AnimalNet Aug.
29/07 -- II
Study
confirms human-human spread of bird flu
PENNSYLVANIA: New weapon in war on bird flu: tiny
bubbles
AUSTRALIA: Flu in thoroughbred shuts down Randwick
AUSTRALIA: Outbreak sparks calls for probe of breach
NEW
ZEALAND: Relief as horse flu danger time passes
VIRGINIA: PETA to grill Smithfield executives,
shareholders during annual meeting about company's
cruelty to turkeys
COLORADO: USDA dismisses complaints against Aurora
Organic Dairy
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Study
confirms human-human spread of bird flu
29.aug.07
CTV.ca
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070829/bird_flu_070829/20070829?hub=World
A new analysis has, according to this story,
confirmed that bird flu spread from person to person
in Indonesia in April, U.S. researchers report in
what appears to be a disturbing development for the
infectious disease.
Since 2003, H5N1 has infected 322 people and killed
195. Most have been infected directly by birds. But
a few clusters of cases have been noted for which no
other explanation can be found except
person-to-person transmission.
Biostatistician Ira Longini and colleagues at the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle
looked at two such recent clusters -- one in which
eight family members died in Sumatra in 2006, and
another in Turkey, in which eight people were
infected and four died.
Experts were almost certain the Sumatra cases were
human-to-human transmission, but were eager to see
more proof. Longini's team claims they have found
that proof, reporting in the journal Emerging
Infectious Diseases.
Using a computerized disease-transmission model that
took into account the number of infected cases, the
number of people potentially exposed, the
viral-incubation period and other parameters, the
researchers produced the first statistical
confirmation of humans contracting the disease from
each other.
The story goes on to say that the cluster likely
began with a 37-year-old woman, who had been exposed
to dead poultry and chicken feces, the presumed
source of infection. She then probably passed the
virus to her 10-year-old nephew who then passed it
to his father.
The possibility that the boy infected his father was
supported by genetic sequencing data. Other
person-to-person transmissions in the cluster were
backed up with statistical data.
All but one of the flu victims died.
Local health authorities eventually placed more than
50 relatives and close contacts under voluntary
quarantine and the infections stopped. But Longini's
team does not believe the quarantine did the trick;
they believe the virus simply burned out.
Longini was quoted as saying "It went two
generations and then just stopped, but it could have
gotten out of control. The world really may have
dodged a bullet with that one, and the next time, we
might not be so lucky."
The researchers now estimate the secondary-attack
rate, which is the risk that one person will infect
another, is at about 29 per cent. This is similar to
what is seen for regular, seasonal influenza A in
the United States.
As for the cluster in Turkey, Longini's team could
not find statistical evidence of human-to-human
transmission.
PENNSYLVANIA: New weapon in war on bird flu: tiny
bubbles
29.aug.07
MSNBC
Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19036479/
MOUNT PLEASANT MILLS, Pa. -- His eyes scan 5,000
ducks quacking and pacing across a barn that,
according to this story, is longer than a football
field. Jim Skinner knows exactly what he most fears.
Back in November, one of his flocks caught bird flu.
He had to kill 2,500 ducks to block any spread,
gassing them with carbon dioxide or simply breaking
necks by hand.
“It’s the most horrible experience I’ve ever been
through,” he was quoted as saying. He also lost
$90,000 in business and came “this close” — his
fingers form a pincer — to going under.
Under industry and government rules, flocks infected
with the strongest strains are put to death as
quickly as possible. That’s because if the disease
spreads, it imperils both farms and foods they
raise. Some strains can also sicken and kill The
story goes on to say that the industry prefers the
term “depopulate,” but no euphemism softens the raw
reality of putting down birds by the tens of
thousands. This may be done by electrocuting,
gassing or chopping under international standards.
Yet, in a virulent outbreak, even these may be too
slow and spare too many.
So representatives of industry, academia and
government have been looking for another way.
