AnimalNet April 3/06
You Say
Tomato, I say Tomahto: Do you hear me? Do you understand?
Egypt
reports two more human bird flu infections
Britain
plans mass human graves in case of bird flu: report
Norton to
speak on new security threat
Dairy farms
offered help to clean up their act
Top chef
pulls out from TV cockfight on chicken safety
Health risks
associated with raising chickens
FSIS issues
new requirements for poultry export to Mexico
Rapid Alert
System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
Ophthalmic
and topical dosage form new animal drugs; Gentamicin sulfate, betamethasone
valerate, clotrimazole ointment
how to subscribe
You
Say Tomato, I say Tomahto: Do you hear me? Do you understand?
April 6, 2006
University of Guelph
12:30-1:20 OVC 1715
Gordon Hayburn
Senior Lecturer
School of Applied Sciences, University of Wales Institute Cardiff Gordon
Graduated from Glasgow College of Food Technology in 1982 and worked for 16
years in various sectors of the food industry, gaining a wide range of first
hand knowledge in Food Processing, Quality and Technical Management issues.
Gordon's extensive experience in Food Safety Auditing, HACCP and Quality
Management Systems has lead him to research interests including:
Food Safety Management strategies for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME's).
Determining the effectiveness of control strategies in various food industry
sectors.
The use of documented Quality Management Systems in the food industry.
Risk assessment in food production including the significance of
cross-contamination in food safety control and microbial survival on food
contact surfaces.
The use of “real time” methods, linked to HACCP, for the analysis and
examination of foods.
The application and evolution of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
system (HACCP) by the UK food industry and the development of resources to
assist small businesses implement food safety management systems.
The effects of the introduction of legislation to specific sectors of the food
industry.
Egypt
reports two more human bird flu infections
April 2, 2006
Reuters/AP
CAIRO - Egyptian Health Minister Hatem el-Gabali was cited as saying on Sunday
that two more Egyptians have been infected with the bird flu virus, , taking to
eight the number of reported human cases in the country.
The two were sisters, one aged 18 months and the other six years, from Kafr
el-Sheikh province north of Cairo. The pair, who had handled dead birds, were in
a stable condition. Blood tests on their immediate family were negative for the
virus.
Bangladesh, which has tightened its borders following the outbreak of bird flu
in India, was cited as saying on Saturday that its frontier guards seized and
burned about 16,000 chickens smuggled from the neighbour in the past two days.
“We seized the Indian chickens from border areas in eastern district of
Comilla and northern district of Rajshahi on Thursday night and Friday,” said
Major Motiur Rahman of Bangladesh Rifles.
The first consignment of over 10,000 Indian chickens was detected overnight as
the truck transporting them arrived at the eastern frontier town of Comilla.
Britain
plans mass human graves in case of bird flu: report
April 2, 2006
Agence France Presse
LONDON - The Sunday Times newspaper was cited as reporting that, based on a
confidential Home Office report, Britain is considering mass human burials
should a bird flu pandemic break out, and that a "prudent" worst-case
assessment suggested 320,000 people could die in Britain if the H5N1 virus
mutated into a form contagious to humans.
Titled Managing Excess Deaths in an Influenza Pandemic and dated March 22, the
document reportedly says that such a large number of deaths could lead to delays
of up to 17 weeks in burying or cremating victims.
It warned that "common burial" would stir up images of the mass burial
pits used during the Great Plague of 1665.
But in fact it "might involve a large number of coffins buried in the same
place at the same time, in such a way that allowed for individual graves to be
marked".
Norton
to speak on new security threat
March 31, 2006
Franklin County Times (AL)
http://www.franklincountytimes.com/articles/2006/04/02/news/news2.txt
The groups that may pose the greatest threats to U.S. domestic security are not
necessarily radical Islamist but extremist animal rights and earth liberation
groups within our borders -- groups bent on avenging presumed acts of violence
to animals or the environment.
Dr. Robert Norton, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System biosecurity
specialist and Auburn University professor of veterinary bacteriology and
biosecurity, has monitored the rise of ecoterrorists and will explore this
threat during a visit to the Franklin County area, April 3 and 4.
Ecoterrorism already has occurred with alarming frequency in the United Kingdom
and Europe, targeted primarily to biotechnology executives and scientists. The
United States, however, has not been immune to such acts - a fact underscored
recently by the indictments of 11 people charged with committing acts of
domestic terrorism on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation
Front.
Equally troublesome to Norton and other experts are changes in these groups'
behavior since the Sept. 11 attacks. Ecoterrorist groups are not only becoming
better organized but are networking - seeking financial support from other
radical groups that share their anti-American, anti-corporate views. In some
cases, they even have adopted Jihadist tactics patterned after al Quaeda.
Most of these groups remain small, Norton says. Even so, this smallness often
works to their advantage. Some radical groups have learned to operate in small
groups as a form of survival, and the government is finding these cells
increasingly hard to infiltrate.
