Weekly livestock and equine news: April 12, 2021

Producers can apply again for federal pandemic relief

The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program has reopened after the Biden administration temporarily closed it for a review. Now officially known as USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers, this is the latest round of the CFAP program, which was started under the Trump administration. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack paused the program to review it after being sworn in. Now that the process is done, with some modifications made to reach more producers, farmers have “at least 60 days” to either apply or update their existing applications. The agency also announced it will distribute $2 million toward efforts to assist socially disadvantaged farmers. Agri-Pulse reports.

Study recommends best practices to reduce antimicrobial resistance

A lack of long-term funding and coordination is hindering implementation of national action plans to reduce antimicrobial resistance, a new report says. Among other things, the report, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, says antimicrobial resistance mitigation strategies should include measures to prevent infectious disease outbreaks in food animals. More effort also needs to go toward developing antibiotic alternatives. And regulations should be enforced to encourage the responsible use of antibiotics in food animal production, the report says. More information is available in Feed Strategy.

World Dairy Expo will be held in Madison this year

The 2021 World Dairy Expo is set to remain in Madison, Wisconsin, this year, taking place September 28 to October 2. The announcement comes after contingency planning and consideration of alternative venues, according to Dairy Reporter.

Texas confirms chronic wasting disease in two counties

Chronic wasting disease has been detected in two Texas counties, including for the first time in Hunt County, the Herald Democrat reports. “Recent CWD discoveries in new locations across the state are deeply concerning and underscore the criticality of redoubling efforts to help arrest the spread of this disease,” said Carter Smith, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “The only way to ensure we are effective in combating the further spread of CWD is with the active help of hunters, wildlife managers, deer breeders and landowners.” Additionally, the agency said, “other breeding facilities that received deer from these facilities or shipped deer to these facilities during the last five years are under movement restrictions and cannot move or release deer at this time.”

Taiwan tests hog herds after pig with African swine fever washes ashore

Taiwan has begun testing hog herds and putting in place movement controls near where a dead pig infected with African swine fever washed ashore, Reuters reports. Officials on the island have worked to keep the disease out as neighboring China has dealt with it over the past three years. A Taiwan official said the virus detected in the pig that washed ashore was a perfect match for the strain circulating in China. While pig herds in the nearby area have so far been found to be in good health, the government has enacted steps to ensure there are no infections, the official said.

New therapy shows promise treating equine osteoarthritis

A novel bone marrow-derived therapy shows promise treating osteoarthritis in horses, a researcher said at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention. The treatment involves injecting bone marrow-derived macrophages—which help reduce inflammation—in horses’ joints. This therapy aims to complement the body’s natural macrophage response to inflammation to prevent osteoarthritis. “We found significantly lower levels of inflammation in synovial fluid and the joint lining in joints treated with the bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells,” said Dr. Bruno Menarim. “We also found significantly higher concentrations of specific macrophages that produced high concentrations of IL-10 in the joint fluid.” IL-10 (interleukin-10) is an anti-inflammatory mediator. The Horse has more.