For three years, they’ve investigated the fastest,
cheapest and, they say, most humane way to dispatch
birds en masse. After debating and field-testing,
they say they’ve found an answer in an unlikely
place.
The new poultry-killing instrument of choice is
foam.
These soapy air bubbles, adapted from what
firefighters use to smother blazes, can smother
birds within several minutes, with minimal contact
between workers and infection. Supporters say this
method saves precious hours and costly labor.
AUSTRALIA: Flu in thoroughbred shuts down Randwick
30.aug.07
Sydney Morning Herald
Craig Young, Brian Robins and John Schell
http://www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/flu-shuts-down-randwick/2007/08/29/1188067189345.html
THE NSW racing industry was, according to this
story, in meltdown last night after news a
thoroughbred had returned a positive test to equine
influenza.
A galloper from the Randwick stable of Anthony
Cummings returned the positive sample and a second
test was sent to a laboratory in Geelong late last
night to confirm the initial report.
"This is an absolute disaster," the chief executive
of Racing NSW, Peter V'Landys, was quoted as saying.
"This is the news Australian racing did not want to
hear: we can only pray the second sample returns a
negative.
"I have ordered Randwick racecourse be shut down
completely tomorrow, with all horses confined to
their stables."
The news throws into doubt the latest plan to prop
up the fortunes of now paralysed racing and gambling
industries.
Earlier yesterday, a plan had been floated to let
races take place at Randwick, where horses are
confined to stables, with the crowds and bookmakers
at Canterbury, betting and watching proceedings on
the big screen.
AUSTRALIA: Outbreak sparks calls for probe of breach
30.aug.07
Associated Press
As Australian officials demanded a probe of
biosecurity failures which led to an outbreak of
equine influenza, New Zealand counterparts,
according to this story, expressed confidence border
controls had kept the disease at bay.
New South Wales agriculture minister Ian Macdonald
renewed his call yesterday for a public inquiry into
how equine influenza reached Australia. The disease,
which has now been located in at least 73 properties
in New South Wales and others in Queensland, has
shut down the Australian racing industry and led to
bans on horse movements within those states.
Macdonald was quoted as saying
"It's important we find how this breach occurred ...
because we could have other diseases that could get
in here that have massive consequences upon our
population and our agricultural industries."
NEW
ZEALAND: Relief as horse flu danger time passes
30.aug.07
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10460603
Equine authorities in this country are, according to
this story, starting to breathe a sigh of relief as
Australia battles to contain an equine influenza
(EI) outbreak.
Veterinary staff have taken samples from horses at
properties that have hosted horses from Australia in
recent days but no obvious signs of the virus have
been discovered.
John O'Flaherty, from the Equine Health
Association's management committee, was cited as
saying yesterday the danger period appeared to have
passed in New Zealand.
Dr O'Flaherty was cited as disagreeing with a school
of thought that Australia was likely to lose the
race to contain the virus, therefore New Zealand
should implement a vaccine programme over the next
six weeks and open the borders.
He said New Zealand's biosecurity measures were
tight and prevention at the border should be the
main aim at the moment.
VIRGINIA: PETA to grill Smithfield executives,
shareholders during annual meeting about company's
cruelty to turkeys
28.aug.07
From a press release
Norfolk, Virginia -- During Smithfield's annual
shareholder meeting tomorrow--2 p.m. at the
Williamsburg Lodge at 310 S. England St.--a PETA
representative will address the company's executives
and shareholders about its failure to move the
company toward a less cruel method of slaughter
called "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK).
Smithfield recently purchased Butterball, making it
the largest turkey producer in the world.
With CAK, the oxygen that birds breathe is slowly
replaced with inert, nonpoisonous gasses--such as
argon and nitrogen--putting the birds "to sleep"
quickly and painlessly. Studies of CAK conclude that
in addition to being the least cruel form of poultry
slaughter, it results in economic benefits.
