Beef Biosecurity

How Vet Visits and Biosecurity Shape Producers’ Views on Disease Preparedness

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:45:58 GMT

When it comes to animal health, what beef producers believe about disease risk can shape what they do about prevention. A recent study by Dr. Csaba Varga and his colleagues at the University of Illinois explored what influences how beef cattle producers in Illinois think about biosecurity, prevention and the threat of foreign animal diseases (FADs). The findings point to a simple, but powerful, truth: meaningful engagement with veterinarians and structured biosecurity evaluations can dramatically improve producer outlooks on disease preparedness.

The Survey

Between June and August 2022, researchers surveyed more than 500 beef producers across Illinois. They wanted to know how producers viewed disease prevention and the risk of FADs, and what factors might shape those views.

The team focused on three things:

Whether the farm had a biosecurity evaluation
Whether a veterinarian visited the farm
Whether the producer was willing to invest money in prevention measures

These factors were then compared to producers’ attitudes about disease risk and preparedness.

While the majority of respondents recognized infectious diseases could threaten their operations, attitudes toward the likelihood of an outbreak and the value of prevention varied widely.

Veterinarians Make a Clear Difference

The results showed producers who had regular veterinary visits were far more likely to think positively about disease prevention and awareness. That means simply having a vet stop by, even for routine herd checks, can strengthen a producer’s understanding of disease risk and increase confidence in prevention measures.

For veterinarians, this highlights the value of staying engaged with beef clients — not just for treatments or emergencies, but as trusted advisers on herd health and biosecurity. Every visit is a chance to start a conversation on prevention.

“Veterinarians should engage in proactive, ongoing communication with producers about the importance of biosecurity and disease prevention strategies,” Varga encourages. “Emphasizing the potential negative economic and herd health consequences of an FAD outbreak is also important to show producers the long-term benefits of investing in prevention measures. Biosecurity assessments and educating producers on how to assess their farm’s biosecurity vulnerabilities and recommend specific actions to address these gaps are also important, which were associated with better preparedness in our study.”

The Power of Biosecurity Evaluations

The same was true for producers who had a formal biosecurity evaluation. These producers were more likely to see prevention as worthwhile and to feel ready for a potential disease outbreak.

Biosecurity reviews help turn vague ideas into practical action. They pinpoint areas that need improvement, like managing visitors, animal movement, or feed deliveries, and make prevention feel achievable — rather than overwhelming.

For vets, helping producers complete or interpret these evaluations can be a simple way to boost awareness and strengthen farm-level protection.

Willingness to Invest Reflects Awareness

Producers who said they were willing to spend more money on prevention, whether through new equipment, facility upgrades or herd health programs, also tended to have stronger positive views on disease preparedness. Those same producers were also more likely to believe FAD outbreaks could happen in the U.S.. Awareness of risk seems to motivate action.

This suggests that honest, evidence-based conversations about disease threats can encourage producers to invest in prevention. When the risk feels real and relevant, preparation feels worthwhile.

Practical Takeaways for Vets and Producers

The message from this study is straightforward: regular veterinary engagement and structured biosecurity evaluations work. They improve understanding, confidence and readiness across beef operations.

For veterinarians and industry educators, practical steps could include:

Adding quick biosecurity check-ins to routine herd visits
Encouraging producers to join state or industry biosecurity programs
Showing how prevention pays off by reducing the cost and stress of disease events
Using real examples of outbreaks to make the importance of preparedness clear

Even small efforts can have lasting impacts when they come from a trusted voice.

While this study focused on Illinois, the lessons apply anywhere beef cattle are raised. With foreign animal diseases, such as lumpy skin disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza , posing threats, preparedness is a shared responsibility.

The more producers understand about prevention, and the more veterinarians engage them in those conversations, the stronger the industry becomes. Varga’s team has also developed an educational website where producers can access information on disease prevention, biosecurity best practices and FAD risks.

“Disease prevention is a shared responsibility,” Varga says. “For veterinarians, it means taking a proactive role in engaging producers through regular farm visits, biosecurity evaluations and education on emerging disease risks. For producers, it means recognizing that investing in prevention — whether through improved biosecurity, veterinary partnerships, or ongoing education — is more cost-effective than responding to an outbreak after it occurs.”

Ultimately, prevention isn’t just about protecting a single herd. It’s about building resilience across the entire beef community. That starts with everyday conversations between producers and vets.

Kansas Beef Producers Beware: A Case of Theileria Found

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 18:51:08 GMT

Theileria orientalis ikeda, a protozoan parasite that infects red and white blood cells and can lead to anemia and, in some cases, death, has been found in Kansas.

The primary insect vector is the Asian longhorned tick (ALT) . According to the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (KSVDL) ALT has not been found in Kansas but has been found in Missouri, Arkansas and in Oklahoma most recently in the county adjacent to Labette County, Kan.

The disease can be spread through multiuse needles and insect vectors.

KSVDL reports the infected calves in the case were purchased on the East coast and imported into Kansas for feeding.

If you are witnessing any of these clinical signs in cattle of all ages — anorexia, lethargy, dyspnea, icterus or death — please consider this new pathogen.

KSVDL also stresses producers need to be wary of importing cattle without testing for this disease. KSVDL has a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (MDL7130) that identifies both Anaplasma and Theileria. As with all PCR’s, whole blood (purple top tube) is the appropriate antemortem sample. Fresh spleen is the appropriate postmortem sample.

KSDVL has a map of where the disease has been confirmed by KSDVL testing.
For more details on the disease, you can view a webinar produced by KSDVL.

Experts Encourage Beef Quality Assurance Certification

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 22:20:08 GMT

What started as a grassroots effort to reduce injection-site lesions in beef has evolved into one of the most comprehensive training programs in the cattle industry.

On their weekly Cattle Chat podcast, the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University explained how the Beef Quality Assurance program is still relevant and important today.

“Beef quality assurance was a producer-initiated program to decrease injection-site lesions in premium beef cuts,” K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers says. “Since then, beef quality assurance has kind of morphed and grown; it now covers many aspects of the cattle industry”

Over the years, BQA has expanded to include training on antimicrobial stewardship, animal handling, farm biosecurity, and proper injection protocols. The certification, available both online and through in-person sessions nationwide, promotes industry-wide consistency in animal care and food safety.

The benefits of BQA certification include consistency in safe meat and safer working conditions, as well as consistency between producers and employees working with beef cattle. Lubbers described the value gained for workers and producers from the certification.

“There are a lot of things that if I were just to stand next to somebody in a chute for 15 or 20 minutes, I’m going to forget a couple of things that they should know, but would have learned in the module,” Lubbers says. “I can be assured that the people on my operation that may be working with cattle in any way have already had that training whether I have explained it to them or not.”

Another crucial benefit to getting BQA certified lies in maintaining consumer trust and building industry reputation. “I would love to say 99.95% of our producers are Beef Quality Assurance verified, because then it demonstrates a commitment from the entire industry to do things right,” Lubbers says.

The BQA program is developed by producers, for producers. Its’ voluntary nature reflects the cattle industry’s dedication to continuous improvement and responsible practices. Whether a seasoned rancher or a new employee, BQA equips individuals with practical, science-based knowledge to improve cattle management and protect the reputation of U.S. beef worldwide.

To get BQA certified, visit www.bqa.org

To hear the full discussion, listen to Cattle Chat on your preferred streaming platform.

Your Next Read: How to Win Beef Consumers’ Trust: Authenticity and Responding to Concerns

Hungary Suggests 'Biological Attack' Could be Source of Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:35:24 GMT

Hungary on Thursday suggested a “biological attack” as a possible source of the country’s first foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in more than half a century, which has triggered border closures and the mass slaughter of cattle in the northwest.

Hungary reported a first case of foot-and-mouth disease in over 50 years on a cattle farm in the northwest near the border with Austria and Slovakia last month, the World Organisation for Animal Health said, citing Hungarian authorities.

Animal health authorities had made checks at nearly 1,000 farms across Hungary by Thursday, with only four in the affected northwestern region returning positive results.

“At this stage, we can say that it cannot be ruled out that the virus was not of natural origin, we may be dealing with an artificially engineered virus,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas told a media briefing.

Responding to a question, Gulyas said he could not rule out that the virus outbreak was the result of a biological attack, without giving information on who might be responsible.

He also said that suspicion was based on verbal information received from a foreign laboratory and that their findings have not yet been fully proven and documented.

Hungary’s cattle stock numbered 861,000 head based on a livestock census in December, little changed from levels a year earlier. That constituted 1.2% of the European Union’s total cattle stocks, official statistics showed.

Foot-and-mouth disease poses no danger to humans but causes fever and mouth blisters in cloven-hoofed ruminants such as cattle, swine, sheep and goats, and outbreaks often lead to trade restrictions.

Thousands of cattle had to be culled as the landlocked country tried to contain the outbreak, while Austria and Slovakia have closed dozens of border crossings, after the disease also appeared in the southern part of Slovakia.

“Everyone was just standing there, crying and saying that this cannot be true, that this was impossible,” said Paul Meixner, an Austrian-Hungarian dual citizen, who owns of one of the affected farms in Hungary.

While his business has taken a 1.5 billion forint ($4.09 million) loss after culling 3,000 cattle and other livestock, Meixner has vowed to rebuild.

“In two weeks, we will start harvesting and storing the hay,” he said. “We need the fodder for next year.”

Your Next Read: What Do Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks in Europe Mean for the U.S.?

6 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Wildlife Biosecurity Breaches

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 22:37:09 GMT

Wildlife serve an important purpose, but they can also be a major threat to livestock. It’s not possible to keep all wildlife out, but steps can be taken to decrease their activity. Before taking any action, make sure that the wildlife you want to control are not endangered, threatened or protected in your area.

