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1. Additional CWD Cases Discovered at a Quarantined Captive White-tailed Deer Breeding Facility [TX]
Texas Animal Health Commission News Release
July 1, 2016
AUSTIN - Thirteen new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) were confirmed at a Medina County captive white-tailed deer breeding facility on June 29, 2016.
Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) discovered these cases while conducting an epidemiological investigation on the quarantined facility after a 3 �-year-old captive white-tailed doe tested positive for CWD in April 2016. This initial positive doe was tested for CWD due to increased surveillance testing required by the facility's TAHC herd plan. The herd plan was developed to assess the risk of CWD in the facility for its association with the first Texas CWD positive herd.
USDA diagnostic sampling funds were utilized to conduct the testing. Of the 33 samples submitted to National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) for testing, 13 of these samples revealed the presence of CWD prions. TAHC and TPWD will be working closely with the facility owner to develop future testing strategies to assess the CWD disease prevalence within the facility.
With these new positive cases, 25 total white-tailed deer originating from captive white-tailed deer breeding facilities have been confirmed positive for CWD in the state, including the initial CWD positive deer detected in June 2015.
The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in Colorado. CWD has also been documented in captive and/or free-ranging deer in 24 states and 2 Canadian provinces. In Texas, the disease was first discovered in 2012 in free-ranging mule deer along a remote area of the Hueco Mountains near the Texas-New Mexico border. Earlier this year, a free ranging mule deer buck harvested in Hartley County was confirmed CWD positive.
CWD among cervids is a progressive, fatal disease that commonly results in altered behavior as a result of microscopic changes made to the brain of affected animals. An animal may carry the disease for years without outward indication, but in the latter stages, signs may include listlessness, lowering of the head, weight loss, repetitive walking in set patterns and a lack of responsiveness. To date there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to humans or non-cervids. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend not to consume meat from infected animals.
More information on CWD can be found on TPWD's website, http://www.tpwd.texas.gov/CWD or at the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website, http://www.cwd-info.org.
More information about the TAHC CWD program may be found at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/cwd/cwd.html
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2. NH State Vet Confirms First PED Case
Lancaster Farming
July 1, 2016
State veterinarian Steve Crawford has alerted swine owners of the first confirmed case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, PED, in the state. Positive PED tests have also recently been reported in several neighboring states.
Carol Soule, livestock farmer from Loudon, said the loss of a young girl's 4-H project piglet to PED really brought home Crawford's message about the disease and the importance of biosecurity practices to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Soule said anyone involved with livestock should take biosecurity precautions.
"Livestock diseases can be transmitted from animal to animal," Soule said. "Having a veterinarian check new arrivals is smart. Buying animals, pigs especially, from a farmer with a healthy, closed herd makes sense, too. Disease is also spread by human contact, so if you touch livestock you might not get sick but you could carry a disease to another animal.
"Biosecurity means washing boots, clothing and hands before and after handling livestock," Soule added. "Practicing biosecurity also means that you could save a piglet's life."
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3. PR Crisis: Prepare and respond
By John Maday, Editor
Bovine Veterinarian
July 1, 2016
You've spent countless hours on a client's farm. You've helped train the crews and developed health and welfare protocols. You know the owner and management team well and have seen first-hand their commitment to proper animal care. And yet, early one morning you find your phone and e-mail swamped with messages about an undercover video supposedly documenting animal abuse on the farm.
Like it or not, you have a fire to fight. That's the bad news. The good news is that you, as the farm's veterinarian, are a trusted source with a high level of credibility among the general public. Also through an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship, you are in a good position to help your client minimize the fallout.
George Palmer, DVM, at Palmer Veterinary Clinic, Plattsburgh, N.Y., faced that scenario a few years back, when an employee of the animal-rights group PETA clandestinely joined the staff at a client's dairy and released a video allegedly showing animal abuse on the operation.
Palmer Veterinary Clinic is a three-generation family veterinary practice that has served Clinton County in northeastern New York for more than 50 years. Palmer's father opened the practice in 1958, and Palmer now practices with his son and five other veterinarians, three of whom are mixed-animal practitioners.
The clinic's relationship with the dairy in question, a well-established and respected operation, also extends back to the 1950s. Palmer visits the dairy frequently and has helped the owner and managers develop protocols and make management decisions. The dairy is well-regarded for its animal care and was a long-time participant in the New York State Cattle Health Assurance Program (NYSCHAP), including its animal-welfare component.
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4. Ruidoso Downs EHV Quarantine Released
By The Horse Staff
TheHorse.com
July 1, 2016
The New Mexico Livestock Board has announced that a quarantine put in place after a horse residing at Ruidoso Downs tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) has been lifted.
The release comes after 14 days with no new EHV-1 cases.
The affected horse tested positive for the virus on June 17 and was euthanized the same day. Since then, the barn in which the horse was located was placed under quarantine-no horses in, no horses out.
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5. Talking Points: The Overuse Of Antibiotics
By Esme Murphy
Minnesota.CBSLocal.com
July 3, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Four Minnesota agencies have announced a united effort to reign in the overuse of antibiotics. It's called the Minnesota One Health Stewardship.
The overuse of antibiotics is leading to the development of new strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control estimates 23,000 deaths and 2 million illnesses are caused by strains of antibiotic bacteria each year.
The five-year initiative announced late last week is being led by not just the Minnesota Department of Health, but by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Board of Animal Health.
Some of the efforts will go towards doctors making sure they are not overprescribing. There are also efforts aimed at patients, urging them not to pressure their doctors into prescribing antibiotics.
There are warnings for farmers and consumers, too.
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6. National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
Federal Register Volume 81, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2016)
Notices
Pages 42630-42631
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15550]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Docket No. FSIS-2016-0022
National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of the Renewal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to renew the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice to the Secretary of Agriculture concerning State and Federal programs with respect to meat, poultry and processed egg products inspection, food safety, and other matters that fall within the scope of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), and the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA).
For Further Information about the NACMPI Contact: Ms. Natasha Williams, Program Specialist, Designated Federal Officer, Outreach and Partnership Division, Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Patriot Plaza III Building, 355 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20024; Telephone: (202) 690-6531; Fax: (202) 690-6519; Email: Natasha.Williams@fsis.usda.gov
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7. National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee; Reestablishment
Federal Register Volume 81, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2016)
Notices
Page 42629
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15551]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2016-0042]
National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee; Reestablishment
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to reestablish.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, we are giving notice that the Secretary of Agriculture intends to reestablish the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee for a 2-year period. The Secretary has determined that the Committee is necessary and in the public interest.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Carrie Joyce, Designated Federal Officer, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 87, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3999.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee (the Committee) is to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on policies, program issues, and research needed to conduct the Wildlife Services program. The Committee also serves as a public forum enabling those affected by the Wildlife Services program to have a voice in the program's policies.
Done in Washington, DC, this 24th day of June 2016.
Kevin Shea, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
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