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28 April 2011

Merial launches offer for Circovac PCV2 vaccine

//22 Apr 2011
Merial Animal Health has launched a cashback offer on its CircovacPCV2 vaccine. The offer represents a £10 discount for every 25 sow dose or 100 piglet dose pack of Circovac purchased by producers from their vet up to the end of July 2011.
Lynda Maris, Circovac brand manager said: “We know that these are tough times for everyone in the industry, and that every little helps. As Circovacis now licensed for piglets as well as sows, along with the cashback this means we can offer profitable PCV2 protection across the whole herd.”

Producers can obtain their cashback voucher when they purchase Circovacfrom their vet. All they need to do is complete the voucher and return it together with proof of purchase to the freepost address provided and they will be directly sent a cheque for their cashback!

PCV2 (Porcine Circovirus Type 2) is widely acknowledged as being one of the greatest problems affecting the pig industry in recent years. Indeed it is estimated to cost up to £468 million per annum across Europe. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated a marked Return on Investment ratio for vaccinating against PCV2 of at least 2.1:1 for piglet vaccination and 4.4:1 for sow vaccination1.

Circovacwas one of the first vaccines to market, and has been successfully used in sows since 2007. In January of 2011 it received a license for use in piglets as well. Ricardo Neto, Merial’s Veterinary Advisor, said: “Studies have shown that using Circovac to vaccinate sows remains the most cost-effective way of protecting the herd against PCV2. However, we recognise that there are circumstances in which piglet, or piglet and sow, vaccination is appropriate. Circovacnow offers the only ‘whole herd’ solution to PCV2, allowing producers and vets to vaccinate piglets, gilts and sows.”
For more information about using Circovac producers should speak to their veterinary surgeon.

Related website: Merial

Myanmar reports outbreaks of PRRS in Naypyidaw region

//28 Apr 2011
An outbreak of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) was reported in Naypyidaw District in early April, according to the Myanmar Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department.

Independent press agency Mizzima News, ran by Myanmar journalists located in Thailand and India, report that the Naypyidaw District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department is educating the public about the disease, which causes reproductive failure in breeding stock and respiratory tract illness in pigs.

On April 7, 100 pigs out of a total of more than 300 pigs at two pig farms in Pobba Thiri and Zabu Thiri townships in Naypyidaw were infected with the disease. Ten of them died. Four days later, the pigs were diagnosed with PRRS. Authorities say there is no treatment for the disease and no prophylaxis.

Naypyidaw
There are an estimated 100,000 pigs in the district around the country’s newly built capital city Naypyidaw, according to the Health Department. The new capital, is located 320 km north of the previous capital Rangoon.

Similarly, in March, the disease was reported in Aungmyetharsan, Chanayetharsan, Mahaaungmye, Chanmyatharsi, Pyigyitagun, Amarapura and Madaya in the Mandalay region, where more than 1,000 pigs died of the disease.

Dr Tun Myint Soe, the deputy head of the Amarapura Township Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, told Mizzima that, currently, there is no PRRS in Amarapura.

Amapura
"There is no spreading of PRRS in Amarapura. The spread of PRRS was stopped by the intense heat," he said. A veterinarian in Pyigyitagun Township told Mizzima that the disease is still spreading in small pig farms in some townships, including Myitnge, Sintkai, Myinchan, and Pyinoolwin in Mandalay region.

"At first, the disease was spread among small farms in urban areas," he said. "Later, the weather was colder. Now the new outbreak has occurred in suburban areas. The death rate is high."

Veterinary department
Earlier this month, the Mandalay Division Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department distributed insecticide and disinfectant to large pig farms and small scale domestic pig owners free of charge and provided bio-technology control methods during field trips to inspect farms.

The disease was first reported in February in the Mandalay area.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) earlier issued an emergency warning in Myanmar on the spread of PRRS.

Related website:
• Mizzima News

PCR system detects Salmonella in eggs in only 27 hours

//27 Apr 2011

A unique molecular test that detects Salmonella enteritidis (SE) in poultry eggs can provide results up to 10-times faster than traditional methods, said the US company behind the product.

Life Technologies Corp said it has launched the first real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection system to test for SE after receiving an equivalency rating from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The firm said the decision by the FDA recognised that its Applied Biosystems TaqMan Salmonella enteritidis Detection Kit was “equivalent in accuracy, precision and sensitivity to its current standard methods” described in the body’s Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM, December 2007 Edition).

The test, developed with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, uses PCR technology to determine whether eggs contain SE in just 27 hours – compared to the conventional 10-day turnaround time, said Life Technologies. The company said the breakthrough made it “the only tool of its kind on the market”. The faster testing procedure had been developed in response to the Federal Egg Safety Program. The regulation, which came into force in July 2010, toughened up procedures to prevent the contamination of eggs with SE, it added.

