It appears we have finally reached a suitable resolution to the issue involving the issuance of Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) to weaned pigs born into a herd participating in a herd health plan that requires an accredited veterinarian to inspect the health status of the herd every 30 days. As you recall, a federal Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC) had questioned the practice of issuing a CVI for interstate shipment of weaned pigs moving out of a production flow without actually inspecting the individual pigs even though the herd participated in a herd health plan as described in the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR).
Monthly Archives: October 2008
Pork Industry Scholarship Recipients Have Been Selected
The Pork Checkoff, Pioneer Hi-Bred and PIC have selected the 19 college students to receive awards as part of the 2008 Pork Industry Scholarships program. The program is in line with the industry’s critical issue of developing human capital.
Air Pollution and Odor in Communities Near Industrial Swine Operations
Odors can affect health and quality of life. Industrialized animal agriculture creates odorant compounds that are components of a mixture of agents that could trigger symptoms reported by neighbors of livestock operations. OBJECTIVE: We quantified swine odor episodes reported by neighbors and the relationships of these episodes with environmental measurements. METHODS: Between September 2003 and September 2005, 101 nonsmoking volunteers living within 1.5 mi of industrial swine operations in 16 neighborhoods in eastern North Carolina completed twice-daily odor diaries for approximately 2 weeks. Meteorological conditions, hydrogen sulfide, and particulate matter 6.75 miles per hour. The odds of reporting a change in daily activities due to odor increased 62% for each unit increase in average odor during the prior 12 hr (t-value = 7.17). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that malodor from swine operations is commonly present in these communities and that the odors reported by neighbors are related to objective environmental measurements and interruption of activities of daily life.
ASF Continues Spread in Russia
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture and Food has reported a new outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).
NPPC Urges USDA to Make Review of Mexican Pork Industry Top Priority
After meetings this week with Mexican government officials on market access issues, the National Pork Producers Council urged the U.S. government to make a top priority completion of risk assessments for Classical Swine Fever in a number of Mexican states.
The Use of Epidemiology to Enhance Production Animal Research
The approach to understanding the impact of management and disease in production animal systems has evolved with the advent of both routine on-farm data collection and new analytic epidemiology techniques. Epidemiology provides a tool to describe the host-agent-environment triad and the impact of multiple variables on productivity and health recognized by production animal veterinarians in their day-to-day work. Field trials enable veterinarians to systematically test whether or not a new treatment improves the health of the animal populations in their geographic region and under their production systems. Hypothesis-specific coding techniques, such as hierarchical variables, are used in a systematic manner to understand well-defined biological phenomenon. Clustering at multiple levels has provided the challenges of measuring management changes in each level. Using random effects models allow us to determine the relative importance of each level on the dependent variable. As epidemiologists, we have taken advantage of analytic techniques used in other fields of science. Geo-spatial statistics has been used to understand the clustering and spread of diseases and more recently, to interpret the laboratory findings related to the introduction of an exotic strain of the influenza virus. Dr. Martin, through his work as a veterinary epidemiologist and that of people he has influenced, has been an international leader in promoting the optimal health and productivity of animal populations and of ensuring the safety of foods of animal origin and preventing animal-related disease in humans.
Position Announcement: Virologist
ViaGen, Inc. a biotechnology company headquartered in Austin, Texas, is seeking an experienced virologist to fill a key role as the subject-matter expert in animal health.
16TH Annual Swine Disease Conference for Swine Practitioners
The Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Iowa Pork Industry Center, and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), District 6, sponsor the 16th Annual Swine Disease Conference. The conference will be held at the Scheman Building, in Ames, IA on November 6-7, 2008.
Voters To Decide On Farm Animal Initiative Nov. 4
On Nov. 4, voters will go to the polls and decide on a Proposition 2, an initiative that may change conditions for farm animals in California.
Six Workers at Hormel Supplier Charged with Animal Abuse
Six workers at a hog farm near Bayard, Iowa, that contracts with Hormel Foods were charged Tuesday with animal abuse and neglect in the wake of a video released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.