One way you can keep unwanted visitors out is by buttoning up your biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases and pathogens.

1. Compromised exclusion
When damage occurs to barriers you put up to keep birds away, that can actually create more habitat. Now birds can get in and get behind the barrier which serves as the perfect protection from predators. Nests of wild birds are an indicator that birds are using your Line of Separation for housing.

Robin nest on barn ledge.

(USDA Wildlife Services)

2. Breaches in the foundation
Keep buildings and fences in good repair. Seal holes where wildlife can enter. Anything over 1 square inch is possible for a house sparrow to get into. Repair screens and doors and replace rotting or damaged wood. Nests of wild birds are an indicator that birds are using your Line of Separation for housing.

3. Holes/construction issues
Repair holes in buildings or barns to prevent entry. Regularly check and repair damaged screens on windows and doors

4. Spilled feed
Remove excess feed and feed spills as these can attract bird flocks. It’s not uncommon for birds to defecate while eating. This becomes an opportunity for mice and other rodents to eat the spilled feed and bird poop before heading back into the barn. Keep a broom and lidded garbage container at every feed storage area for quick cleanups.

Feed spillage

(USDA Wildlife Services)

5. Standing water
The virus itself can live in water for months if it’s cold. If you see water, consider it positive for virus. Don’t walk or move equipment through or near standing water— this could track wildlife feces or other contaminants with the virus into your barns.

6. Clutter and tree management
Clutter and trees around the farm provide the perfect habitat for birds and other wildlife to find refuge. Reduce natural food sources by removing fallen fruit and mowing grass often.

Your Next Read: Don’t Be Deceived: Wildlife Pose Serious Threat to Livestock Producers

What Do Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks in Europe Mean for the U.S.?

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:58:21 GMT

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is rearing its ugly head in Europe. After an outbreak in water buffalo in Germany in January, an outbreak in cattle in Hungary in early March and an outbreak in cattle in Slovakia last week, why now? What is the U.S. doing to keep this foreign animal disease out and protect the country’s livestock industry?

“FMD is caused by a virus that affects cloven-hoofed animals so that can include cattle, pigs, sheep and goats,” explains Megan Niederwerder, DVM, who serves as the executive director of the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC). “It does not affect humans and is not a threat to food safety, but it has significant trade implications once it is introduced into a country.”

FMD has been fairly quiet in these European countries – with no cases reported for decades. Other parts of Europe have seen outbreaks more recently like the 2001 outbreak in the United Kingdom that caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism and resulted in the cancellation of the World Pork Expo held in Des Moines, Iowa.

“FMD really decimated the United Kingdom,” says Barb Determan who was serving as president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) at the time. “It became very apparent that we couldn’t guarantee the safety for our U.S. pig herd because of the high numbers of international travelers that would be at the show. We had to cancel World Pork Expo out of an abundance of precaution.”

Although there is still a lot to be discovered about how FMD was introduced into these populations, it’s a significant warning to the U.S. to be on alert.

(Lori Hays)

That was the first time, but not the only time World Pork Expo was canceled. The event was also canceled in 2019 because of the African swine fever outbreak in China and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That was a hard financial decision,” Determan says. “We had just completed the separation agreement between NPPC and the National Pork Board. NPPC was very tightly budgeted at that time, so it was a huge hit.”

However, keeping the U.S. pig herd safe was the most important thing on everyone’s mind. She says they made their decision after hearing reports from veterinarians who had been to England to better understand the extensiveness as well as from the USDA that had sent veterinarians over to help.

“At that time, we didn’t have near the biosecurity practices and things that we do now with the disinfectant foot mats,” Determan says. “We also don’t have live pigs on the on the grounds now compared to how we did things many years ago. We used to have live pigs everywhere on the fairgrounds in the early 2000s from genetics companies with pigs in their displays to the pigs in the live shows.”

The Truth About FMD
The clinical signs of FMD are similar to what the name implies. It can cause vesicles or blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue of animals that are infected. The U.S. has not had a case of FMD since 1929.

“We certainly want to keep it that way, as the economic implications for producers are significant if the virus is introduced,” Niederwerder says.

Compared to many viruses, FMD is a highly stable, non-enveloped virus that allows it to be infectious for longer periods. It’s very contagious and highly transmissible. Not only are there risks with transmission of the virus through infected meat products that may come in through illegal trade, but it can also be carried on contaminated clothes or equipment or supplies of humans.

“The human would not be infected, but certainly people can carry the virus on contaminated clothing,” Niederwerder says. “That’s why it’s really important as we think about prevention of entry into the U.S.”

FMD causes fever and pain. It results in excessive salivation and causes reduced milk production in dairy cattle.

“When you think about the impact, certainly there’s an impact on animal health with regards to the clinical signs, but even further is this impact on trade restrictions and the economic losses for producers,” Niederwerder says. “When you try and contain the virus, that oftentimes results in those infected animals being culled or euthanized so the disease no longer has the chance to spread.”

Why Should the U.S. Pay Attention?
When a virus moves into a new geographical range or is reintroduced into a country that has maintained a negative status for a long period, Niederwerder says it’s critical to reassess the risk to the U.S.

“In January, Germany reported their first case in over 30 years in water buffalo near Berlin,” she explains. “It was 14 animals, and those animals were all culled after the infection was confirmed but certainly trade restrictions and implications on surrounding areas of that Berlin farm were significant.”

Fast forward to March when two additional countries have reported cases. Hungary reported FMD in a single farm of cattle in the north part of the country for the first time in over 50 years. Shortly thereafter, the virus appeared in Slovakia (who also hadn’t seen a case in over 50 years) in multiple herds of cattle.

“Just recently, another herd was a suspect herd in Slovakia, near the southern border near Hungary,” Niederwerder says. “This is certainly concerning about how this virus is being reintroduced. Is it associated with contaminated fomites that may be in the country or traveling to new locations? Is it associated with wild boar? Could it be associated with infected hay?”

Although there is still a lot to be discovered about how FMD was introduced into these populations, it’s a significant warning to the U.S. to be on alert .

“We need to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t get reintroduced into the U.S.,” Niederwerder says. “How can we amp up any biosecurity measures that are necessary to reduce our risk? We also need to think about reducing the risk of introduction into our country through travel and illegal trade.”

Be on Alert
Livestock operations should reevaluate biosecurity protocols. If any of your farm’s employees travel to areas where there are infected animals, implement a quarantine period for entry back into your U.S. farm, she advises.

“Be vigilant,” Niederwerder urges. “One of the challenges of FMD is that it does cause these characteristic lesions of vesicles or blisters on the mouth, nose or the hoof. What becomes very tricky is that those clinical signs are indistinguishable from other vesicular diseases such as Senecavirus A. If producers and veterinarians see these lesions, they must report it immediately so it can be investigated and confirmed that it is not FMD virus.”

FMD is not just a disease of pigs and cattle, she points out. Sheep, goats and cloven-hoofed zoo animals may also be impacted by FMD. This increases the breadth of what the industry needs to monitor.

“The world is very small now,” Niederwerder says. “Not only do people travel more internationally, but animals move around more than ever, too. It’s extremely important for those of us that are producers to keep our eyes open and pay attention to what’s going on worldwide so we can be as prepared as possible for any change in disease risk.”

That’s one of the ways that SHIC is trying to help producers. SHIC provides timely domestic and global disease updates to producers.

“Watching the SHIC global disease report is really important for producers,” Determan says. “It comes out every month and really gives you a feel for what’s happening in the entire world from a swine health standpoint. The biggest lesson we learned from the 2001 FMD outbreak is that looking farther out than just our own farm gate is so important.”

Keep Reading:
An Update on Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O in Germany

Hungary Confirms Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Cattle

Slovakia Records First Foot-and-Mouth Cases, Minister Says

Hungary Confirms Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Cattle

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 22:43:19 GMT

Hungary reported its first case of foot-and-mouth disease in more than 50 years, on a cattle farm in the northwest of the country, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said, citing Hungarian authorities on March 7.

According to WOAH, the outbreak, discovered in the city of Gyor, is the first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease outbreak reported since 1973. The case was found on a 1,400-strong cattle farm on the border with Slovakia, Hungary’s National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) reported on Friday .

The farm showed classic symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease at the beginning of March, the report says.

“The presence of the pathogen was confirmed by the Nébih laboratory, which is why Dr. Szabolcs Pásztor, the national chief veterinarian, immediately ordered the closure of the farm and the initiation of an epidemiological investigation,” the report says. " In order to prevent the further spread of the disease, extremely strict official measures will be implemented, including a ban on the transport of susceptible live animal species.”

On Jan. 10, Germany confirmed its first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease since 1988. The outbreak was detected in a herd of water buffalo in the Märkisch-Oderland district of Brandenburg, near Berlin.

“The confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle in Hungary comes less than two months after the virus was found in water buffalo in Germany,” the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) said in a statement. “Hungary does not share a border with Germany; FMD-affected animals are approximately 475 miles apart.”

FMD affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. Not only is it highly contagious, but it also causes severe symptoms, including fever, painful blisters, reduced milk production and significant economic losses for farmers.

FMD poses no direct health risk to humans, but it’s important to note that they can act as carriers of the virus via contaminated clothing, shoes or equipment.

Your Next Read: An Update on Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O in Germany

APHIS Answers Call to Protect Animal Agriculture

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:00:13 GMT

Despite facing many challenges, including the continued response to highly pathogenic avian influenza, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) worked to protect the health and value of America’s agricultural and natural resources.

“2024 was a year that confronted APHIS with new challenges. It was a year that forced us to find new and creative solutions to animal and plant health threats,” says Michael Watson, administrator for APHIS, in the 2024 Impact Report.