27 April 2011

Hop based antimicrobial can reduce Clostridium

//27 Apr 2011
US researchers studied the chicken intestine microbiota following administration of Lupulone, a hop-based antimicrobial.
The use of antibiotic growth promotants in US poultry rearing is a public health concern due to antibiotic resistance in bacteria and the harborage of resistance genes. Lupulone, a hop β-acid from Humulus lupulus, has been considered as a potential feed additive growth promotant.

In this study, the effect of lupulone was evaluated for its effect on the microbiota of the chicken intestine. The intestinal microbiota of broilers was quantified after addition of 125 mg L(-1) lupulone to water and challenge with Clostridium perfringens.Microbial DNA was extracted from the broiler midgut and cecal sections and bacterial groups were quantified using real-time PCR. The predominant cecal bacterial groups were Clostridium leptum subgroup 16S rRNA Cluster IV, Clostridium coccoides subgroup 16S rRNA Cluster XIVa and XIVb and Bacteroides, whereas Lactobacillus, the Enterobacteriaceae family and Enterococcus dominated the midgut.

It was shown that Lupulone at 125 mgL(-1) significantly decreased the Clostridium perfringens subgroup 16S rRNA Cluster I, which contains several pathogenic species, in both the midgut and cecum and Lactobacillus in the midgut. No significant changes were noted in the overall microbiota for the cecum or the midgut. Lupulone warrants further evaluation as a botanical agent to mitigate C. perfringens overgrowth in antibiotic-free reared poultry.

[Source: Federation of European Microbiological Societies]

24 April 2011

Alternative to surgical castration for pigs approved

//22 Apr 2011
Pfizer Animal Health announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Improvest (gonadotropin releasing factor-diphtheria toxoid conjugate). Farmers have the option to use this safe and effective veterinary prescription product for temporary immunological castration and reduction of boar taint in intact male pigs intended for pork.
Improvest is a protein compound that uses the pig's own immune system to provide the same effect as surgical castration, but much later in the male pig's life.


Pigs eat less, produce more meat
By eliminating the need for surgical castration, the animal grows with all the inherent advantages of intact males until the second dose. Studies confirm that intact male pigs eat less feed and produce more meat, increasing feed efficiency by 6 to 10 percent, along with a typical improvement of 2 to 2.5 percent higher cutout yield. And, since male pigs given Improvest are not surgically castrated, the risk of infection or death is eliminated, decreasing mortality by 1.6 percent.


Because intact male pigs eat less feed and produce more pork there is potential for an incremental reduction in the carbon footprint by as much as 3.6 percent (measured in CO2 equivalent per kilogram of pig live weight) versus barrows.


"Improvest creates an opportunity to capture more value from male pigs that didn't exist until now," said Jim Bradford, DVM, director, Team Lead, Improvest, Pfizer Animal Health. "Male pigs are given Improvest later in the finishing phase to manage boar taint, so they're able to grow to their full intact male potential, and do it more efficiently."


Approved in 58 countries
This technology is approved in 58 other countries around the world, including the European Union, Australia and Japan, under the related global brand, Improvac.


Pigs are given Improvest via injection. The first dose primes the system and should be administered no earlier than nine weeks of age. The second dose should be administered at least four weeks after the priming dose.


Pigs should be sent to market no earlier than four weeks after the second dose of Improvest to allow adequate time for reduction in the compounds responsible for off odor in pork. Marketing pigs on the Improvest program more than eight weeks after the second dose may increase the risk of off odor in pork. Only trained, certified technicians will be permitted to administer the product as part of the quality assurance program.

As the product is gradually introduced, Pfizer Animal Health will work with veterinarians and their producer clients to help them adopt new nutritional guidelines and best handling practices to optimize growth for intact males.


"This gradual approach provides the time needed to ensure a coordinated food chain effort, and gives processors and packers time to integrate and optimize this into their systems, as well," Bradford said. "We want to ensure the best Improvest program experience for everyone - from farmers to meat packers, processors and retailers, and, ultimately, to consumers."


Important safety information
Improvest should not be used with female pigs, barrows or male pigs intended for breeding. Special care should be taken to avoid accidental self injection during administration of Improvest. Accidental self injection could negatively affect reproductive physiology of both men and women. Therefore, pregnant women should not administer Improvest and women of childbearing age, as well as men, should exercise extreme caution when administering the product. There is no risk, however, of these effects on an individual who consumes pork from pigs given Improvest.

** Additional product information will be available at www.PfizerPork.com/improvest.
For more info: www.PfizerAH.com
Related website: FDA

20 April 2011

New Zealand pig farmers concerned over PRRS introduction

//15 Apr 2011
Pig farmers in New Zealand are not happy with the government's plans to relax biosecurity around pork imports.
New Zealand Pork is concerned that waste from imported pig meat could end up in the food chain for New Zealand livestock, and potentially spread a disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) biosecurity officials last year proposed rules that would allow imports of consumer-ready cuts of uncooked pork from Canada, Europe, Mexico and the United States, but were advised by a review panel to look at 29 deficiencies, including their import risk assessment.