PETA--which owns 180 shares of stock in
Smithfield--points out that last year, in an
Arkansas Butterball slaughterhouse now owned by
Smithfield, workers were documented sadistically
abusing turkeys. One worker sexually assaulted a
bird, another stomped on birds until their heads
exploded beneath his feet, and other workers slammed
birds into metal poles and threw them against
concrete walls--abuses that would not have happened
if CAK were used and if workers weren't given access
to live birds.
In March, Burger King--the second-largest fast-food
chain in the world--announced major animal welfare
reforms, including giving purchasing preference to
suppliers that use "controlled-atmosphere killing."
Other food-industry leaders--such as Safeway--have
also moved toward better animal welfare practices.
"The turkeys killed in Smithfield slaughterhouses
are abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs or
cats were the victims," says PETA Vice President
Bruce Friedrich. "Controlled-atmosphere killing will
improve Smithfield's products while saving birds
from horribly cruel deaths."
For more information, please visit PETA's Web site
GoVeg.com.
PETA's statement to Smithfield follows.
Smithfield 2007 Shareholder Meeting Statement
Hello. My name is Matt Prescott, and I have a
question regarding Smithfield's animal welfare
practices.
Last year, in an Arkansas Butterball slaughterhouse
now owned by Smithfield, workers were documented
sadistically abusing turkeys. One worker sexually
assaulted a bird, another stomped on birds until
their heads exploded beneath his feet, and other
workers slammed birds into metal poles and threw
them against concrete walls. All this is documented
on the Web site ButterballCruelty.com. This abuse
only happened because the slaughter process used in
that facility gave workers access to live birds.
That same process is used in every Smithfield turkey
slaughterhouse. It's called electric immobilization,
and it results in both animal welfare and economic
problems:
Birds suffer broken bones, bruising, and
hemorrhaging when they are dumped and shackled,
which lowers product quality and yield. They also
peck and scratch at each other, which increases
contamination.
Birds are often scalded to death in defeathering
tanks, further decreasing yield. When this happens,
they defecate in the tanks, further increasing
product contamination.
Frenzied birds flap and kick workers and vomit and
defecate on them, increasing worker injuries and
illness and creating poor overall ergonomics. This
leads to higher company payout and an extremely high
turnover rate.
Because frustrated workers handle live birds, they
often abuse the animals, as we found at the
Butterball plant in Arkansas.
There is a better process called
controlled-atmosphere killing, or CAK, which is
USDA-approved and improves product quality and
yield, working conditions, and animal welfare:
With CAK, birds are placed in chambers while they
are still in their transport crates. Their oxygen is
replaced with inert gasses or low levels of carbon
dioxide, efficiently and gently putting them "to
sleep."
Because workers only handle birds once they are
dead, ergonomics improve, injury and illness rates
for workers decrease, and the opportunities for
workers to abuse live birds are eliminated.
Because there is no live dumping, live shackling, or
live scalding, product quality and yield--and animal
welfare--are greatly improved and rates of
contamination are decreased. The manager of a CAK
turkey slaughterhouse in Ohio said that since
switching to CAK, his company is already seeing
improvements in product yield, working conditions,
and meat quality. This means that if Smithfield
switched to CAK, it would be able to produce better
quality products at a lower cost and improve working
conditions.
The industry is taking notice of CAK. In the last
year, there has been a 500 percent increase in the
number of CAK facilities in North America. Burger
King recently issued a statement to its suppliers
saying that it will give purchasing preference to
those that switch to CAK, and Wendy's has made a
similar statement. However, Smithfield hasn't made
any noticeable movement toward CAK. Smithfield has
said that it is evaluating CAK, but considering the
benefits of CAK, that doesn't seem sufficient.
Smithfield has also said that studies may be
inconclusive--but keep in mind that the company
can't point to a single study that concludes that
CAK isn't better than current methods.
My question is this: Since it's impossible to ensure
the welfare of birds with Smithfield's current
system, which results in economic loss, and since
CAK has been proved to be a better method, what are
Smithfield's plans for switching to CAK?
