Weekly livestock news: November 2, 2020

Global initiative launched to tackle African swine fever

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health held a weeklong event to launch their initiative for global control of African swine fever. The two organizations are urging countries and agencies to cooperate to control ASF. While the first aim of the initiative is to halt the spread of the disease, FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said the ultimate goal is to eradicate the disease altogether. Effective control requires further investment in veterinary services, as well as the implementation of international standards for biosecurity and surveillance, said OIE director-general Monique Eloit. By bringing together representatives from government, the veterinary profession and other specialties at this event, organizers hope to spur more coordinated action to bring ASF under control. Feed Strategy reports.

Broadening the focus of swine farm visits

Veterinarians and caretakers often focus routine swine farm visits on the pigs themselves. But that approach often misses opportunities to improve management, biosecurity and seasonal preparation that have direct consequences on the health and performance of the herd, veterinarian Claire LeFevre writes in National Hog Farmer. LeFevre outlines several areas for improvement during visits that can end up benefiting the entire operation, including biosecurity and weatherization preparation; communication with transportation personnel and manure pumping crews; and engaging farm management teams.

An economical approach to bovine anaplasmosis management

The winter lull in bovine anaplasmosis offers a window for veterinarians to evaluate the disease status in cattle herds, Kansas State University expert Hans Coetzee told Bovine Veterinarian. “One of the control strategies that we’re very enthusiastic about is for producers to work with their veterinarians to take blood samples from animals that they consider to be at risk, and to do diagnostic testing so that they can understand how many animals in the herd are truly infected with the disease,” said Coetzee, head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at Kansas State. Veterinarians often find that only a third or half of a herd is infected, making herd-wide treatment potentially uneconomical, Coetzee said. The vaccine costs up to $20 per head for the initial shot and booster, while the diagnostic test on average costs between $6 and $8 per animal. “Assuming the current, conditionally-licensed vaccine is effective, vaccinating only the seronegative animals is likely more cost effective than herd-wide vaccination,” he said.

University of Calgary veterinary lab aims to bridge livestock disease testing gap

Officials hope a new laboratory at the University of Calgary will help bridge a decades-long gap in livestock disease testing. New services will include the ability to determine resistance patterns to antimicrobial drugs in bacteria within livestock. “We’ll be able to use antimicrobials more judiciously so that we prevent resistance from occurring,” Jennifer Davies, director of the Diagnostics Services Unit at the university’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, told The Western Producer. Davies also said researchers at the lab will be better able to identify new and emerging diseases in animals that could infect people. The lab was planned for an October 26 launch with funding lasting until early 2024.

Netherlands to cull 35,700 chickens after bird flu detected

Dutch animal health authorities planned to cull 35,700 broiler chickens after a highly contagious strain of bird flu was found on a farm in the central Netherlands, the government said. The discovery came days after a pair of wild swans tested positive for the H5N8 virus. Dutch poultry farmers had been ordered to keep their birds indoors to prevent them from contracting the illness from wild fowl. A transportation ban was imposed for eggs, live birds and other farm products within a 10 kilometer radius of the infected farm in the town of Altforst. Reuters reports.

Europe sees further decline in veterinary antibiotics sales

Sales of veterinary antibiotics in Europe have fallen by more than one-third over the last decade, a new report says. Total sales of veterinary antibiotics in European countries dropped by more than 34% between 2011 and 2018, according to the latest report on European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption. As the use of antimicrobials for growth production has been banned in the European Union since 2006, the data sets provided by participating countries cover exclusively sales of antimicrobials sold for veterinary medicinal purposes. Species covered in the report include dairy cows, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and horses. Feed Strategy reports.