Dairy
farms offered help to clean up their act
April 3, 2006
New Zealand Herald
Stephen Ward
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10375738
A multi-million-dollar programme for people to work directly with dairy farmers
on preventing environmental damage is in the pipeline.
The story says that the programme is a key feature of a dairy industry
sustainable environmental management strategy to be released today and will
initially focus on "target catchments", including areas where
dairying's impact on water quality is causing concern.
It will involve one-on-one work with farmers and use agencies in regular contact
with farmers to reinforce the environmental protection messages.
Target catchments are being selected - it is understood the work will be
"resource intensive" - meaning there will not be a large number of
areas selected initially.
Rotorua Lakes is tipped as one area for early attention. The strategy also notes
dairying's impact is especially noticeable in lowland water courses in parts of
Canterbury, Southland and Waikato, which have 42 per cent of the national dairy
herd.
The targeted approach acknowledges that some places have "more
immediate" environmental issues "while most other regions will improve
under the strategy over time".
Realistic objectives will be set in target areas in discussions between the
industry and the community, but the initial aim is a 30 per cent reduction in
"target catchment impacts".
Top
chef pulls out from TV cockfight on chicken safety
April 2, 2006
Irish Independent
Jerome Reilly
Controversial Michelin-starred chef Richie Corrigan was cited as laughing off
claims last night that he is chicken after pulling out of a Late Late Show
debate on Irish poultry.
The Late Late Show cockfight would have brought the outspoken Meath-born chef
face to face with his critics, but with the President of Mexico due to eat at
his restaurant this we!ekend, Mr Corrigan reluctantly pulled out. The debate was
to be a response to the storm of criticism which followed Corrigan's description
of Irish chicken as "sh*t" when he appeared on Pat Kenny's chat show
the week before. It led the Food Safety Authority to challenge a number of Mr
Corrigan's assertions, while the poultry industry reacted with fury. MEP Mairead
McGuinness wrote to the Late Late Show, asking why the celebrity cook was
allowed to describe an item of Irish food as excrement and go unchallenged.
The Irish Poultry Processors Association also wrote to the chat show expressing
its concern about what it said were factual inaccuracies.
Ms McGuinne! ss, Food Safety Authority chief executive Dr John O'Brien, and a
representative of the poultry industry were lined up to take on Corrigan - but
the Late Late cancelled the item when it was clear that Corrigan was
unavailable.
In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Corrigan remained unrepentant and
said he deeply regretted that business commitments in London meant he was unable
to take part in round two of the great chicken debate, stating, "I'm
certainly not a guy to run away from an argument but I have the President of
Mexico dining at my restaurant and business is business. Last week, the Sunday
Independent proved my point by revealing that there was 1.3 million broilers
produced every week and just 500 organic chickens. It speaks volumes doesn't it?
It shows the industry is not looking after the market as it should. "You
can go to France and get well-produced affordable chicken in every small town
and major city. We cannot blame the farmer. I would love to know how much a
farmer is getting per chicken. During my chat with Pat Kenny he said they were
paying €21 for a chicken. Well, no offence, but I've never seen a chicken for
€21. You can easily get well-produced chickens of good quality for €10 to
€14. I never said that antibiotics should be banned from the process. If an
animal is sick, you have to treat it. What I do object to is the idea of
antibiotics as a routine part of the feeding process. The other thing is this -
why the hell are we putting fishmeal into chicken feed? Is this not ludicrous?
We are hoovering up the oceans for the sake of giving people cheap chickens. I
can imagine the booby traps that would have been put out for me by the Late Late
Show and the industry if I had taken part in the debate. I know that would have
happened, but I am still absolutely gutted I was not able to attend."
Manor Farm director Vincent Carton, whose company is the largest poultry
processor in the Republic, was quoted as saying, "He is using information
from the UK market and assuming things are the same in Ireland, when they are
not. They can use fishmeal and we cannot. He stated that our chickens were full
of water because in some countries they use water-chilling methods, but we don't
- in Ireland we use air."
Mr Carton also said that Manor Farm did not use antibiotics, despite the chef's
claim that chickens are pumped full of them.
Health
risks associated with raising chickens
April 2, 2006
Center for Disease Control
http://communitydispatch.com/artman/publish/article_4440.shtml
Many families raise a small number of chickens, particularly in rural areas. In
recent years, however, raising chickens has become a popular hobby for people
who live in urban areas as well. Information that promotes raising chickens
touts the birds as being good pets, stress relievers, and easy to keep. Most
people though, choose to keep flocks because they believe the meat and eggs they
grow will be safer and less expensive than store purchased products. Whether
they are pets or a source of food, there are some issues that need to be
considered before deciding to raise chickens. In addition to the fact that many
urban areas will not allow chickens to be raised within city/town limits,
keeping chickens poses a potential health risk.
Chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other poultry frequently carry bacteria that can
cause illness to you and your family. Baby chicks may be especially prone to
shed these germs and cause human illness. Young birds are often shipped several
times before they reach a permanent home. Shipment and adapting to new locations
causes stress on birds and makes them more likely to shed bacteria in their
droppings. While anyone can become ill from exposure to these germs, the risk of
infection is especially high for children, the elderly, and persons with
weakened immune systems; for example, people receiving chemotherapy or who are
HIV-infected. One of the most important bacteria you need to be aware of is
Salmonella.
Birds infected with Salmonella do not usually appear sick. Salmonella lives in
the intestine of infected chickens, and can be shed in large numbers in the
droppings. Once shed, bacteria can spread across the chicken’s body as the
bird cleans itself and throughout the environment as the chicken walks around.
Therefore, it is especially important to carefully wash hands with soap and
water after handling young birds or anything that has come in contact with them.
If you ingest Salmonella, you may become ill. People accidentally ingest
Salmonella in many ways, including eating after handling chickens or by touching
their hand to their mouth while working with the birds. Typical symptoms of
Salmonella infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. These
symptoms generally develop within one to three days of exposure and may last for
up to a week. Individuals with weaker immune systems commonly have more severe
infections.
There have been several outbreaks of human Salmonella infections resulting from
handling baby chicks. See our CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4914a1.htm
Many of the outbreaks involved young children and most occurred in the spring
around Easter. Some outbreaks have been associated with keeping chicks in the
classroom.
I still want to raise chickens. How can I reduce the risks to myself and my
family?
1. Keep baby chicks and adult chickens away from persons with weaker immune
systems, including the elderly, pregnant women, diabetics, patients receiving
chemotherapy, and people who are infected with HIV.
2. Do not keep chickens if a household has children less than five years of age.
3. Make sure that any interaction between chicks or chickens and small children
is supervised and that children wash their hands afterwards. Children less than
five years of age tend to put their hands and other potentially contaminated
objects into their mouths.
4. Supervise hand washing for small children to make sure that it is adequate.
See our CDC website for proper hand washing guidelines:
5. Always wash your hands with soap and water after touching chickens or
anything in their environment. If soap and water are not available, use an
alcohol based hand sanitizer. Bacteria on your hands can be easily transferred
to objects and other people in your home.
6. Wash contaminated items with hot soapy water or with a mild bleach solution.
7. Do not eat or drink around your chickens.
8. Keep chickens away from food preparation areas.
9. Do not wash items from chicken coops like water and food dishes in the
kitchen sink.
10. Do not allow chickens to roam freely around the house.
11. Frequently clean the area where chickens are kept.
12. Visit your physician if you experience abdominal pain, fever, and/or
diarrhea.
Additional resources:
Salmonellosis associated with chicks and ducklings ---Michigan and Missouri,
Spring 1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. April 14, 2000;
49(14):297-29. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4914a1.htm
Salmonella serotype Montevideo iInfections associated with chicks - - Idaho,
Washington, and Oregon, Spring 1995 and 1996. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report. March 21, 1997 / 46(11);237-239. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046940.htm
Salmonella hadar associated with pet ducklings - - Connecticut, Maryland and
Pennsylvania, 1991. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. March 20, 1992 /
41(11);185-187. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00016299.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pdf/intown_flocks.pdf
FSIS
issues new requirements for poultry export to Mexico
April 3, 2006
Meatingplace.com
Alicia Karapetian
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued Notice 18-06, "Revised
Export Requirements for Mexico for Fresh/Frozen Poultry." The Notice
requires, as per new Mexican requirements, that fresh and frozen poultry that is
exported to Mexico come from flocks or farms from which 59 serological samples
have been taken and tested negative for avian influenza using an ELISA test.
Poultry can also have come from a flock or farm of origin that is registered in
the National Poultry Improvement Plan.
Inspection program personnel will certify all poultry for export to Mexico under
instructions in FSIS Directive 9000.1, Revision 1.
View the entire notice at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Notice_18-06/index.asp
Rapid
Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
April 3, 2006
European Commission
Weekly Overview - Week 12 available at http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/rapidalert/index_en.htm
Ophthalmic
and topical dosage form new animal drugs; Gentamicin sulfate, betamethasone
valerate, clotrimazole ointment
April 3, 2006
[Federal Register: (Volume 71, Number 63)]
[Page 16481]
[DOCID:fr03ap06-2]
21 CFR Part 524
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Final rule; technical amendment.
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the animal
drug regulations to reflect approval of a supplemental abbreviated new
animal drug application (ANADA) filed by Med-Pharmex, Inc. The
supplemental ANADA provides for a new container size, a 15-gram bottle,
from which gentamicin sulfate, betamethasone valerate, clotrimazole
ointment may be dispensed for the treatment of acute and chronic canine
otitis externa.
DATES: This rule is effective April 3, 2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Melluso, Center for
Veterinary Medicine (HFV-104), Food and Drug Administration, 7500
Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855, 301-827-0169, e-mail:
christopher.melluso@fda.hhs.gov.
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