COLORADO: USDA dismisses complaints against Aurora
Organic Dairy
29.aug.07
From a press release
Aurora Organic Dairy, a leading provider of high-
quality organic milk and butter, today announced
that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has
dismissed the complaints against the company,
following an extensive review.
Under the agreement with USDA, the company will
amend the farm plan for its Platteville, Colo.,
location to reflect the company's existing
transformation plans, and inform USDA of its
progress. The agreement also affirmed the validity
of each of Aurora Organic Dairy's current
certifications under the National Organic Program.
"We are very pleased with both the dismissal and the
valuable input from USDA. This result allows us to
accelerate the transformation of our Platteville
organic dairy farm," said Mark Retzloff, president
and chief organic officer of Aurora Organic Dairy.
"Through cooperation with the USDA at all levels, we
will remain focused on our mission of making
high-quality organic milk and butter more affordable
and available for American families."
Aurora Organic Dairy also confirmed the outline of
its re-development plan for the Platteville dairy
facility, which is now underway. The company's plan
for the Platteville farm includes a substantial
increase in the amount of organic pasture acreage,
to approximately 400 acres, and a significant
decrease in the size of the farm's organic dairy
herd, to about 1,250 milking cows. About
three-fourths of the farm's existing buildings and
paddocks are being razed and converted to pasture.
In addition, all incoming and replacement animals
will be organically-born. The Platteville facility
also will become a focal point for Aurora Organic's
ongoing research and teaching relationships with
leading universities and institutions, with
increased support from the company for organic dairy
research and education.
"When Aurora Organic Dairy was established in 2003,
we began work at the Platteville farm with a vision
of bringing organic dairying to Colorado through
organic conversion of an existing dairy," said Dr.
Juan Velez, M.V., M.S., D.A. C.T., large-animal
veterinarian and vice president of farm operations
for Aurora Organic Dairy. "Our long-term goal is an
organic farming system that exceeds NOP requirements
with innovative, pasture-based farms where all
incoming animals are organic-born." Dr. Velez added,
"We share a vision with many in the organic dairy
community that farms should raise their own organic
animals from birth."
"Colorado is home to many of America's finest
organic farms and companies," said the Honorable
John Stulp, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture.
"We're proud of the positive role companies like
Aurora Organic Dairy have taken to build organic
agriculture in our state, as well as the positive
impact on our agricultural economy." The Colorado
Department of Agriculture is the organic certifier
for Aurora Organic Dairy's Colorado farms.
"We currently certify Aurora Organic Dairy's milk
processing plant in Colorado and all of its Texas
facilities," said David Abney, vice president of the
United States' largest organic certifier, Quality
Assurance International. "Aurora Organic Dairy has
maintained an unbroken certification record with us,
and all facilities certified by QAI meet every
provision of the National Organic Program."
"I am personally committed to the principles and
success of organic agriculture and to the conversion
of land to organic practices," said Retzloff. "In
addition to our pasture-based farm programs, we are
actively involved in the research and promotion of
sustainable organic systems with leading
institutions and universities. We look forward to
sharing more about these initiatives with the
organic community in the near future."
About Aurora Organic Dairy
Aurora Organic Dairy's mission is making
high-quality organic milk and butter more affordable
and available for American families. The company is
a leading producer of private-label and store-brand
organic milk and butter. The organic production
company includes headquarters offices in Boulder,
Colo., and an organic dairy farm and on-farm organic
dairy processing plant near Platteville, Colo. A
second organic dairy near Dublin, Texas, comprises
2,800 acres of pasture, croplands, and milking
facilities. A third organic farm, High Plains
Organic Dairy, near Kersey, Colo., began organic
milk production in fall 2006. Aurora Organic Dairy's
newest organic dairy farm, Coldwater West, near
Stratford, Texas, began organic milk production in
summer 2007. For more information, visit
www.auroraorganic.com.
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