Here are a few highlights from the 2024 Impact Report surrounding animal agriculture:

Confirmed the first detection of HPAI H5N1 in a dairy herd in March 2024, and subsequently identified, investigated, and responded to H5N1 detections in livestock in over 860 herds across 17 states. APHIS issued two federal orders, implemented a producer support program, set up a voluntary monitoring and surveillance program for interested producers, and developed a national bulk milk testing strategy to help states protect the health of their dairy herds.
- Opened new market access for American agricultural exports, including U.S. rice to Ecuador, Texas grapefruit to South Korea, and California peaches and nectarines to Vietnam. APHIS also opened markets for U.S. live cattle, day-old chicks, and hatching eggs to Mozambique and beef and bone meal to Ecuador and Peru.
- Worked with regional partners in Central America to implement a multilateral response to the New World screwworm outbreak, increasing production of sterile flies weekly from 20 million to 90 million. These efforts, combined with rigorous surveillance and livestock inspections, protected U.S. borders from this devastating pest.
- Provided assistance to livestock producers on more than 123,000 occasions, including outreach and direct control activities to protect livestock from predation through a combination of techniques and tools. As much as possible, we responded using nonlethal methods like range riding, fladry, fencing, and husbandry practices.
Continued an emergency program to address nationwide detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Since the outbreak began in February 2022, we have confirmed the virus in over 1,300 poultry premises across the nation and supported affected producers through depopulation, disposal, and indemnification programs.
Protected American agriculture from harmful plant pests and foreign animal diseases by intercepting 289,855 prohibited agricultural items and 3,008 quarantine-significant pests during baggage inspections. These inspections involved more than 16.7 million passengers bound for the U.S. mainland from Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Read the full report here.

New World Screwworm is Moving Toward the U.S.

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 20:00:05 GMT

By Kathy Simmons, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

The U.S. cattle industry has not faced the threat of New World screwworm (NWS) for over 60 years. Currently, the NWS fly, about the size of a common housefly, has migrated across Central America from Panama and entered Mexico.

Live cattle trade to the U.S. from Mexico was halted on Nov. 22, 2024, after a cow in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas was found to have NWS myiasis. Live cattle trade with Mexico will only resume with established NWS mitigation protocols, the holding of Mexican cattle for preventive treatments, and multiple inspections of Mexican cattle on both sides of the border.

At the time of this article, NWS has not been found in the U.S., but this harmful pest can travel on humans, vehicles, pets, livestock and even on some wildlife species — all of which increase the likelihood it could eventually enter our country.

What is NWS Myiasis?

NWS myiasis is the infestation of NWS larvae or maggots that feed on the living tissues of all warm-blooded animals, including humans, and rarely birds. Adult female flies lay their eggs, often as many as 200 to 300 eggs at a time, at the edges of wounds on animals or at the mucous membranes or body orifices. Within 12 to 24 hours the eggs will hatch, and larvae emerge to feed on living flesh by burrowing into tissue, tearing at the tissue with their hook-like mouthparts, like a screw being driven into wood and hence, their name.

The larvae can be difficult to detect for the first 24 to 48 hours, but as larvae feed on tissue, the wound enlarges and drains a serosanguineous fluid. There is severe inflammation and secondary infection as well as the stench of necrotic tissue.

Screwworm larvae pass through three stages (or instars), and they will reach maturity about five to seven days after the eggs hatch. At maturity, the larvae stop feeding and fall to the ground where they burrow and pupate to become adult flies. Adult flies live for two to three weeks in the field. Females mate only once in their lifetime.

Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of NWS Myiasis

Laboratory diagnosis of NWS is usually made by identification of the parasites under the microscope. NWS is a foreign animal disease that is reportable to state animal health authorities and to USDA-APHIS. The U.S. is responsible for reporting NWS to the World Organization for Animal Health and to our trading partners.

Before collecting or sending any samples from animals with a foreign animal disease, the proper authorities should be contacted. Samples should only be sent under secure conditions and to authorized laboratories. NWS can infest humans, so samples should be collected and handled with proper precautions. Larvae should be removed from the wound prior to treatment and placed in 80% ethanol for transport to the lab. Formalin should not be used.

Treatment for NWS myiasis generally includes cleaning and debriding the wounds and applying organophosphate insecticides, which are effective against newly hatched larvae, immature forms and adult flies. Carbamates and pyrethroids are also effective against larvae. Antibiotics are indicated if an infection is present. Livestock can also be protected by regular spraying or dipping with insecticides, or by subcutaneous injections of ivermectin and related compounds.

In endemic areas, animals must be inspected for screwworms every few days. NWS myiasis is often fatal in untreated cattle within 14 days.

Whenever possible, procedures that leave wounds (castration, dehorning, branding, ear tagging) should not be performed during screwworm season, and sharp objects should be removed from livestock pens. No vaccine is currently available for NWS.

Eradication from a Region

Screwworms can be managed by repeatedly releasing sterile male flies that mate with wild NWS female flies to produce unfertilized eggs. This process is called sterile insect technique and leads to a reduction in screwworm numbers and eventual eradication.

In addition, infested animals in a region are treated and their movements are controlled. Currently, the U.S. and Panama operate an NWS sterile male fly production facility in Pacora, Panama, through the Panama-U.S. Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm, or COPEG, which produces 100 million sterile male flies per week.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is committed to informing cattle producers and their veterinarians about current animal health risks and advocating for cattle health issues in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the U.S. cattle industry.

Click here for more resources.

More information on Bovine Veterinarian:
Protecting the Herd from New World Screwworm

U.S. to Expand Bird-Flu Testing of Beef in Slaughterhouses

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:42:33 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday it will expand bird-flu testing of beef entering the food supply as part of its response to the ongoing outbreak among dairy cattle, adding that U.S. beef and dairy products remain safe to consume.

USDA officials, in a call with reporters along with staff from other U.S. health agencies, said the tests will begin in mid-September and urged livestock workers to remain vigilant.

Nearly 200 herds in 13 U.S. states have contracted bird flu since March after the virus jumped from wild birds to cows, according to USDA data.

The USDA in May tested 109 beef samples from dairy cows sent to slaughter and found bird flu virus particles in one cow’s tissue sample. Older dairy cattle are often slaughtered for ground beef.

The expanded testing will continue for the rest of the year, and will focus on beef from dairy cows, said Emilio Esteban, USDA’s under secretary for food safety.

Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said the USDA is confident with the current level of bird-flu testing conducted by the nation’s dairy farmers.

“I do feel that the response is adequate,” he said.

The Food and Drug Administration is talking with states about the plausibility of additional nationwide raw milk testing, said Steve Grube, chief medical officer of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Colorado implemented mandatory weekly milk testing for dairy farmers on July 22 and has since detected 10 additional positive herds in the state.

Farm workers remain at risk of bird-flu infections so long as the virus circulates among livestock, said Nirav Shah, principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thirteen poultry and dairy workers have contracted bird flu since April, according to the CDC.

The CDC is working on expanding its surveillance wastewater testing to H5 viruses in advance of the fall and winter flu season, Shah said.

USDA Identifies Ways HPAI H5N1 Has Likely Spread in Michigan Dairy and Poultry Operations

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 22:29:29 GMT

On June 9, the USDA issued a report that summarizes the findings from field epidemiological investigations of disease spread between premises for 15 dairy herds and eight poultry flocks confirmed with HPAI genotype B3.13 in Michigan.

The following information is pulled from the USDA’s 2024 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) - Michigan Dairy Herd and Poultry Flock Summary (see Michigan Dairy Herd and Poultry Flock Summary ).

The information offers potential insights for how the dairy and poultry industries in states beyond Michigan likely have been impacted, as well.

A ‘Eurasian Lineage Goose’

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of viruses from the dairy and poultry premises identified Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype B3.13 on the Michigan farms and suggests likely indirect transfer of virus from the dairy premises to the poultry premises.

USDA reports that interstate animal movement initially introduced the HPAI genotype B3.13 virus from Texas into a Michigan dairy. However, USDA says the continued disease transmission within Michigan has been determined to be multifactorial.

Transmission between farms is likely due to indirect epidemiological links related to normal business operations such as numerous people, vehicles, and other conveyances frequently moving on and off the affected dairy premises, with many of these indirect links shared between premises.

Importantly, USDA says, disease spread due to independent introduction of the virus onto dairy or poultry premises from migratory waterfowl is not supported based on both genomic and epidemiological data analysis.

Key findings identified to date and potential risk factors for local transmission in Michigan specifically, include:

Shared personnel between premises
o 20% of affected dairies’ employees and 7% of dairies’ employees family members work on other dairy premises

o 7% of affected dairies’ employees also work on poultry premises; 13% of affected dairies’ employees have family members who work on poultry premises

o 31% of dairies have employees who own livestock or poultry at their personal residence

Shared vehicles between premises
o 62% of affected dairy premises use shared vehicles to transport cattle, with only 12% of premises cleaning vehicles before use

Frequent visitors on/off premises
o 100% of affected dairy premises have regular visits by veterinarians, nutritionist/feed consultant, and/or contract haulers (e.g., cattle or manure); the majority of these visitors have direct contact with cattle

o 40% of affected dairy premises have regular visits for deadstock removal, with 20% having direct contact with cattle. Furthermore:

-53% of affected dairies utilized the same deadstock removal company and 40% had animals removed from the premises by that company within 30 days prior to clinical onset

o Milk haulers visit dairy premises, on average, 34 times within a 30-day time period. Furthermore:

-93.3% of affected dairy premises are part of the same milk co-op with at least one other affected dairy premises within the state (i.e., only one of the affected dairy herds is part of a milk co-op that none of the other 14 affected dairy herds belong to)

Disease Spread Between Dairy and Poultry Premises
Apart from the potential for resident wild birds or peri-domestic species to move and transmit the virus, the only other potential transmission routes found from dairy herds to the poultry flocks were through shared employment, housing, or movement of employees.

