Dr. Han Smits recently accepted a position as Technical Director Swine EMEA for Merial, with its head office in Lyon, France. Previously, he served as Health Assurance Manager for PIC Europe. Updated contact information for Dr. Smits is available at www.aasv.org/members/only/directory.php. Are you on the move? If so, let us know at aasv@aasv.org.
Monthly Archives: June 2013
Golf for the Foundation August 22
Register now to enjoy a swine day of golf on August 22, when the AASV Foundation returns to Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames, Iowa, for its annual Midwest Golf Outing. You’ll be joining the following event sponsors in supporting the AASV Foundation: Dinner Sponsor Zoetis, Lunch Sponsor Pharmgate Animal Health, and Golf Hole Sponsors Alltech, AVMA PLIT, Harrisvaccines, Insight Wealth Group, and Zoetis. Registrations for the 4-person team, 18-hole best-ball tournament are due August 8. Individuals and couples are welcome to register and will be assigned to a team. In addition to the team competition, the course will be peppered with individual contests to add to the fun.
Call for Abstracts: AASV Research Topics
Plans are underway for the 45th annual meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), to take place in Dallas, Texas on March 1-4, 2014. As part of the meeting, there will be a session on Sunday, March 2, highlighting research projects related to swine health and production. Abstracts are now being accepted for potential presentation during the Research Topics session.
Iowa Swine Day 2013 Promises to Exceed Last Year’s Event
A world of information will be available to pork producers at the Iowa Swine Day Thursday, June 27. The event at the Scheman Building at Iowa State University in Ames will run from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. This is the second year Iowa State, Iowa Pork Producers Association and Iowa Pork Industry Center have organized the one-day event for the swine industry.
AVMA to Hold Welfare Conversation
Veterinarians are engaged in professional activities involving diverse species and practice settings, and this can cause us to approach animal care and use decisions quite differently. Itâs time for veterinarians to have an intraprofessional conversation about how we approach animal welfare and why.
The 6th International Conference on Colonic Spirochaetal Infections in Animals and Humans
The International Conference on Colonic Spirochaetes in Animals and Humans 2013 is a unique opportunity for scientists and PhD students working in the field of spirochaetal infections to meet, exchange information and broaden their knowledge base in relation to these important pathogens. It is also the leading forum designed to explore novel control strategies to improve animal and human healthcare in relation to spirochaetal infections. The conference will take place on: 5 and 6 September 2013 at the University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey.
CAST Paper Examines Precautionary Principle
After a research-based analysis and peer-reviewed process, the authors of this CAST Issue Paper make it clear: “The precautionary principle may well be the most innovative, pervasive, and significant new concept in environmental policy over the past quarter century. It may also be the most reckless, arbitrary, and ill-advised.”
Pseudorabies in Feral Swine in the United States, 2009-2012
Although pseudorabies virus can affect a wide range of mammalian and avian hosts, swine are the only natural hosts of the virus. The US commercial swine industry obtained pseudorabies-free status in 2004, which was important because of the economic value of domestic swine production; however, feral swine remain competent hosts and represent a constant threat for reintroducing the virus into the commercial industry. To better assess feral swine infection status, we collected 8,498 serum samples from feral swine across the United States between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2012. Of these, 18% were antibody positive in 25 of 35 states where samples were collected, indicating that transmission risk is widespread.
Shea Appointed APHIS Administrator
Kevin Shea was appointed Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agricultureâs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on June 18, 2013, after serving as Acting Administrator since June 2012. As Administrator, Mr. Shea carries out the agencyâs broad mission of protecting and promoting American agriculture, regulating genetically engineered organisms, administering the Animal Welfare Act and carrying out wildlife damage management activities. In addition to his regular duties, Mr. Shea serves on the Secretaryâs Executive Resources Board and the Secretaryâs Management Council.
Is There an Advantage to Wean-Finish Facilities?
Dr Tom Gillespie, a swine veterinarian from Rensselaer, Indiana replied to my blog on Crop Progress and Hog Barns from earlier this summer. He asked that I comment on the possible differences in performance between wean-finish barns and nursery moved to finisher combinations of facilities. In his reply he stated that one production system claims a 4% advantage to nursery moved to finisher vs. wean-to finish.