AnimalNet May 18/06 -- II
Canada to
test 4200 birds for avian flu
U.S. hunt
for bird flu begins in Anchorage: Testing shorebirds here is first line of
defense against avian virus
Russia finds
H5N1 bird flu in Siberia poultry
Veterinarian
detained in Romania over bird flu
France urges
vigilance on AI
June 1st
switch to new national tattoo numbering system on track
Attorneys
fight poultry case
Six-year
study examining effects of oil and gas emissions on cattle completed
Dean of
K-State's College Of Veterinary Medicine says new law will help veterinary
students, Kansas communities
IBT
scientist named Veterinary Responder of the Year
Companies
and critics try collaboration
how to subscribe
Canada
to test 4200 birds for avian flu
May 18, 2006
Reuters
Winnepeg -- Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesman Jim Clark was cited as
saying at a press conference that Canada will test thousands of wild birds for
the H5N1 strain of bird flu this summer in a bid to contain the deadly virus if
it arrives in the country, adding, "To date the Asian H5N1 (virus) has not
been recorded in Canada. There is potential risk with this particular
strain."
Canada kicked off the wild-bird flu surveillance program on Thursday. It
will include testing about 4,200 live birds in the western provinces British
Columbia and Alberta, and eastern Atlantic provinces and Quebec.
In mid-summer, surveillance will expand to southern Canada, where about
1,200 dead birds will be sampled.
Ted Leighton, Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center spokesman, was cited
as saying that symptoms from possible exposure to foreign avian flu are not
expected to show until then.
Clark was further cited as saying that if a wild bird tests positive for the
deadly strain, poultry farms within 3 kilometers (2 miles) of the discovery will
be quarantined.
U.S.
hunt for bird flu begins in Anchorage: Testing shorebirds here is first line of
defense against avian virus
May 18, 2006
Anchorage Daily News, Alaska
Knight Ridder Tribune
Doug O'Harra
At a salt marsh along Anchorage's mucky west coast, U.S. federal scientist Bob
Gill palmed a tiny shorebird trapped only minutes earlier in a fine-mesh net.
It was a female pectoral sandpiper and, Wednesday morning, the little pond-wader
became the unwitting volunteer in an extraordinary quest:
Find the first carrier of deadly avian flu in North America.
One of the world's impressive long-distance migrants, the story explains that
most pectoral sandpipers range from Argentina through Alaska to Siberia. The
fear is that some wild birds will catch the flu in Asian breeding grounds and
bring it here.
This particular bird, the first captured for testing here at the edge of the
continent, had probably arrived in Anchorage only days ago to forage for bugs
and worms in marshes below the Coastal Trail. It's likely bound for Russia or
Arctic Alaska.
While Gill held the bird's head and sharp beak firmly between fingers protected
by gloves, biologist Lee Tibbitts inserted a sterile swab in the bird's anal
cavity.
The bird's beady little eyes blinked, but it gave no other sign of distress at
the maneuver. Then Tibbitts eased the swab free and stowed it in a vial of pink
fluid. It would soon be tested at a national lab.
This local effort launched an unprecedented government project to intercept the
H5N1 strain, a virulent killer of poultry that has sparked fears of a new human
pandemic.
During the next five months, bird biologists will swab, poke, measure and tweak
as many as 12,000 birds in Alaska -- some 28 different high-priority species
caught or killed from the brown tundra of the Yukon Delta to the silty flats
near Alaska's largest city.
Russia
finds H5N1 bird flu in Siberia poultry
May 18, 2006
Reuters
MOSCOW - A regional health official was cited as saying on Thursday that Russia
has found the H5N1 bird flu virus in six dead chickens in Siberia, where more
than 80 dead birds have been found since the end of April.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain was identified in all five dead chickens from
Omsk region that were inspected by the Novosibirsk virology and biotechnology
centre Vektor.