Approximately 22 employees of three poultry flocks worked weekend shifts at two different dairy premises. Shared housing between dairy and poultry workers was identified between three poultry premises and two dairy premises. It is also possible that dairy employees have social contact with poultry premises employees, USDA reports.

In Summary
The investigations discussed in this report, including the respective WGS information, indicate that HPAI H5N1 genotype B3.13 was introduced into Michigan through animal movement from Texas and subsequently spread within the state between dairy premises with spillover into poultry premises through multiple possible routes.

Factors that appear to be of greater risk for introduction into a dairy premises may be mitigated through enhanced biosecurity, increased animal testing, and potentially through within-state animal movement restrictions if they can be implemented without impacting animal welfare.

USDA says the willingness of Michigan producers to participate in these investigations has greatly increased the body of knowledge of HPAI H5N1 B3.13 detections in Michigan and throughout the nation; this report could not have been completed without them.

For more information on the H5N1 issue:

H5N1 Virus Found in Beef for First Time, FSIS Says

FDA Says New Round of Tests Prove the U.S. Milk Supply is Safe From H5N1 Virus

USDA Now Requiring Mandatory Testing and Reporting of HPAI in Dairy Cattle as New Data Suggests Virus Outbreak is More Widespread

APHIS To Require Electronic Animal ID for Certain Cattle and Bison

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:29:58 GMT

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has taken another step toward limiting the impact of an outbreak of foreign animal diseases by amending and strengthening its animal disease traceability regulations for certain cattle and bison. By requiring electronic animal identification for certain cattle and bison, APHIS put into place the technology, tools and processes to help industry stakeholders quickly pinpoint and respond to a foreign animal disease outbreak.

“Rapid traceability in a disease outbreak will not only limit how long farms are quarantined, keep more animals from getting sick, and help ranchers and farmers get back to selling their products more quickly – but will help keep our markets open,” said Dr. Michael Watson, APHIS administrator.

APHIS said one to the rule’s most significant benefits for farmers and ranchers will be the enhanced ability of the United States to limit impacts of animal disease outbreaks to certain regions, which the agency called a “key to maintaining our foreign markets. By being able to readily prove disease-free status in non-affected regions of the United States, we will be able to request foreign trading partners recognize disease-free regions or zones instead of cutting off trade for the entire country. Traceability of animals is necessary to establish these disease-free zones and facilitate reestablishment of foreign and domestic market access with minimum delay in the wake of an animal disease event.”

The April announcement enhances a rule finalized in 2013 for the official identification of livestock and documentation for certain interstate movements of livestock.

The final rule applies to all sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older, all dairy cattle, cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo or recreation events, and cattle or bison of any age used for shows or exhibitions.

The rule requires official eartags to be visually and electronically readable for official use for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison, and revises and clarifies certain record requirements related to cattle.

“USDA’s final traceability rule updates the existing requirement for animal identification that has been in place since 2013, switching from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Mark Eisele, a Wyoming rancher.

“Many producers are already familiar with using these visual tags and under the new rule, they will instead use electronic tags. NCBA has worked hard to secure $15 million in funding for producers to reduce the cost of implementing this change. We also remain committed to safeguarding producers’ private data and continuing to reduce the cost of ear tags for farmers and ranchers. Our industry faces a tremendous threat from the risk of a future foreign animal disease on American soil. To avoid devastating financial losses during a potential outbreak and to help producers quickly return to commerce, we need an efficient animal disease traceability system.”

USDA said it is committed to implementing a modern animal disease traceability system that tracks animals from birth to slaughter using affordable technology that allows for quick tracing of sick and exposed animals to stop disease spread. USDA will continue to provide tags to producers free of charge to jumpstart efforts to enable the fastest possible response to a foreign animal disease.

To obtain electronic ID tags at no cost, APHIS directs producers to contact their State Veterinarian.

A copy of this rule may be viewed at the APHIS website, and the rule will be published in the Federal Register in the coming weeks. This rule will be effective 180 days after publication in the Federal Register.

To learn more about animal disease traceability and how APHIS responds to animal disease outbreaks, visit www.aphis.usda.gov.

A Message to the Ag Industry about H5N1

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 20:49:16 GMT

“We’re going on a bear hunt. We’re going to catch a big one… We’re not scared.”

So goes a beloved children’s book written by Michael Rosen. The story is a metaphor for how to address fear. Kay Russo, DVM, often reads it to her son and daughter, ages 4 and 6.

“This unfortunate family seems to deal with a lot of issues as they’re going on their hike,” Russo says. “Ultimately, every time they reach one of these issues, the book basically says, ‘You know, we can’t go over it. We can’t go around it. We can’t go under it. We have to go through it.’”

That story illustrates how the dairy industry must deal with the growing impact of H5N1, says Russo, Novonesis technical services manager for dairy and poultry. She’s watched the spread of the virus with alarm and urges U.S. leaders across dairy and agriculture to step up and take action.

“Address it head-on,” she says. “Don’t hide.”

As with all major threats, she says ag needs a comprehensive, cohesive plan to address the virus in dairy – and to also look at how to protect the beef, pork and poultry industries.

“At this point, I believe it’s important to take one day at a time and systematically answer the questions that we need to get answered in order to define a sustainable path forward,” Russo says.

“We have a very clear picture that it’s in the udder and is being shed in milk. But where else do we need to be concerned? That matters because that is going to define the control tactics to reduce spreading it from cow to cow. Those questions are ultimately going to be the pillar of our understanding and help to define strategies for controlling the virus in a sustainable way.”

On The Front Line
Help can’t come soon enough for dairy producers and veterinarians in the trenches working with cows.

Veterinarians such as Dr. Barb Petersen in Texas have been dealing with the virus in their clients’ dairy herds since at least March.

“It has been circulating here as early as February, based on retrospective feedback from owners and fellow veterinarians,” says Petersen, owner of Sunrise Veterinary Service in Amarillo.

By early March, she had begun sending daily emails and text messages to her Texas Panhandle dairy clients who needed answers and support.

Petersen, who has been in practice 15 years, did her best to provide both. But she didn’t know what she was dealing with. Neither did any other veterinarian Petersen reached out to within 200 miles of her practice.

“We started to text and email each other, and give summaries of ‘OK, here’s the test that this doctor has run. Here’s what another colleague has run,’” Petersen recalls.

“We tested for every single viral bacterial mycotoxin, lepto, rumensin toxicity, nitrates… I mean, you name it, every single thing that we vaccinate for, we tested for, for sure, right off the bat. And then even some of the things that we don’t or can’t vaccinate for. We tried to cast a really wide net.”

None of the initial tests, conducted by the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL), provided an answer.

Recurring Symptoms Emerge

Some members of the animal health community suspected winter dysentery – an acute, highly contagious gastrointestinal disorder that can affect housed dairy cattle of all ages.

Petersen was skeptical.

“The first clinical symptom I saw was cows that had indigestion. They had manure that wasn’t well-digested, manure with particles of feed in it,” she says.

As she checked more cows and talked with colleagues, more information came to light and she began to identify recurring symptoms: thick, colostrum-like milk; lesions on cow vulvas; high temperatures; respiratory distress; a drop in feed consumption; and a corresponding lack of rumination. None of it added up to winter dysentery.

“This is a really strong and fierce reminder to keep your hands on the cows,” Petersen says. “It’s wonderful to have data, but you have to trust and then verify.”

When Russo at Novonesis got news of the problem from a colleague, she called Petersen.

Russo has worked as a dairy veterinarian and is also a board-certified poultry veterinarian. She and Petersen discussed what kinds of tests had already been done and what health concerns had been ruled out.

“I said, ‘You know, I may sound like a crazy person, a tinfoil-hat-wearing person, but this sounds a bit like (highly pathogenic avian) influenza to me. We’ve seen this particular strain of influenza that’s been circulating, that’s been jumping into mammalian hosts,’ and I kind of left it there,” Russo recalls.

More conversations between Russo, Petersen and other veterinarians ensued. Russo encouraged Petersen to collect some of the dead birds she had encountered at the dairies and submit them to TVMDL for testing, which she did.

On March 19, Petersen received a call from the Texas lab, confirming the wild birds were positive for H5N1.

At about the same time, barn cats at the dairies Petersen worked with were getting sick and starting to die. They had consumed some of the H5N1-infected birds and milk that had not been pasteurized.

“I spent one weekend picking up dead birds and the next weekend picking up dead cats. It was very sad,” Petersen says.

Science Provides Answers
Petersen sent some of the dead cats and a pooled sample of milk to TVMDL pathologists for testing. Because of their heavy workload, she sent the same material to a former veterinary classmate at Iowa State University (ISU), Dr. Drew Magstadt, now a pathologist at the school’s diagnostic laboratory.

“Whenever I’ve gotten into a real jam professionally – like, you have a question that you can’t seem to find an answer to – the group of folks that have always helped me solve it have been pathologists,” Petersen says. “It’s been pathologists that I could give the clues to who helped finish the puzzle.”

On a warm March night in Amarillo, Petersen sat resting on her back porch at home when a text message from Magstadt popped up on her phone.

“There’s something in the results,” he wrote. “Can I call you?”

On the phone, Magstadt shared what he’d found in the lab tests done on the cats and milk: H5N1.

“I was like, ‘Are you serious?’” Petersen asked Magstadt. “Are you going to run those tests again?”

“Yes,” he said. “Just to make sure.”

The initial H5N1 confirmation flabbergasted Magstadt. The next day, he retested the samples to confirm the finding.