But today MAF said it had issued updates to those four import health standards for pig meat, pig meat products and by-products which would effectively manage the risk of introducing PRRS to New Zealand. It said imports of fresh uncooked pork would be restricted to cuts smaller than 3kg that had the lymph nodes removed.

"The risk of PRRS introduction through pork imports will be effectively managed," MAF's deputy director-general for standards Carol Barnao said. "The likelihood of the virus being introduced through the importation of uncooked pork would be equivalent to an average of one outbreak per 1227 years."

But New Zealand Pork said that pigmeat currently imported from countries with PRRS must undergo treatment to deactivate the disease, and eliminating the treatment would open the door for transmission of the disease.

"Pork producers are doing it tough at present," New Zealand Pork chief executive Sam McIvor said. Farmers were "extremely concerned about the risks from the proposed relaxing of biosecurity standards ". Farmers who were already making changes to meet tougher new pig welfare standards did not need to be undermined by the potential for new and exotic diseases "introduced as a result of short-sighted legislation".

[Source: 3news.co.nz]

FAO: Eliminating H5N1 will take more than 10 years

//18 Apr 2011
Because of deep-rooted barriers, there is little chance that H5N1 avian influenza can be expelled within the next 10 years from the six countries where it remains entrenched, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says in a new report.
Most of the 60-plus countries that reported H5N1 in 2006 have eliminated it since then, but it remains endemic in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, and Egypt, notes the report, titled "Approaches to Controlling, Preventing and Eliminating H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Endemic Countries."

The FAO says the elimination effort faces three major obstacles in these countries: the structure of the poultry industry, the quality of veterinary and animal production services, and the level of commitment by all sectors.

Further, the report says "there is no guarantee that the current incremental approach will eliminate H5N1 HPAI." The goal may require innovative measures such as new, easily deliverable poultry vaccines and genetic manipulation of poultry to make them resistant to the virus.

As long as H5N1 outbreaks continue, so will the risk of the virus evolving into a human pandemic strain, the report notes. Several of the H5N1-endemic countries have had human H5N1 cases this year, with Egypt leading the list with 22 confirmed cases so far.

[Source: CIDRAP]

18 April 2011

Yeast extracts possible alternative for antibiotics

//18 Apr 2011
A dietary yeast extract could be an effective alternative to antibiotics for poultry producers, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study.
Microbiologist Gerry Huff with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Fayetteville, Ark., and her colleagues have been studying the effects of yeast extract as an immune stimulant and alternative to antibiotics in conventional turkeys.

Non-pharmaceutical remedies and preventatives are particularly needed for organic poultry production, according to Huff, who works in the ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit (PPPSRU) in Fayetteville.

Quail cheaper than turkey
Initial studies suggest that dietary yeast extract has good potential as a non-antibiotic alternative for decreasing pathogens in organic turkey production. A larger study was needed to confirm its efficacy.

But it is expensive to work with turkeys because they eat more than other birds, according to Huff.

So the researchers are testing yeast extract in Japanese quail to test the extract's efficacy against Salmonella and Campylobacter.

The quail serve as a model system to evaluate natural treatments that will be beneficial for chicken and turkey production.

Huff's current study, in collaboration with Irene Wesley at the ARS National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, involves 800 Japanese quail.

Kill bacteria
Yeast extracts help boost the immune system's ability to kill bacteria, but there is also a downside.

According to Huff, yeast ramps up certain aspects of the immune response, but body weight may be decreased in some birds. That's because the energy normally used for growth is redirected toward the immune system.

The researchers are looking for a balance between enhancing immune response and maintaining growth.

Use in organic farming
Organic poultry farms can only use compounds on the National List of allowed substances for organic production. Yeast extract is on that list.

Alternatives to antibiotics are also needed for conventional poultry production, since regulations for the usage of antibiotics are being tightened in response to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in pathogens.

Bangkok meeting brings AA Grandparent partners together

//14 Apr 2011
Arbor Acres (AA) recently held their fourth Middle East and Africa Association Customer Service Team (CST) meeting in Bangkok, bringing together the technical and production staff from AA Grandparent (GP) partners from the region.
The meeting is also platform to provide high-quality and meaningful technical transfer and support to them and their customers.

This year, 20 delegates representing distributors from Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, were joined by the AA regional technical and commercial team, as well as Aviagen specialists and colleagues from other parts of the world. The main topics on the agenda were product quality and health, nutrition, incubation, hatchery management and effective stock management to achieve maximum performance of the AA Plus.

In addition, the delegates also enjoyed presentations on product research and development for the future, an overview of the AA Plus growth in Asia and an update on the successful entry of AA into the Russian market. All distributors also shared insights and experiences from their own markets.

Stanley Millar, Sales Manager, commented: “The figures are impressive: Over the past 5 years, GP sales have risen by more than 40% to over 1 million worldwide and we have added a large number of new countries to our supply base. This growth was reflected in the rising attendance at this meeting and we were especially pleased to be able to welcome the latest of our GP distributors, Arbor Acres Algeria.”

Source: Aviagen