The story notes that on Tuesday, Interfax reported 86 dead chickens found in the
village of Maksimovka in the Omsk region between April 29 and May 13 were
infected with bird flu.
Veterinarian
detained in Romania over bird flu
May 18, 2006
Agence France Press
BUCHAREST- The prosecutor's office was cited as saying Thursday that a
veterinarian has been detained in Romania for allowing poultry ill with bird flu
to be sold to farmers.
Veterinarian Virgil Udrea worked at the industrial poultry farm Drakom Silva in
Codlea in central Romania.
The head of Drakom Silva as well as another chief from the Pati Prod farm have
also been detained, on charges of "spreading disease among animals,"
officials said.
They risk prison sentences of up to 15 years.
France
urges vigilance on AI
May 18, 2006
Meat Processing
MeatNews.com
http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Article&artNum=11603
FRANCE: French prime minister instructs officials to remain on alert to ensure
avian influenza does not return in the autumn.
France’s Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has lifted some restrictions put
in place to control a potential outbreak of avian influenza.
Following a meeting of ministers last week, de Villepin said that the risk of
the deadly virus spreading from Africa or northeast Europe was negligible until
the autumn bird migrations. The only district in France to keep the control
measures is Dombes in Ain, where avian influenza had been discovered.
Prime Minister de Villepin urged continued vigilance and he called on France’s
Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau to ensure his department remains alert
and guarantees a level of protection for the poultry sector in the event the
disease should return in the autumn.
June
1st switch to new national tattoo numbering system on track
May 18, 2006
Farmscape Episode 2143
Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council
Bruce Cochrane
http://www.farmscape.com/f51_EMail_ShowPage.aspx?XEmail=1&i=22033
The Canadian Pork Council reports the latest communications from the provincial
pork organizations indicate the switch to a new national tattoo numbering
systems is on track for June 1st. In order to accommodate the creation of
national multispecies identification and traceability system for tracking the
movement of livestock in Canada the provincial pork organizations are in the
process of allocating new slap tattoo numbers which will be unique to each
location which houses hogs.
CPC technical affairs specialist Francois Bedard says indications are that those
provinces that have not yet made the switch to the numbering scheme will be
ready to do so June 1st.
Clip-Francois Bedard-Canadian Pork Council
Communication that we've received from the provincial pork organizations is June
2006 so we hope by the end of June that all tattoos will be allocated in Canada
but there's a lot of work to be done in terms of communications with the
processors and what not. The provincial pork organizations have really stepped
up in a sense and moved toward implementing that within their own province so
some provinces are at different levels but the time line for completion is
agreed upon, all provinces, and hopefully we'll be done at that time frame and
if not there'll only be a few details to work out.
The importance of having a premise ID is to know exactly the location of where
the animals are kept, assembled. disposed of and premise identification doesn't
only stop at a producer level.
We want to know the IDs for auctions, assembly yards, slaughter
plants, all different facilities and this information, through
strict access in a sense, eventually will be a tool so that CFIA (Canadian Food
Inspection Agency) can use this information to properly mitigate, let's say, a
disease outbreak.
Bedard expects the registration of all premises where live swine are housed in
Canada to be completed by the end of summer. For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce
Cochrane.
*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork
Council
Attorneys
fight poultry case
May 18, 2006
The Daily Oklahoman
Knight Ridder Tribune
Anthony Thornton
TULSA -- Attorney Ken Williams was cited as telling a court Wed. that poultry
farmers are "an innocent bystander" in Attorney General Drew
Edmondson's attempt to prove the industry is polluting Oklahoma's water supply,
as he asked U.S. Magistrate Sam Joyner not to let Edmondson conduct soil and
water sampling at 22 eastern Oklahoma farms.
Attorneys for industry giant Tyson Foods and other companies also want
Edmondson's subpoenas quashed.
The story explains that the lawsuit, filed in June 2005 against 14 poultry
companies, has attracted just about every aspect of the poultry industry in
Oklahoma and Arkansas, where Tyson is based.