“I had thought we would find the results were negative and we would move on to other testing. So I was very, very surprised when the results came back positive,” says Magstadt, ISU clinical associate professor and a pathologist at the Iowa State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) then confirmed Magstadt’s findings. The documentation of H5N1 by NVSL in a sample of milk from a dairy cow represented an industry first.

“The most surprising part of this, in my mind, is the fact that we’re finding so much virus as we are in the milk, in the mammary gland,” Magstadt says.

‘Show Us The Data’
On April 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported it had detected “viral particles of H5N1 avian influenza” in pasteurized milk available for purchase at grocery stores.

Russo is quick to point out this doesn’t mean the actual virus is in milk. Rather, it’s the genetic material known as RNA.

“I think the FDA needs to show us the data,” Russo says. “The fact that there is viral material in some of the milk on shelves, as detected by rt-PCR. That test doesn’t say whether it is alive or dead. Virus isolation is necessary. The first tests have not grown virus, thankfully, but we need more data.”

No unusual human illnesses have been documented. Government health officials say they have seen nothing unusual in flu activity, according to a senior official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who was interviewed for this story. The overall assessment and risk to human health remains low from H5N1, the official says.

“CDC looks for a host of flu-like symptoms,” he told “U.S. Farm Report” host Tyne Morgan during a phone interview. “They do so by looking at people coming into emergency rooms, care systems, etc.”

Yet anecdotal evidence suggests the people most likely to be infected – dairy farm workers who have their hands on cows regularly – aren’t necessarily going to doctors for treatment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) website references just one “laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with an influenza A (H5N1) virus on 1 April 2024” on a dairy farm.

“It’s a mild, mild case and the only symptom he had was pinkeye,” Sid Miller, state commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, told “AgriTalk” host Chip Flory at the time, as reported on AgWeb.

That Texas case marked the second confirmed human case of influenza A(H5N1) detected in the U.S. — and the first in the dairy industry. The first documented case, identified in 2022, involved a person in Colorado who worked with infected poultry that tested positive for the virus.

During his interview with Miller, Flory asked whether the virus could impact beef cattle at some point.

“You’ve seen what’s happened in the cattle markets,” Flory said. “They’re looking at it like this is a major problem for beef.”

Problems aren’t anticipated for Texas beef cattle, which consist primarily of feedlot cattle in the Panhandle, Miller replied.

“The cattle that get it are the older lactating cows, and we don’t have those in the feedlot,” Miller explained. “I think we’re OK, but we’re certainly going to research that.”

Tip Of The Iceberg?
So far, H5N1 has been officially confirmed in only 32 herds in eight states, according to data from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Some veterinarians working with dairies in Texas believe the virus is more active than current data suggest. Nick Schneider, a consulting dairy practitioner, is one of them.

“The thing is, when you get into the Panhandle of Texas, I’m not sure there’s anybody (dairy farms) that did not have it,” says Schneider.

Texas is home to 335 Grade A dairies with an estimated 625,00 cows, according to information on the Texas Association of Dairymen website. More than 100 of those operations are in the Panhandle.

The virus likely is being under-reported by the dairy industry because the presence of the virus in dairy cows is new, and there are no reporting requirements, Russo says.

“It’s not a foreign animal disease like it’s considered in poultry, where there are reporting requirements,” she explains. “This is considered an emerging disease (in dairy cattle).”

The dairy industry needs to be “very forward looking” now and address the virus, advises Schneider, the Texas dairy consultant.

“Looking at what happened in the rearview mirror is great, but if you’re not looking at where you’re going, it’s really just a pointless endeavor,” he says.

To that end, he advises gaining insights and expertise in preparation for whatever new information emerges next.

“We need to think about this potentially being something we have to live with, as being a part of the industry in the future,” Schneider says. “I hope I’m wrong. I would love to be wrong about that. But it’s something that we definitely need to consider when we’re thinking of how we’re going to manage it.”

Lessons From Swine And Poultry
Russo also advocates learning the lessons from swine and poultry, which have faced a variety of viral challenges for years.

“It’s important that we don’t try to reinvent the wheel as the cattle industry, but sort of cross the aisle to interact with the poultry folks and the swine folks who have gone through this repeatedly over the years and learn from the defined principles they use and try to adapt them into the bovine space,” she says.

Both swine and poultry have modified their animal management practices from the farm to the marketplace as a result of those experiences.

“Poultry, for instance has very distinct biosecurity principles they abide by to include lines of separation,” Russo says. “One is they keep the outside world out. Another is their use of PPE (physical protective equipment) to protect employees and also the birds from anything that might be carried onto the farm.”

The latter is a message Dr. Barb Petersen has taken to heart. Petersen says she was exposed to H5N1 for more than a month before she learned about the virus and its ability to infect dairy cows and people.

“I’m very fortunate that I never got sick,” she says.

Her advice? “Protect yourselves and your people on the dairy. There’s been underreporting of the virus. Understandably, there’s been a lot of fear. But every dairy that I’ve worked with has – with the exception of one – had sick human beings at the same time they had sick cows.”

Based on that knowledge, Petersen has acquired PPE available through Texas Health and Human Services.

“All the states have personal protective equipment available. Go and get it for your dairies,” she encourages other veterinarians. “If a dairy is on the fence, just provide it to them, offer it to everybody.”

Petersen says she has worked with people infected by H5N1 who do not interact with dairy cows. “I’m talking owners and feeders who don’t usually touch cows,” she says.

Research is underway to determine how much of a health risk the virus poses to humans, Russo says.

“This is a rapidly evolving situation, and the people that are working on it are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of those individuals that are most at risk,” she says.

A Paradigm Shift
The virus continues to hit the U.S. poultry industry hard.

Cal-Maine Foods, the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the U.S., announced April 2 that chickens at its facility in Parmer County, located in the southwest part of the Texas Panhandle, tested positive for the virus. As a result, Cal-Maine had to cull nearly 2 million chickens − 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets.

In the AgriTalk discussion aired earlier this spring, Flory asked Miller, the Texas ag commissioner, whether he believes state agriculture department investigators are in front of the latest issues with HPAI in dairy cattle.

“I think so,” Miller replied. “We’ve got about 10 months before the ducks and geese come back, so I think we’ll have it figured out by then.”

Moving forward, the U.S. livestock industry might operate in a new world – one where the H5N1 virus is endemic.

Russo is undaunted by the challenge.

“This is not insurmountable, but it’s an issue we need to address swiftly,” she says.

Culled dairy cows going into the food supply deserve special attention, she says.

“We need to do the work so that we can define those movement strategies for the practitioners that are being asked to write health certificates on these farms that have the virus circulating,” Russo says.

The dairy industry needs to be more proactive for the sake of the poultry industry, she adds.

“Putting our heads in the sand, and hoping it burns itself out is not going to work. It’s just not,” she says. “It would take down the entire poultry industry by doing that, because this is highly pathogenic to them.”

That is not hyperbole, Russo says: a dime-sized piece of manure with H5N1 can infect up to 1 million chickens or turkeys.

In essence, the livestock industry needs to go on a bear hunt, as the children’s story says.

‘We can’t go over it. We can’t go around it. We can’t go under it. We have to go through it.”

With that as the focus, solutions to H5N1 can be found and help delivered to livestock producers and veterinarians on the front lines and, ultimately, the U.S. agriculture industry can insure a safe food supply.

This story will be updated by Bovine Veterinarian and Farm Journal editorial staff as more information is available.

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Texas-Sized Problems Hit the Lone Star State, but Ag Commissioner says ‘Things are Getting Better’

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Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:39:31 GMT

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a nationwide order including requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) before interstate transport, the Meat Institute today said that properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.

“USDA and CDC are working overtime to understand the spread of the virus and to determine its effects on the health of people and animals,” said Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute. “We encourage USDA and CDC to conduct additional testing and monitoring to continue to ensure properly prepared beef remains safe to eat.

“We are also calling on USDA and CDC to issue additional, specific guidance for beef processing facilities to ensure USDA inspectors and meat company workers are protected from infection.”

“It is important to ensure the free flow of healthy animals to slaughter. The Meat Institute and its members will continue to work with USDA, state and local veterinarians and our cattle producer partners to both stop the spread of the virus and to ensure beef production continues.

“We call on Biden Administration officials to anticipate international trade concerns and encourage our trading partners to abide by internationally recognized scientific standards as determined by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).”

Background

Dairy cows make-up 6.8 percent of total beef production in the U.S.

The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957, along with the many regulations and policies put in place to implement those Acts, ensure the meat and poultry industry is among the most intensely regulated industries in the nation.

U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) are present every day in meat packing plants and are trained to detect disease both prior to slaughter and after. For more information on the federal oversight of the meat and poultry industry, see the inspection information provided on FSIS’s website.

Meat Institute members have robust food safety programs that incorporate key elements such as employee training, pathogen or indicator organism tracking and analysis, foreign material control and prevention, sanitation and allergen control.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has a strong HPAI surveillance program. It tracks detections in mammals in addition to wild bird, commercial and backyard flocks.

For more on today’s orders and APHIS’ monitoring of HPAI go here.

FSIS Resources on the Proper Preparation of Beef

FSIS Resources on the Proper Handling of Poultry

CDC Resources on HPAI

South Dakota Confirms First Case of HPAI in a Dairy Herd

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 21:41:59 GMT

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture (DANR) and the Animal Industry Board (AIB) have received confirmation from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) of the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a dairy cattle herd in South Dakota.

This is the first confirmed case of HPAI in a dairy operation in South Dakota.

“South Dakota Dairy Producers encourage all dairy producers to closely monitor their herd and contact their herd veterinarian immediately if cattle appear symptomatic,” said Marv Post, Chairman of South Dakota Dairy Producers, in a prepared statement. “USDA continues to emphasize that pasteurization kills the virus and that milk and dairy products are safe to consume.”

