It has been reported that a recent shipment of U.S. lettuce was detained for having insecticide residue levels exceeding the new Japanese Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) enacted in 2006. As a result, the Japanese authorities have reportedly imposed stricter testing protocols for shipments of lettuce arriving from all U.S. producers.
Monthly Archives: March 2007
Iowa Senate Passes Bill Dictating Packer Purchases
The Iowa Senate passed a bill that would require meatpackers in Iowa to buy at least 25 percent of their hogs on the spot market. The bill came from Senate President Jack Kibbie, saying it’s necessary to sustain some competition within a sector dominated by a few large meatpackers. He argues that, without the bill, packers would use special ownership arrangements and contracts to get hogs, “shutting out an already dwindling number of independent hog farmers.”
Restaurants Announce Welfare Requirements
In the past week both Burger King and Wolfgang Puck have announced plans to begin purchasing animal products from suppliers following certain welfare and humane slaughter guidelines.
Pork Checkoff awards innovation in research and education at ASAS
The Pork Checkoff and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) teamed up to present two awards for swine innovation in research and one for swine innovation in education to researchers and academics present at the 2007 ASAS Midwestern Section meeting in Des Moines, Iowa on March 19-21.
Dr. Ron DeHaven Named AVMA Executive VP
Dr. Ron DeHaven, administrator of the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), has been named the new executive vice president at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
Practitioners Play a Key Role in USDA CSF Surveillance Program
The USDA Classical Swine Fever (CSF) Surveillance Program utilizes tonsil specimens from swine diagnostic lab cases in the U.S. and provides a $50 diagnostic lab credit to veterinarians submitting eligible tonsil samples which are tested for CSF. This program incentive is available at participating National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) diagnostic laboratories. A complete list of participating labs is available on the NAHLN website.
Euthanasia Guidelines Available in Spanish
The publication produced by AASV and the National Pork Board entitled On Farm Euthanasia of Swine – Options for the Producer has now been translated into Spanish and is available on the AASV website.
PCVAD Committee Meets during Annual Meeting
The AASV Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD) Committee met on March 2nd prior to the association’s annual meeting. The Committee, chaired by Dr. Tom Gillespie, met to discuss updates on the prevalence and severity of the disease internationally and recent vaccine issues in North America.
Position Announcement: Diagnostic Center Director
The Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (DCPAH), College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, invites applications from outstanding individuals for the position of Diagnostic Center Director. The DCPAH is a premier, state-of-the-art veterinary diagnostic laboratory, accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD), occupying a new 152,000 square foot facility at Michigan State University. The DCPAH processes 220,000 case submissions annually and offers over 700 diagnostic tests in order to provide assistance to veterinarians and animal owners in identifying, tracking, and addressing animal and public health issues.
Position Announcement: Director of Aquaculture, Swine, Equine and Poultry (ASEP) Health Programs
Vacancy: Director of Aquaculture, Swine, Equine and Poultry (ASEP) Health Programs for the National Center for Animal Health Programs (NCAHP) of Veterinary Services-APHIS-USDA. This position manages a staff of approximately 25 employees and provides oversight for the National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP), Low Pathogen Avian Influenza (LPAI) control program in the live bird marketing system, swine brucellosis, pseudorabies and CSF programs, the equine slaughter horse transport program, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wild horse and burro program partnership, and the development of the National Aquatic Animal Health Plan.