times-Picayune
NOLA.com
June 20, 2016
A pair of pharmaceutical companies have received approval to conduct the first clinical trial for a Zika virus vaccine, marking a positive early step in combating a disease that has spread rapidly through the Americas, according to CNN.
The companies, Inovio of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., and GeneOne Life Science of Seoul, South Korea, have previously collaborated on vaccines for Ebola and Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, both of which are in the development stage.
The product, known by the working title GLS-5700, will first be tested on 40 healthy adult volunteers over the next few weeks, though the results are not expected until later this year, according to the website. Laboratory tests performed on mice and monkeys produced what Inovio describes as a robust antibody response, a sign the vaccine has the potential to prevent Zika virus infection.
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