Read the complete press release here .

North Carolina Reports First Case of HPAI in Dairy Herd

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:56:34 GMT

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) has detected Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd in North Carolina.

The North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Troxle, said in a press release he is waiting for more diagnostic information from the NVSL and will work collaboratively with federal partners and dairy farmers in the state.

“We have spent years developing methods to handle HPAI in poultry, but this is new and we are working with our state and federal partners to develop protocols to handle this situation,” he said. “It is important to note the FDA has no concern about the safety or availability of pasteurized milk products nationwide.”

North Carolina is the seventh state to officially confirm the presence of HPAI in a dairy herd.

The other six states with NVSL-confirmed reports of HPAI in dairy are:

Idaho: 1 case
Kansas: 3 cases
Michigan: 2 cases
New Mexico: 4 cases
Ohio: 1 case
Texas: 9 cases

In addition, the National Milk Producers Federation reports that eight states now have dairy cattle importation requirements or restrictions:

The Federation adds that there is “no concern about the safety of the milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health because products are pasteurized before entering the market, per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Only milk from heathy animals is authorized for distribution into interstate commerce for human consumption. Additionally, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, including influenza, in milk.”

More information and HPAI dairy-specific resources are available at the Federation’s website, www.nmpf.org

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AABP Decides to Reference Cattle Disease as Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV)

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:58:49 GMT

On Sunday evening, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), released a letter to its media partners to update them on how the organization will reference the emerging cattle disease, currently confirmed in dairy herds in six states, moving forward.

“Because this infection in cattle is not the same as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), after thoughtful consideration and discussion with many experts, the AABP will now refer to this as Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV), which more accurately depicts it,” wrote Geni Wren, director of marketing and communications for the organization, in an email accompanying the letter.

The letter was developed and signed by AABP executive director, Fred Gingrich, DVM, and president Michael Capel, DVM.

Gingrich and Capel are asking other organizations, state animal health officials, diagnostic labs, and state and federal agencies to use Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV) “so we can be consistent with our messaging and better distinguish the disease syndrome in cattle from the pathogenesis in birds. We believe it is important for the public to understand the difference to maintain confidence in the safety and accessibility of beef and dairy products for consumers,” they wrote.

The letter is available in its entirety for review here:

Six Questions One Industry Veterinarian Says She Is Asked Most Often About HPAI

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:00:27 GMT

The emerging issue of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the U.S. dairy industry changes on nearly a daily basis.

Novonesis (a merger of Chr. Hansen and Novozymes) hosted a webinar on the issue on Friday to update producers, veterinarians and other members of the agricultural community.

“It’s a rapidly evolving situation,” lead presenter, Kay Russo, DVM, Novonesis technical services manager for dairy and poultry, North America, stressed at the beginning of the program.

“I’m getting a lot of questions, and I’m sure everybody on this call has questions. Or if you’re a veterinarian, you’re receiving them,” she said. “Again, this is a rapidly evolving situation, and what may seem correct today may be different tomorrow.”

Here are the six questions Russo said she is most frequently asked, and what her answers to them are – for now. Russo’s answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Question #1: Is HNAI spreading from cow to cow?

Answer: Initially the thought was that every one of these animals was exposed to the disease from a bird. But at this point, there is some consideration for the fact that this may be spreading laterally. How it’s spreading is still unclear. There is some postulation that the virus is being spread in the milking parlor. Could it potentially be a mechanical spread from cow to cow on the milkers’ hands, or perhaps (on) the milking machines? Is it possible in these parlors where the humidity is high, it’s a warm environment that we’re seeing some aerosolization of the virus, so I would say that’s possible too. But there’s more work that needs to be done. But for all intents and purposes at this time, I would suspect there is some lateral transmission.

Question #2: Why are calves, younger lactation cows and the feedlot cattle not getting sick?

Answer: Ultimately, I don’t know the answer to this. More work needs to be done. The question needs to be answered. Are they truly not getting infected with a virus? Are they resistant to it, perhaps? Or is it that they are getting infected and just not demonstrating the clinical signs? We milk a lot of these dairy cows three times a day, so there’s a lot of eyes on them. In some of these instances, with the calves or in the feedlot cattle, you’re not handling them as often. We need to rely on the science to answer these questions in order to provide guidelines. I keep saying this, and I will continue to say it, we do not know what we do not measure. And we cannot provide guidelines around what we do not know.

Question #3: Is this a risk to humans?

Answer: The short answer is that it can infect humans. I know that in New Mexico, they are offering free testing to individuals that are working regularly with these infected herds. And if they are symptomatic – we’re seeing conjunctivitis and high fevers in some of them –they are being distributed Tamiflu for their use and for their families. This is a rapidly evolving situation, and the people that are working on it are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of those individuals that are most at risk.

Question #4: Is milk safe?

Answer: The FDA has stated the pasteurization process should kill the virus, and we should not see it in any saleable milk.

Question #5: Will this be a market limiting disease outbreak?

Answer: This is the major concern here, folks. These are important markets for us in this country. At this point, this is something that is absolutely a consideration. The goal here is to keep the farms in business.

Question #6: Are dairy farms a risk to poultry operations?

Answer: We’ve seen two commercial layer operations, one in West Texas and one in Michigan, be positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza this week. I know that there’s considerable amounts of work behind the scenes to determine the origin of the virus that caused the outbreak in those situations. Ultimately, in this circumstance, it’s going to be important that the cattle folks and the poultry folks come to the same table and talk and manage through this. We want to be good neighbors. These are two major industries in our country, so it’s important that the dialogue is there and continues so that we can keep (everyone) safe.

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Twelve Cases of HPAI in Dairy Cattle Confirmed in Five States

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:54:11 GMT

To date, 12 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in dairy cattle in five states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made the confirmations in dairy herds in four states: Texas (7), Kansas (2), Michigan (1), and New Mexico (1).

In addition, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced March 28 that it had identified its first cases of HPAI in a Cassia County dairy cattle operation. The affected facility had recently imported cattle from another state and herd that had HPAI.

Fred Gingrich, DVM and executive director for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), says the virus identified in affected dairy cows is the same virus that has affected the U.S. poultry industry since 2022.

“The assumption is the initial herds were affected by wild migratory birds,” Gingrich told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, on Tuesday.

Gingrich adds that government agencies, veterinarians and livestock industry groups have more questions than answers at this point about how HPAI is infecting herds, and they are not ruling out cow-to-cow transmission.

“Clinically, it looks like that’s what is happening. Some of the newly infected herds outside of Texas had purchased animals from areas there that had affected herds. That indicates that we probably have some cow-to cow transmission,” Gingrich says. “What’s not known is how does that transmission occur? Does it occur through oral secretions, through the manure, urine, or aerosolized in respiratory secretions like it is in birds? Or is there some mechanical transfer when cows are in the parlor together?”

Adopt Good Biosecurity Practices
The many unknowns at this point make the need for producers to adopt good biosecurity measures more important than ever. Gingrich says the AABP and the National Milk Producers Federation have teamed up to release a set of biosecurity guidelines for producer and veterinarian use. The guidelines and recommendations are available at bit.ly/3TGYMul.

The key points in the guidelines, Gingrich says, encourage dairy producers to minimize any opportunity for the transmission of HPAI by: minimizing livestock contact with wild, migratory birds, isolating new animals on the farm, limiting any visits to your farm to only essential workers and practicing good, general biosecurity measures.

“If you’re moving either your own cattle home from a heifer grower, or you’re purchasing animals, talk to your veterinarian about any potential screening that you might want to do for those cattle, which is just a good practice for any potential disease,” Gingrich advises. “Certainly, you just need to be careful about herd purchases when we have unknowns with an emerging viral event.”

Producers should use the same general precautions, Gingrich adds, for beef cattle and other livestock as well.

“Currently, there are no reports of HPAI in the U.S. beef herd, but certainly producers and veterinarians should be on alert to monitor and watch for any symptoms,” he says.

Five states, Delaware, Idaho, Nebraska, Tennessee and Utah, are taking additional precautions to increase their biosecurity measures. Dairy Herd Management’s Taylor Leach reports the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has issued a restriction on the importation of dairy cattle because of the recent HPAI outbreaks. Learn more here: New Regulation: Dairy Cattle Entry into Nebraska Now Requires Permit Amid HPAI Bird Flu Concerns

Silver Linings In The Clouds
When dairy cows are affected by HPAI, they tend to be only a small percentage of the total herd.

“It only affects about 10% of the cows in a herd, and it does not cause mortality, and we’re thankful for that,” Gingrich says.

Furthermore, any risk to the U.S. public from consuming dairy and meat is very low, because pasteurization destroys the virus.

Looking Ahead
Moving forward in the days and weeks ahead, Gingrich recommends that producers work closely with their herd veterinarians and sign up for HPAI alerts as they are released by the Centers for Disease Control, USDA and other federal and state agencies.

“I think the first thing is to be on the lookout for the disease symptoms in your herd; don’t hide it. We all need to work together to continue the investigation. If you have a sudden drop in appetite and milk production in your herd, the first person you should call is your veterinarian and work through to get a diagnosis, whatever that might be,” he says.

“Secondly, we want dairy farmers to know that the veterinary community cares about you. And we certainly understand that this is a scary time. So make sure that you’re relying on your veterinarian and USDA and organizations like AABP for reliable information,” he adds.

Gingrich offers counsel for veterinarians as well. “Be aggressive with diagnostics, as the investigation is ongoing. Make sure that you are working with your diagnostic labs and state animal health officials to collect the appropriate diagnostics that we have posted on the AABP website. If you’re an AABP member, we have a reporting portal where you can identify the herds with this syndrome.”

