Weekly livestock news: April 24, 2023

USDA tests 4 bird flu vaccines, with first results expected in May

The U.S. government is testing four potential bird flu vaccines for poultry, the first step in a long process that could end with the first use of vaccines to protect U.S. poultry from the virus, Reuters reports. The USDA is testing one vaccine from Zoetis, one from Merck Animal Health and two developed by the department’s Agricultural Research Service. Initial data from a study using a single dose of a vaccine are expected in May, and results from studies on two-dose vaccine regimens are expected in June, the USDA said. If trials are successful and the department continues development, it would take at least 18-24 months for a vaccine that matches the current virus to be commercially available, the agency said.

Vilsack urges meatpackers to stop using child labor

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to the country’s top meatpacking companies urging them to examine their supply chains for child labor. Illegal employment of children has risen 69% in the United States since 2018, according to the Department of Labor, which is leading an effort to curb child labor. The department found in February that more than 100 children had been illegally employed by Packers Sanitation Services Inc., a company that contracts with meatpackers to clean slaughterhouses. Vilsack in the letter asked meat and poultry companies to determine whether illegal child labor was being used in their supply chains and to adopt stronger child labor standards for subcontractors, Reuters reports.

Kansas farmers struggle to find cattle feed during drought

Ongoing drought in Kansas has left dry grounds for beef cattle to graze, particularly in the western region of the state. Pastures in western Kansas, where the U.S. Drought Monitor lists exceptionally dry conditions, don’t contain enough proteins to maintain healthy cows. Ranchers face shortages of hay and milo to source as feed, and forage prices are higher than usual. This has cut into income and led many ranchers to sell cattle, causing an influx of animals at auction, KSN reports.

Florida researcher hopes to stamp out false claims about mRNA vaccines in livestock

A University of Florida professor spoke with Drovers to rebut false claims being made about cattle vaccines. The claims are being made about mRNA vaccine technology, which was introduced to humans through the COVID-19 vaccines and is now being tested in some livestock. Opponents of these vaccines in recent months have been spreading misinformation about them online, said Kevin Folta, professor and department chair of the horticultural studies department at the University of Florida. “It’s not in your food,” Folta said. “It’s a vaccine for the animal that, just like any vaccine, protects the animal from disease.” Nor does it alter animals’ genes—though a Missouri bill would require labels on meat from animals treated with mRNA vaccines to identify them as a “potential gene therapy product.” Despite the false narrative, the vaccines look promising based on initial results in livestock, Folta said.

Farm groups oppose rule on emissions reporting by public companies

The American Farm Bureau Federation and other agricultural groups say a new rule proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission will burden family farmers, driving further consolidation. The SEC rule would require public companies to report on “Scope 3” emissions: emissions that result from activities not owned or controlled by a publicly traded company but contribute to its value chain. Public companies that produce goods from agricultural products would have to report emissions from the relevant agricultural operations. In a letter to the SEC, the farm groups said tracking emissions will be burdensome for farmers and ranchers, leading publicly traded companies to do business with bigger farms that have the resources to support this type of reporting. Feedstuffs reports.

It’s time for producers to review summer vaccination and parasite control programs, Kansas State vet says

Kansas State University veterinarian Gregg Hanzlicek is urging beef cattle producers to review their herd’s vaccination and parasite control program as summer approaches. According to Hanzlicek, vaccinations should be given to protect cows against all major reproductive infectious diseases before breeding season, including infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine viral diarrhea, leptospirosis and campylobacter. He said vaccinations should be given 45-60 days before bulls are released with cows so cows have time to respond to the vaccine and recover from side effects.