The list of parties covers more than 60 pages in court filings. A single-spaced
list of attorneys covers six pages. More than 20 attorneys packed the courtroom
Wednesday.
Joyner was cited as saying that the crux of the issue "is what happens to
chicken stuff when it rains."
Edmondson wants to compare samples of soil, groundwater and runoff water
collected at poultry farms with samples taken from the Illinois River and other
watersheds. He says chicken litter has increased the water's phosphorus and
nitrogen levels.
Williams was quoted as saying, "Just because you see phosphorus doesn't
mean it came from these farms.”
Six-year
study examining effects of oil and gas emissions on cattle completed
May 18, 2006
From a press release
CALGARY - A six-year study of cattle herds near oil and gas facilities in
western Canada, completed in 2006, has found few associations between emissions
and the overall health of cattle.
The Western Canada Study of Animal Health Effects Associated with Exposure to
Emissions from Oil and Natural Gas Facilities, released by the Western
Interprovincial Scientific Studies Association (WISSA) in May 2006, involved the
collection and analysis of data from approximately 33,000 cattle in 205 herds in
Alberta, Saskatchewan and northeast B.C.
The $17 million study, the most comprehensive of its kind ever completed, was
conducted by researchers based at the University of Saskatchewan, led by
principal researcher Dr. Cheryl Waldner, under the ongoing peer review process
by a Science Advisory Panel (SAP) of 11 internationally renowned researchers and
scientists.
The purpose and design of the study was to investigate potential associations
between exposure to emissions from oil and natural gas facilities with the
health and productivity of cattle, prompted by long-standing concerns of cattle
producers that emissions from oil and gas facilities, often located on rangeland
near their cattle herds, may cause reproductive failures or disease in the
cattle.
The research protocol was designed to ensure scientifically sound findings,
which could help provide better information for decision-makers on the future
development and implementation of recommendations regarding future practices.
"Looking at the results from a broader perspective, across all of the
exposures and outcomes of the Study, the most predominant pattern is that there
were no associations between the measured exposures and most of the health
outcomes," said Dr. Tee Guidotti, Co-chair of the Science Advisory Panel,
and Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health from the School of Public
Health and Health Services at the George Washington University Medical Centre in
Washington, D.C. "Where associations were found, some were small, and while
statistically significant, the biological relevance and practical importance of
the findings are unknown."
He noted one exception may be an association found between exposure to sulphur
dioxide (SO(2)) and a slight increase in calf mortality of one to two per cent
above the background at the highest measured levels of exposure. However, the
presence of an association alone does not prove these emissions caused a change
in animal health.
"Overall, the WISSA Study has been a massive and challenging undertaking,
directed by an innovative management model, and conducted using advanced
scientific methods," said Dr. Guidotti. "In the opinion of the
Scientific Advisory Panel, this is important, statistically and scientifically
valid benchmark study that can be the basis for more focused research in a
number of areas."
"WISSA is a unique partnership that delivers definitive, independent
scientific answers to the interrelationship of two key industries in Western
Canada - oil and gas and cattle," said John Donner, Chair of the WISSA
Board of Directors. "It has resulted in clear findings. We now need to go
through these findings and the science behind them with interested stakeholders.
"It has also given us a wealth of information about Western Canadian herds,
and we need to use that information for continuous improvements on herd
management and, possibly, further research," Donner said.
WISSA is a not-for-profit organization, federally incorporated under the Canada
Corporations Act, created by the four western provincial governments to manage
an independent, objective research study. The organization is managed by a Board
of Directors drawn from the governments of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba
and Saskatchewan.
Copies of the Interpretive Overview by the Science Advisory Panel, and the
Technical Summary of the Western Canada Study of Animal Health Effects
Associated with Exposure to Emissions from Oil and Natural Gas Field Facilities
are available at https://www.wissa.info.
