News Update
April 29, 2009

Updated USDA Statement By Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Regarding H1N1 Flu Outbreak

“I want to reiterate that U.S. pork is safe. While we in the U.S. are continuing to monitor for new cases of H1N1 flu, the American food supply is safe.

There is no evidence or reports that U.S. swine have been infected with this virus. USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) is reminding its trading partners that U.S. pork and pork products are safe and there is no basis for restricting imports of commercially produced U.S. pork and pork products.

This is not an animal health or food safety issue. This discovery of the H1N1 flu virus is in humans. Any trade restrictions would be inconsistent with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines.

According to OIE, because the current H1N1 flu related human health event has been described as swine influenza, the OIE announced that there has been no infection in animals confirmed in the zones where cases of human infection have been detected. Therefore, it is not necessary to introduce specific measures for international trade in swine or their products, nor are consumers of pork products at risk of infection.

United States Trade Representative Ambassador Kirk urged all trading partners to base any food safety measures taken to protect their populations on scientific evidence and in accordance with their international obligations. In a statement, Kirk said that ‘restrictions on U.S. pork or pork products or any meat products from the United States resulting from the recent outbreak do not appear to be based on scientific evidence and may result in serious trade disruptions without cause.’

To our trading partners, I would say again that our pork and pork products are safe.”

— Release provided by USDA.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service Will Conduct Four Farm Bill Programs in May

All of the programs start at 9 a.m. and conclude at noon. They are designed to familiarize producers with the entire Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, more commonly known as the 2008 Farm Bill.

Dates and locations are:

• May 5, San Angelo, Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center
  
• May 7, Abilene, Taylor County Expo Center
  
• May 13, Roscoe, Roscoe Community Center
  
• May 14, Mason, Richard Eckert Civic Center

Several key issues about the current farm bill need to be fully understood by producers, said Bill Thompson, AgriLife Extension economist at San Angelo.

“New payment limitations, the replacement of the old three-entity rule with the concept of direct attribution and revised adjusted gross income thresholds are just a sampling of the confusing but mandated issues we’ll address that producers need to be aware of,” Thompson said.

He said the new permanent disaster program will be reviewed again, and will be especially relevant to producers who suffered goat losses during recent cold weather and to those affected by drought.

“The new Average Crop Revenue Election, ACRE, sign-up is now under way,” Thompson said. “This is another significant decision for producers, due to the long-term consequences it contains which will last for the duration of the farm bill and possibly longer. Producers need to know that by choosing the ACRE program, they are giving up 20% of their direct payments and reducing the loan rate for each commodity by 30%. They also will need to know how, and under what circumstances, any ACRE payments will be calculated.

“There are lots of moving parts to the ACRE program, so producers need to be familiar with the decision-aid tool developed by the Agriculture and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, and be able to run multiple scenarios before signing.”

AgriLife Extension will be joined by Farm Service Agency (FSA) personnel to conduct the training at each site. The agenda and presented information will be the same at all four programs.

For more information contact Bill Thompson, 325-653-4576, w-thompson@tamu.edu.

— Release provided by Texas AgriLife Extension.

K-State Equine Veterinarian Sheds Light on Contagious Disease

For many horse owners, springtime means foaling and breeding time. It also means they should be aware of a venereal disease in horses that can cause infertility in mares, according to a Kansas State University (K-State) equine veterinarian.

Although it has been found in several states since December 2008, no cases of contagious equine metritis (CEM) have been confirmed in Kansas horses to date, said Maria Soledad Ferrer, an assistant professor in K-State’s Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital. Six mares in south-central Kansas were exposed to three infected stallions in Indiana, but none were confirmed to have contracted the disease.

CEM is a sexually transmitted, exotic disease of horses caused by the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the first case of CEM ever diagnosed was in England in 1977. The first case confirmed in the United States was in March 1978. The disease is considered a foreign animal disease and although it has been eradicated more than once in the U.S., it has surfaced a few times since 1978.

According to an April 10 update by APHIS, 17 stallions and five mares in the United States have been confirmed as positive for T. equigenitalis by the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. In addition, locations have been confirmed for 733 additional horses exposed to the bacterium. The 755 horses are located in 47 states. All positive horses, and all exposed horses that have been located, are currently under quarantine or hold order. Testing and treatment are being put into action.

There is no evidence that CEM affects people, according to APHIS K-State veterinarian Ferrer, who answered several questions about CEM.

• What should horse owners look for? There are no obvious external signs in stallions. Infected mares can experience temporary infertility. Mares with active inflammation present a thick mucoid vulvar discharge. Some mares may become carriers, and while they remain infective, they show no external signs.
  
• If a horse is treated successfully after contracting CEM, will it ever be sound to breed? Mares and stallions that have been successfully treated and certified CEM negative are sound to breed.
  
• How can owners who are sending mares off for breeding (in state or out of state) make sure they will not contract CEM? The disease was considered exotic in the United States. Therefore, the risk of contracting CEM after breeding to non-exposed stallions is thought to be low. There have been no reported cases of exposed or positive stallions in the state of Kansas. If breeding mares to previously infected or exposed stallions, proof of CEM negative status after treatment should be requested. Mare owners can contact the state veterinarian if they have questions about risks or state regulations for transport of mares from and to states where positive cases have been reported. Since CEM can be transmitted via artificial insemination (AI), owners who are shipping cooled semen in for AI should take the same precautions. Isolating the mares for 21 days upon return to the farm or insemination, and keeping strict biosecurity practices can help prevent the potential spread of CEM and other diseases to other horses at the farm.
  
• Do stallion owners in Kansas need to be concerned about mares coming from out of state or even in state, for breeding? Once more, given that the disease was foreign, the risk of a stallion contracting CEM after breeding a non-exposed mare is thought to be low. Since no official reports of CEM-positive mares in Kansas have been issued, breeding to in-state mares should possess a low risk. Stallion owners should contact the state veterinarian if they have questions about risks or check on state regulations for transport of mares from and to states where positive cases have been reported. They are also encouraged to work with their veterinarians to implement biosecurity measures that would prevent introduction or dissemination of CEM or any other disease.

States where horses have been confirmed to have CEM include Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Wisconsin, and California, according to APHIS.

More information about CEM is available on the USDA-APHIS web site http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/cem/.

— Release provided by K-State Research and Extension.

— compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.