Learn more about this evolving issue in the following articles. You can also listen to the AgriTalk discussion between Dr. Gingrich and AgriTalk Host Chip Flory at the link below:

Rare Human Case of Bird Flu Confirmed. Officials Believe it Began on Texas Dairy

APHIS Now Thinks Wild Birds Are to Blame for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza’s Arrival on Four U.S. Dairies

APHIS Bolsters Animal Health Surveillance for Unexplained Mortality Investigations

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:42:30 GMT

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is collaborating with the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) to bolster national animal health preparedness. This $1 million in funding supports rapid investigations of unexplained morbidity or mortality events, or UMEs, in animals – unexpected deaths or illnesses that could signal emerging threats.

“This proactive approach to surveillance strengthens APHIS’ commitment to safeguarding animal health across the nation,” USDA said in a release.

This cooperative agreement is managed by Michigan State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, a member of the NAHLN. The funding will be used to reimburse testing expenses at any NAHLN laboratory for UME cases that meet specific criteria, USDA explained.

“The ability to rapidly diagnose unknown illnesses in animals is vital for preventing outbreaks and safeguarding public health,” Mike Watson, APHIS Administrator, said in a release. “This new cooperative agreement marks a significant leap forward in our ability to detect emerging threats at the earliest stages through advanced testing and collaboration with the NAHLN.”

Testing is essential to not only identify the causes of illness or death in animals, but also to evaluate potential risks to other animals and public health. By providing funding for UME testing, APHIS is helping to proactively identify and address potential disease threats before they become larger, more difficult-to-control outbreaks.

“Early detection and identification of potential threats to animal health is critical to our ability to protect the health of our nation’s animals, the food supply, and potentially human health,” Sara Ahola, APHIS Veterinarian Medical Officer and UME project lead, said in the release.

This also helps protect international trade opportunities, which is critically important to the U.S. meat industry.

“Market access is critical. We must continue to prevent foreign animal disease. If we lose our free disease status, it will be an unbelievable game changer. Our industry will survive, but it will never be the same,” Erin Borror, U.S. Meat Export Federation vice president of economic analysis, said during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting on Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn.

Read More:

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Effective Swine Biosecurity That Helps Stretch a Dollar

5 Practical Ideas Pork Producers Can Borrow from the Egg Industry

NCBA Again Strongly Opposes Paraguayan Beef Imports

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 23:41:27 GMT

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) strongly opposes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to allow Paraguayan beef imports starting next month. NCBA has repeatedly raised concerns with USDA over Paraguay’s history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the outdated information used to justify Paraguay’s access to the U.S. market. NCBA is concerned that USDA’s failure to use information from recent site visits in the risk assessment may pose great risk to the safety of the U.S. cattle herd.

“USDA based their decision to allow beef imports from Paraguay on a deeply flawed risk assessment that uses old data from site visits that were conducted more than nine years ago. Paraguay has a history of FMD outbreaks, and it is unclear if their inspection system can provide an equivalent level of safety for animal health to prevent a possible FMD outbreak on U.S. soil,” said NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Bacus. “Paraguay heavily relies on private sector funding for most of its FMD mitigation measures, and USDA did not consider the risk associated with Paraguay’s economic downturn over the last several years.

“Gaining beef access to the U.S. market has been the top priority for Paraguay in multiple rounds of trade discussions. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a foreign country’s beef access to the United States was a pre-determined outcome and used as a bargaining tool for other U.S. interests. The dismissal of legitimate concerns from U.S. cattle producers is unacceptable and USDA should halt this unscientific, unsafe rulemaking. While winning friends and allies in South America may be part of the long-term interests of U.S. diplomacy, it should not be done on the backs of U.S. cattle producers or by putting at risk the health and livelihood of the safest and most efficient cattle and beef production system in the world.”

Background

NCBA filed comments earlier this year calling on USDA to continue blocking fresh beef imports from Paraguay due to Paraguay’s history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the outdated information from site visits in 2008 and 2014 that were used to justify Paraguay’s access. NCBA also raised concerns about Paraguay’s ability to fund and administer FMD safeguards and called into question the security of the borders they share with other countries including Brazil. NCBA urged USDA to continue the ban on Paraguayan beef imports until a thorough review can be conducted and U.S. cattle producers are assured Paraguay is able to provide an equivalent level of safety for U.S. consumers and livestock.

Read NCBA’s full comments here .

K-State is Now On a Mission to Estimate the Potential Economic Losses From Possible Foreign Animal Diseases

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 17:32:07 GMT

Nestled in the Flint Hills of Kansas is the town of Manhattan, home to Kansas State University. Take a drive across Kansas State University today, and signs of a major focus on biodefense, and animal agriculture specifically, are everywhere.

“We have NBAF here, which is the National Bio Agro-Defense Facility , that’s on the edge of campus. So, K-State really is right in the middle of the animal health industry,” says Dustin Pendell, director of the collaborating center for the economics of animal health Americas region, K-State University.

Pendell received some exciting news this summer: K-State had been chosen to lead a five-year global animal health effort, by opening a new center. Called the Collaborating Center for the Economics of Animal Health, Americas Region , the K-State University professor and economist already had some ambitious goals.

“In a decade from now, I hope that anywhere across the world, if anybody needs anything done related to economics for animal health, animal burdens or animal welfare, they immediately turn to K-State,” he says.

Starting to Assemble the Building Blocks

Pendell and team are just starting on the building blocks, ones that will develop decision-making tools and improve communication on the economic impacts of animal diseases

“When we think about this center, it’s veterinary data, it’s the disease data, including disease prevalence and disease incidents, in addition to economic data, like prices and quantities,” says Pendell. “But it takes a whole team of people and including data from a whole bunch of different sources and different disciplines to come together to study these animal health economic issues.”

K-State was selected by the World Organisation for Animal Health , which represents countries within North and South America.

“There are 33 countries in the Americas region that are members of the World Organisation for Animal Health. You’ve got Canada, Mexico, the United States. You also have all of Central America, and then South America and the Caribbean Islands,” he explains.

Pendell says here at home, livestock producers across the country are on high alert about the potential threat of animal diseases.

“Upfront, some of the current diseases that are here are high-path avian influenza, which was introduced recently, and you have ASF (African Swine Fever) knocking at the door. That’s another one that’s important,” says Pendell. “We’re working on some other diseases, endemic diseases, like bovine respiratory disease, etc., with folks over in the College of Veterinary Medicine. So, there’s going to be more than one disease (studied), per se. It’s going to probably be more of a portfolio approach.”

Sorting Out Priorities By Country

But he points out every country is different, so the focus for the U.S. is not always the same as the concerns for a country like Brazil.

“I spent some time in Brazil last month where they’re talking about TB, they’re talking about brucellosis issues that are a little different than maybe here in the United States,” he says. “And so there’ll be a lot of different issues, a lot of different diseases that we will focus on.”

The team is currently carving out the answer to what the priority diseases are by country, to then uncover the potential impact of the animal diseases that pose the biggest threat.

“Right now, we’re trying to visit with the various governments, and the animal health officials in these countries, to figure out what are the issues that that are most relevant, timely for them,” says Pendell. “Eventually, as we get up and running, it’s going to be anywhere from the producer to the consumer, and everybody in between, including the governments.”

National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Located Next to K-State

Conveniently located down the road from Pendell is the new NBAF facility, a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to protect agriculture against possible foreign animal diseases. While the research is not new, the location is.

“NBAF needed to replace Plum Island because Plum Island is more than 65 years old, and it doesn’t have the capability to meet growing research and diagnostic needs when it comes to emerging diseases, which are those that are new or not well known, as well as zoonotic diseases, which are those that transfer between animals and humans,” says Christian Young, biological scientist with the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. “So, NBAF will be able to continue as well as expand upon Plum Islands’ mission to protect U.S. agriculture and our food supply against terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies.”

Pendell says having NBAF in Manhattan, Kan., was also a selling point to why the center he’s leading made sense, as he will explore the possible economic impacts of those potential diseases.

“The biggest opportunity being here in Manhattan, Kan., at Kansas State University, is I think the animal health industry here is only going to grow because of NBAF,” says Pendell. “I think there’s going to be so many opportunities in this space to add an economic component to the research that’s going on in this animal health space.”

An Important Tool for Livestock Producers, Livestock Industry

Pendell knows it’s a big undertaking, but it’s one that could change the game for livestock producers not just in Kansas, but around the globe.

“It’s important for livestock producers, because this is their livelihood. So our goal is to produce tools in which they can evaluate various biosecurity measures that can reduce the likelihood of a disease outbreak on their individual operation and protect their livelihood,” says Pendell.

Former USDA Animal Inspector Sentenced for Accepting Bribes

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:51:08 GMT

A former USDA animal inspector has been sentenced to nearly 5 years in federal prison and ordered to pay a $40,000 fine for accepting bribes from Mexican cattle brokers.

Roberto Adams, 69, Laredo, Tex., pleaded guilty in April of 2022 to accepting over $40,000 in bribe payments from Mexican cattle brokers from about March 2019 to about 2021, in the Southern District of Texas, while acting in his official position as a USDA employee. In return, he allowed cattle to enter the United States without proper quarantine or inspection.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Adams serve a total of 57 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence was enhanced because he accepted more than one bribe payment while in a position of public trust for a total amount of over $40,000. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Adams did not understand the gravity of the crime he committed and the significance of the harm he did or could have caused by allowing diseased cattle into the country. He was also ordered to immediately pay $40,000 in fines.

“It is critical that we do not allow corruption to infect positions of public trust, including inspectors at the port of entry,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “They are supposed to ensure the safety and integrity of the agricultural products passing into the United States. Adams put that system at risk. We hope this sentence serves as deterrent to others thinking of violating their obligations.”