Dean
of K-State's College Of Veterinary Medicine says new law will help veterinary
students, Kansas communities
May 18, 2006
Kansas State University
Ralph Richardson
http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/Web/News/NewsReleases/vetbill51806.html
Manhattan -- A bill approved by the Kansas Legislature and recently signed into
law by Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will benefit veterinary students and rural
Kansas communities, according to Ralph Richardson, dean of the College of
Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University.
The law establishes the "Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas"
at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine.
The program will provide opportunities and incentives for students pursuing a
veterinary medicine degree at K-State to locate their veterinary practice in
rural Kansas communities and serve the livestock industry after they graduate,
Richardson said.
A maximum of five students can be enrolled in the program each year, starting in
their first year of veterinary college. Each student will receive $20,000 a year
for up to four years, to cover tuition and training expenses. In turn, the
students will practice veterinary medicine full time in any county in Kansas
that has a population of 35,000 or less. The amount of loan forgiveness is
determined by how much assistance was received. For each $20,000 a student
receives, they will be required to spend a year working in the rural community.
"Other states have passed legislation for a debt forgiveness program; but
to my knowledge, Kansas is the first state to pass legislation and appropriate
funds for this sort of program," Richardson said.
Many reports from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges cite shortages of large
animal veterinarians, Richardson said. Over the last several decades, the demand
for companion animal care has increased dramatically.
Many graduates would like to practice in a rural setting, however, they often
say that the main reason for not pursuing rural practice is an inability to earn
an adequate income and service their educational debt.
As a result, many new graduates have been attracted to companion animal care
rather than livestock-related veterinary medicine, he said.
"K-State is committed to being a leading institution in large animal
veterinary care, animal science, biosecurity and food safety. This new law is
one part of a larger undertaking to remain at the forefront of this
effort," Richardson said.
"We are dedicated to supporting the livestock industry," he said.
"We believe that veterinarians create a positive influence on communities
of all types, particularly small, rural communities. This act removes
educational debt as a stumbling block for those who wish to make their homes in
rural Kansas."
IBT
scientist named Veterinary Responder of the Year
May 18, 2006
Texas A&M Health Science Center
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/520584/?sc=dwtr
Edward John Wozniak, D.V.M., Ph.D., assistant director of the Program for Animal
Resources at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences
and Technology at Houston, was recently honored as Veterinary Responder of the
Year by the U.S. Public Health Service.
U.S. Surgeon General and Vice Admiral Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., conferred
the award at the 2006 Commissioned Officers Association USPHS Professional
Conference in Denver, Colo., in recognition of Dr. Wozniak’s leadership and
exemplary performance in several recent response missions during public health
crises.
Specifically, Dr. Wozniak was acknowledged for his deployment to the Tohono
Odham Reservation in Arizona to work with the Indian Health Service on rabies
control; contributions to the Rocky Mountain spotted fever control initiative in
Arizona; volunteer work on venomous snake capture/removal with 9-1-1 emergency
services in San Antonio; and work on the Hurricane Katrina animal rescue and
recovery mission in Louisiana.
Following the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, Dr. Wozniak drew on his lifelong
interest and 24 years of specialized experience with venomous snakes to complete
a detailed deployment safety-training module. He identified the distribution of
the 19 medically significant venomous snake species inhabiting the
hurricane-prone regions of North America and catalogued their distribution
habits.
Dr. Wozniak also advised about field safety in snake country and first aid
measures for snake envenomation (venom injection into an animal). This
information will be implemented as part of the USPHS Office of Force Readiness
and Deployment safety training.
“I plan to maintain my commission as a USPHS reserve officer,” Dr. Wozniak
said. “I am devoted to the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and its
mission to protect the health and safety of the nation. I will stay active on
the veterinary team and continue my response work in crisis and disaster
situations.”
