News Update
June 15, 2009

2009’s First Case of Vesicular Stomatitis Detected in Texas

The nation’s first case of vesicular stomatitis (VS) for 2009 has been detected in a horse in Starr County, in far south Texas.

VS is a sporadically occurring virus that is endemic to the United States. Signs of the disease include blisters, lesions and sloughing of the skin on the muzzles, tongue, teats and above the hooves of susceptible livestock, which include horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, deer and some other species of animals.

The most recent outbreak, which occurred in 2006, was limited to Wyoming, said Bob Hillman, Texas state veterinarian and head of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC). In the 2006 outbreak, 17 horses and a dozen cattle on 13 premises were confirmed to have the virus.

“To prevent the spread or introduction of infection, many states and countries will place additional entry requirements or restrictions on the movement of animals from affected states or portions of the state. Before moving livestock, call the state or country of destination to ensure that all entry requirements can be met. Do not risk shipments being turned away or, worse, spreading disease and facing legal action by animal health authorities.

“Often horses are the signal, or first, animals to be confirmed with vesicular stomatitis when the virus is active. If the blisters and lesions are seen in cattle, sheep, pigs or other cloven-hooved animals, our first concern is a possible introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), the most costly and destructive foreign animal disease. Horses are not susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease, but anytime blisters or unusual sores are seen, animals should be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

“Move sick animals away from the remainder of the herd to protect against disease spread,” Hillman urged. “Do not move sick animals from the premises, and call your veterinarian or the nearest Texas Animal Health Commission area office, or the Austin headquarters at 1-800-550-8242. Laboratory testing to confirm infection can be run at no charge to the livestock owner.

“Vesicular stomatitis is painful for affected animals, but usually the lesions will heal within two weeks to a month. For some severe cases, owners may elect to have an infected animal euthanized, to put an end to the suffering. In dairies, VS infection can lead to a substantial loss of production,” Hillman said. Treatment of VS-infected animals consists of supportive care, and antibiotics may be needed to prevent secondary infections in the open sores.

Animal health officials in nearly all states, including Texas, require VS-infected animals and their herdmates to be quarantined until at least 21 days after all lesions have healed. A follow-up examination of the animals by the state veterinarian’s office is required prior to quarantine release.

VS outbreaks are extremely sporadic, and years may lapse between cases. Sand flies and black flies are thought to play a role in the virus transmission, so controlling insects is important. In 2005, the VS outbreak involved livestock on at least 445 premises in nine states, including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. In 2004, affected animals were detected in eight counties each in Texas and New Mexico and in 22 Colorado counties.

More information about VS and a map showing the location of Starr County in Texas are available on the TAHC web site at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us.

— Release provided by the Texas Animal Health Commission.

MU Extension Offers Innovative Training this Week to Protect Nation’s Food Supply.

“Food defense is a relatively new topic,” says Frank Wideman, Perry County Extension program director, “and one that will become increasingly important to everyone with an interest in the food supply.”

Food defense is about helping farmers, food processors, and others involved in the food supply chain to keep their family, employees, customers, business and property safe from intentional contamination. According to Mary Hendrickson of the University of Missouri (MU) Department of Rural Sociology, “everyone in the food business needs to be thinking about how to make the food supply safer on every front, which includes reducing the risk that someone could knowingly contaminate our food.”

Carol Lorenzen, MU Department of Animal Science, says “protecting our food supply can be simple and economical. A food defense plan can easily be added to an existing Biosecurity, HACCP or quality assurance (QA) plan.”

She adds that “developing a food defense plan can have unexpected benefits for your farm or food operation. By analyzing your operation from an outsider’s point of view, you can find the vulnerabilities, and also increase the efficiency.”

A food defense workshop will take place June 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Chaumette Vineyard and Winery, 24345 State Rt. WW, Sainte Genevieve, Mo.

The workshop and a lunch will be provided free of charge to all who preregister for the workshop. Bring a map of your facility and information such as contact information for suppliers, customers, utility companies, veterinarian(s), and local emergency responders. Any producer or processor who attends the workshop will leave with the basics of a food defense plan in hand.

This workshop is recommended for producers and farmers who market livestock, vegetables or animal products; processors who add value by baking, canning, or processing animal and other food products; and others who are involved in the food supply chain through distribution, transportation or inspection.

To register for the workshop, call or e-mail the Perry County Extension Center at 816-547-4504 or perryco@missouri.edu. Please preregister by June 15, 2009.

— Release provided by MU.

Raising the Age Limit

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has adopted a resolution raising the cattle age limits related to preventing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in international beef trade, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Under former OIE standards, beef exports and imports were restricted to boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months old. The resolution allows exports and imports of boneless beef from cattle of all ages, the AP reported. The move is expected to bolster U.S. efforts to convince Japan to do away with limiting imports of U.S. beef to those from cattle aged 20 months or younger.

— Information provided by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB).

N.C. ConAgra Plant Explosion Caused by Gas Leak

An explosion that killed three workers at a North Carolina ConAgra plant was caused by a natural gas leak, according to CBS News.
Authorities reported Saturday the blast was ignited in a room housing vacuum pumps for sealing the snacks.

It will now be up to state and federal workplace investigators to determine how the leak happened and what caused it to ignite in the June 9 blast.

Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fireams and Explosives (ATF) reportedly believe the gas was sparked by a piece of equipment such as a fan motor or thermostat, but other causes like static electricity could not be ruled out, according to CBS.

Survey: Most Americans Have Heard the Term ‘Factory Farming’

A beef checkoff-funded national consumer survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that 56% of American consumers have heard the term “factory farming” used to describe the way livestock are raised. For those who have heard the term, it creates a negative picture of animal agriculture and creates food safety concerns. The phrase “factory farming” is an attempt by anti-meat groups and individuals to create a negative picture of livestock production in the consumer’s mind.

The largest group of consumers (69%) associate chicken production with factory farming, but cattle production is second, mentioned by 55% of consumers familiar with the term.

— Information provided by CBB.

— Compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.