Adams was employed as a lead animal health technician for 10 years. In that role, he was responsible for inspecting and quarantining or excluding tick-infested or diseased cattle. He was only one of two technicians the USDA employed in Laredo and exercised high level decision-making authority.

The maximum sentence for Adams’ conviction was 15 years and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Atypical BSE Case Confirmed at South Carolina Slaughter Plant, No Trade Impacts Expected

Fri, 19 May 2023 22:08:14 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a neurologic disease of cattle, in an approximately five-year-old or older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or to human health in the United States. Given the United States’ negligible risk status for BSE, we do not expect any trade impacts as a result of this finding.

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed that this cow was positive for atypical L-type BSE. The animal was tested as part of APHIS’s routine surveillance of cattle that are deemed unsuitable for slaughter. The radio frequency identification tag present on the animal is associated with a herd in Tennessee. APHIS and veterinary officials in South Carolina and Tennessee are gathering more information during this ongoing investigation. Atypical BSE generally occurs in older cattle and seems to arise rarely and spontaneously in all cattle populations.

This is the nation’s 7th detection of BSE. Of the six previous U.S. cases, the first, in 2003, was a case of classical BSE in a cow imported from Canada; the rest have been atypical (H- or L-type) BSE.

The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) recognizes the United States as negligible risk for BSE. As noted in the WOAH guidelines for determining this status, atypical BSE cases do not impact official BSE risk status recognition as this form of the disease is believed to occur spontaneously in all cattle populations at a very low rate. Therefore, this finding of an atypical case will not change the negligible risk status of the United States and should not lead to any trade issues.

The United States has a longstanding system of interlocking safeguards against BSE that protects public and animal health in the United States, the most important of which is the removal of specified risk materials - or the parts of an animal that would contain BSE should an animal have the disease - from all animals presented for slaughter. The second safeguard is a strong feed ban that protects cattle from the disease. Another important component of our system - which led to this detection - is our ongoing BSE surveillance program that allows USDA to detect the disease if it exists at very low levels in the U.S. cattle population.

More information about this disease is available in the BSE factsheet .

Iowa Governor Announces Funding for ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 14:30:11 GMT

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced $40 million in funding from American Rescue Plan Act dollars to help complete Phase 2 of Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL). She has also proposed an additional $20M in her budget from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF)—$10M in FY24 and $10M in FY25—to total $60M in state support for the VDL project in a release from her office .

Construction of the front end of a new VDL in Ames is scheduled to be finished this year. The $75-million Phase 1 of the project does not cover the majority of the lab’s operations, Iowa Pork Producers Association noted in a statement. Phase 2, which is expected to cost $62.5 million, would provide an additional 70,000 square feet for laboratory testing, research and support functions.

“Pig farmers and cattle producers across Iowa are extremely grateful Governor Kim Reynolds is providing significant financial support to upgrade Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and we hope the Iowa legislature will join her in providing additional funding, as she has proposed,” said Iowa Pork Producers Association President Kevin Rasmussen, a farmer from Goldfield, in a joint statement with Iowa Cattlemen’s Association President Bob Noble of Riceville.

Gov. Reynolds explained that the VDL is critical to support and protect not only the Iowa agriculture industry and food supply, but the U.S. as well.

“The new state-of-the-art facility will keep Iowa State at the forefront in helping recognize foreign animal diseases that threaten the nation’s food supply well into the future. We sincerely appreciate her efforts and willingness to keep animal and human health as top priorities,” Rasmussen and Noble said in a release.

This investment will significantly expand the VDL’s capacity to support Iowa’s $32.5 billion animal agriculture industry and will keep this nationally-recognized lab on the forefront of cutting-edge technology, Reynolds said in the release.

“We are deeply grateful to Governor Reynolds for allocating these critical resources to construct Phase 2 of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory,” Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen said in a release. “This funding will help ensure the VDL can continue to provide cutting-edge services and support to Iowa’s livestock and poultry producers.”

The state’s close relationship with the VDL has been essential in implementing the state’s response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said they rely on the VDL’s recommendations as Iowa continues to enhance foreign animal disease preparedness.

Editor’s Note: Fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, the VDL provides quality diagnostic services for animal species, including necropsy, bacteriology, serology, histopathology, virology, parasitology, molecular diagnostics, and toxicology as well as offering analytical services. The full-service laboratories at the VDL process upwards of 100,000 cases each year and conducts more than a million tests annually.

USDA Hands Responsibility of RFID Traceability Efforts to APHIS

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:19:45 GMT

There are new developments in the rules and tracing of cattle via RFID tags, AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths reports. The USDA has announced it will not finalize a plan introduced by the Trump Administration to approve Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags as the official ear tag for interstate movement of cattle.

Instead, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will use the rule making process for future actions on RFID tags. APHIS has said this means all current approved ID methods can be used until further notice but adds the RFID tags provide the “best protection against the rapid spread of animal diseases,” Griffiths says.

3 Universities Join CDC Midwest Center’s Effort Against Disease-Bearing Ticks and Mosquitoes

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 19:36:30 GMT

Purdue University, Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame have joined the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases. The $10-million Midwest center, led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is funded for five years by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The new Indiana partners are fortifying the center’s capacity to advance innovative vector-control approaches for mosquito and tick threats that are unique to the Midwestern environment,” said Lyric Bartholomay, professor of pathobiological sciences at University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-director of the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases. “Connections to these three outstanding universities provide the exciting potential to train Hoosiers to join the battle against vector-borne diseases.”

The first round of funding for the center in 2017 established a collaboration between universities and public health agencies in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. Together they work to better control mosquitoes and ticks —vectors that spread pathogens.

The academic partners, which will work closely with the Indiana Department of Health, all have industry connections and expertise in vector-control product development. This includes designing, testing and evaluating new insecticides, sprays and devices to control mosquitoes and ticks.

“We’re grateful and excited to be included in this second round,” said Catherine Hill, professor and interim head of Purdue’s Department of Entomology in the College of Agriculture. “Unfortunately, mosquitoes and ticks don’t pay any attention to state borders.”

All three universities will conduct a series of user-acceptance studies for products designed to control ticks and mosquitoes.

“Having buy-in from the stakeholders, particularly for vector control, is critical,” said Molly Duman Scheel, the Navari Family Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics at the IU School of Medicine-South Bend. “When they feel like they’re part of the technology development process, people embrace it. And if they embrace it, they have more tendency to use it.”

The project also will provide opportunities for early career scientists. A key goal is to produce the next generation of vector biologists by training students and giving early career scientists new professional opportunities.

“Because Indiana is now part of the center, the educational piece is going to be big,” said John Grieco, research professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame. “We’re now included in all discussions around the various vector-related issues in our state. It pulls everybody together as a cohesive unit.”

Hill’s Purdue team is pursuing minimum-risk plant-derived products for controlling Lyme disease and tick pests.

“Ticks are a big problem,” Hill said. “And one tick, in particular — Ixodes scapularis, the Lyme disease tick — is a vector of Lyme disease and multiple other diseases in the region.”

The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and the dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) also pose problems for Indiana. And as climate change continues, they pose a potential invasive problem for regions north of Indiana, as well.

“The emphasis is going to be on the Lyme disease tick because that’s public enemy No. 1 in North America,” Hill said.

But the Asian longhorned tick may someday pose a threat. An invasive species first detected in the United States in 2017, it has now become established here. The tick is found in 17 states, including Kentucky, on Indiana’s southern border. If it moves north, it could become a vector of various human-disease pathogens. But the tick also threatens livestock and other animals.

In her Purdue Extension role, Hill receives many queries about how people can control ticks on their properties without using highly toxic, synthetic insecticides. Purdue’s goal of a plant-based product would help. There are permethrin-based or pyrethroid-based neurotoxins available that are reasonably safe for humans, Hill said, “but I don’t like the thought of putting that in the environment.”

Scheel’s lab will target Culex mosquitoes, carriers of the West Nile virus.

“West Nile virus is one of the big impacts on Hoosiers in terms of mosquito-borne illnesses in the United States,” said Scheel, who is also an adjunct associate professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame. The virus affects Chicago, too, where her lab will join the center’s ongoing field tests for Culex larvae control.

Scheel’s lab is modifying yeast to include an environmentally safe, RNA-based pesticide that can be fed to mosquitoes. The yeast is dead when fed to the larvae, which prevents releasing the live microorganisms into the environment. Researchers widely use RNA technology to study gene function. Scheel aims to move the technology from the lab to the field.

“The RNA is directed specifically against mosquito genes and not humans or other insects,” she explained. “Some pesticides used broadly across the world are not environmentally friendly or specific to mosquitoes.”

In recent years, Scheel’s team has conducted extensive public engagement studies on Trinidad in the Caribbean with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Defense. Her team will begin doing public outreach in the United States, too, with the CDC grant support.

“When we do this stakeholder engagement, we also teach a lot of people about mosquitoes. That’ll be an immediate impact,” Scheel said.

The lab that Grieco runs with Nicole Achee, research professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame, is developing spatial repellants. Unlike topical repellants for the skin, spatial repellents include hanging strips or tabletop devices that create a mosquito-free environment within a certain area.

“We’re trying to focus more on the natural products — botanicals, geranium oils and other extracts — because those are going to be much more accepted by the U.S. market,” Grieco said.

Grieco and Achee have tested mosquito control methods to reduce malaria and dengue in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Their work has included knowledge, attitudes and practices evaluations of their products among local residents. They envision students in Notre Dame’s Master of Science in Global Health program to undertake such evaluations as capstone projects.

The Notre Dame researchers recently began conducting trials of improved practices (TIPS) to make product improvements. Now they will begin adding lessons learned from the TIPS studies into their U.S. evaluations.

Once a final product is developed, it must then pass through many U.S. and global regulatory agencies to ensure that it meets environmental safety requirements.

Read More:

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