The Texas A&M Health Science Center provides the state with health
education, outreach and research. Its six components located in communities
throughout Texas are Baylor College of Dentistry, the College of Medicine, the
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Institute of Biosciences and
Technology, the School of Rural Public Health, and the Irma Lerma Rangel College
of Pharmacy.
Companies
and critics try collaboration
May 18, 2006
The New York Times
Claudia Deutsch
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/17/business/businessspecial2/17partner.html
Not long ago, when it was still the in-your-face Environmental Defense Fund, the
group would have looked for a company to sue, boycott or at least protest.
Nowadays, according to this story, it is looking for companies that can help it
out.
Fred Krupp, the group's president, was quoted as saying, "Our informal
motto used to be 'Sue the bastards.' Now our official tagline is, 'Finding the
ways that work.'"
So Environmental Defense enlisted McDonald's to put pressure on chicken
suppliers; Tyson Foods, for one, has already responded by slashing its
antibiotic use. It worked with DuPont on nanotechnology regulations that both
hope to prod Congress to pass. It joined with FedEx and the Eaton Corporation to
convert part of the FedEx truck fleet to hybrid vehicles. The trucks are already
being rolled out nationally.
The story goes on to say that the slow pace of regulatory change has actually
helped foster partnerships. Companies and environmentalists both think that
rules on issues like greenhouse gases, endangered forests and genetically
modified crops are inevitable, and they want a hand in setting them. That is why
DuPont, for one, includes environmentalists on its internal biotechnology
advisory panel.
Linda J. Fisher, DuPont's chief sustainability officer, was quoted as saying,
"Our ability to get product to market is moving faster than the E.P.A.'s
ability to get rules out, and we want to agree in advance on what the rules of
the road should be."
Environmentalists say they feel the same way. They no longer expect Washington
to tackle global warming, for example, and they know they cannot sue companies
for violating laws that do not exist. So they have to become more cooperative.
Animalnet is produced by the Food Safety
Network at Kansas State University and the University of Guelph, and is
supported at the Gold Fork level by:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada (Microbial Food
Safety Risk Assessment Unit), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food,
AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council.
Animalnet is supported at the Sterling Fork level by:
The Dairy Farmers of Canada and the Chicken Farmers of Ontario
Animalnet is supported at the Silver-plate Fork level by:
Food Safety & Security at Kansas State University, National Pork Board,
Canadian Animal Health Institute, Pfizer Animal Health, National Cattlemen's
Beef Association and Ontario Pork
Animalnet is supported at the Stainless Fork level by:
National Turkey Federation, Canadian Livestock Genetics Association, Heifer
International, Global Public Affairs, the Penn State Department of Poultry
Science and the Penn State Department of Dairy and Animal Science
The Food Safety Network's Canadian toll-free line for obtaining food safety
information: 1-866-50-FSNET (1-866-503-7638).
The Food Safety Network presents a unique opportunity to bring together all
those associated with agriculture and food, to enhance the safety of the food
supply. To provide financial support to the Food Safety Network, please visit
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/donations.php. For information on
collaboration or fee-for-service opportunities, please contact Dr. Doug Powell:
dpowell@uoguelph.ca
To subscribe to the html version of AnimalNet, send mail to:
(subscription is free)
listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type:
subscribe animalnet-L firstname lastname
i.e. subscribe animalnet -L Doug Powell
(replace animalnet-L with annettext to subscribe to the text version)
To unsubscribe to AnimalNet, send mail to:
listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type:
signoff animalnet-L
(replace animalnet-L with annettext to unsubscribe to the text version)
For more information about the AnimalNet research program, please contact:
Dr. Douglas Powell
associate professor
dept. diagnostic medicine/pathobiology
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS
66506
cell: 785-317-0560
fax: 785-532-4039
dpowell@uoguelph.ca
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu
The Food Safety Network's Canadian toll-free line for obtaining food safety
information: 1-866-50-FSNET (1-866-503-7638)
archived at: http://archives.foodsafety.ksu.edu/animalnet-archives.htm