Advocacy in action
 2007 in review
As you read this, 2007 is drawing to a close. I thought
I’d take a minute to reflect on the issues we faced this year
and perhaps update you on their present status.
AASV goes to Washington
The AASV Executive Committee met with their counterparts from
the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) at the
Washington, DC, headquarters of the American Veterinary Medical
Association’s (AVMA’s) Government Relations Division in
June. The group discussed the legislative concerns facing the
veterinary profession in general and the food-animal sector
specifically. They also met with representatives of the
Environmental Protection Act to discuss issues involving the Clean
Air Act and Superfund legislation. The AASV group visited
researchers at the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service
facility in Beltsville, Maryland. The researchers presented
information on the federally supported on-going research programs
focusing on swine issues. The executive committee also met with the
National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) to discuss issues of common
concern, such as legislation addressing downer animals, antibiotic
usage, 2007 Farm Bill issues, horse slaughter, welfare issues, and
animal identification. The group then visited their congressional
representatives on Capital Hill in support of AVMA and NPPC
legislative efforts. We hope to make this an annual event.
30-day health rule
The USDA interpreted a portion of the regulation governing
livestock inspections to require veterinarians to inspect
individual animals born into a herd since the last 30-day health
inspection before issuing a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection
(CVI). This placed accredited veterinarians at risk of losing their
accreditation. The AASV staff requested a more practical
interpretation, but was denied. At the US Animal Health Association
(USAHA) meeting in October, the AASV sponsored a resolution
requesting a wording change in the Code of Federal Regulations that
would allow accredited veterinarians participating in a recognized
herd-health program to issue CVIs for animals born on the farm
since the last 30-day inspection based on the previous inspection.
The resolution passed the USAHA board and has been sent to USDA for
comment.
Disease issues
Pig high fever disease in China. Chinese pork producers
continued to experience elevated mortalities associated with a
disease syndrome which spread across the country. Chinese
researchers identified a porcine reproductive and respiratory
syndrome (PRRS) virus variant as the cause of the disease, although
many people with firsthand knowledge of the situation believe other
factors are also contributing. Most reports estimate that the
disease has killed in excess of one million pigs and contributed to
rising pork prices in China and the need for additional imports of
pork products. Some of those imports came as a result of an
agreement with Smithfield Foods.
Porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD)
vaccines. Multiple vaccines reached the market in North
America. Unfortunately, demand quickly outstripped supply and
manufacturers scrambled to make more of the products available.
Reports from the field indicate that all products appear to be
efficacious.
Research grants. The National Pork Board’s
(NPB’s) Swine Health Committee awarded over a million dollars
in research grants to study diseases that include PRRS and
PCVAD.
Clostridium difficile and methicillin-resistant
Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA). Human health issues associated
with Clostridium difficile and MRSA arose as a result of the
publication of research studies purporting to show a link between
the presence of these agents in livestock and human populations.
The role livestock plays in the incidence of human infections
remains unclear, and additional research is underway to help
quantify the relative risks.
Classical swine fever (CSF). The USDA implemented a CSF
surveillance program to test tonsil samples submitted from 18
high-risk states in an effort to verify that the US swine herd is
free of CSF and to monitor for its potential introduction. The AASV
collaborated with USDA, Iowa State University, and the NPB to
develop and distribute educational materials targeting
veterinarians and veterinary students to raise awareness about CSF.
One of these educational tools, a 3-D video presentation, has been
viewed by over 600 veterinarians and students.
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The UK suffered its second
outbreak of FMD since 2000. This latest outbreak was linked to
contamination from a leaking waste-water drainage pipe located on
the Pirbright site housing the government’s Institute of
Animal Health and a vaccine production facility operated by Merial.
The outbreak was first identified on a farm near the Pirbright site
on August 3. The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs responded quickly and successfully contained the
outbreak to the local area. The outbreak resulted in eight
confirmed cases, resulting in the euthanasia of 791 cattle, 32
sheep, two goats, and 753 pigs.
National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
Swine producers continue to work with USDA to implement a
strategy to facilitate the rapid traceback of swine during a
disease outbreak. The Swine Identification Implementation
Taskforce, comprising producers, veterinarians, extension
specialists, packers, and breed registries, continued to pressure
the USDA to move forward with the adoption of the tools necessary
to implement the Swine ID Plan, which would adapt the existing
animal-identification requirements for swine, in place since 1989,
in order to comply with the NAIS goal of a 48-hour traceback. Swine
producers joined with USDA in calling for all producers to register
their premises as a first step in implementing an animal
identification system. At its fall board meeting, the AASV Board of
Directors sided with producers by establishing a position statement
favoring premises registration, urging veterinarians to register
their premises and encouraging them to promote premises
registration to their clients.
AASV student delegates
The AASV Board of Directors welcomed its first student delegates
to the board. Aaron Lower and Lynda Gould, both from the University
of Illinois, served as student delegate and alternate delegate,
respectively. The delegates represent student issues on the board,
as AASV student memberships continue to rise.
Animal welfare
Horse slaughter ban. A bill to ban the transportation of
horses for the purpose of slaughter for human consumption passed
the US House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate. All
three remaining slaughter plants in Texas and Illinois were forced
to close, however, as a result of state laws outlawing the
slaughter of horses. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 unwanted
horses were slaughtered annually in the US, with most of the meat
exported for human consumption. No provisions were made for the
care of these animals. Many are now being transported to Mexico for
slaughter, and proponents of the ban are attempting to enact
legislation to stop that practice as well.
Gestation stalls. Smithfield Foods announced that they
will begin to phase out gestation stalls in their company-owned
facilities over the next 10 years. Canadian producer Maple Leaf
followed suit. Both companies state that the decision is based on
“consumer interest” and acknowledge that the science
indicates that no single system provides consistently better
welfare. Producers in Arizona continue to consider their options
for compliance with legislation enacted to ban gestation stalls by
2013.
National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF)
The Department of Homeland Security narrowed to five the list of
potential sites for the new $450-million facility and announced
that Plum Island was also still an option. The department will now
begin environmental-impact assessments on all sites, with the goal
of announcing the final selection in the fall of 2008. Projected
completion date is 2013.
Farm Bill
As of the time I’m writing this in mid-November, the US
House has passed its version of the Farm Bill. The Senate continues
to battle over its version. Congress has recessed for the
Thanksgiving holiday and will resume debate when it returns in
December. Among some of the favorable amendments are funding for
the Farm Animal Residue Avoidance Database and the Veterinary
Workforce Expansion Act. However, the Farm Bill also contains
language addressing antimicrobial use in livestock, welfare issues,
and leadership during animal emergencies that do not favor
livestock production as we know it.
These are just a few of the issues we addressed in 2007. 2008
looks to be a busy year as well, with national elections and
ongoing efforts to ban gestation stalls and curtail the use of
antibiotics in livestock production. The issues of welfare and
antimicrobial use will continue to take on ever-increasing
significance on the world stage as international groups such as the
World Organization for Animal Health begin to address international
standards. We’ll do our best to keep you informed regarding
issues that significantly impact the swine industry or that may
affect your ability to practice your profession.
--Harry Snelson, DVM
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