PRRS spreading in Vietnam, new outbreaks

//26 Apr 2012
According to deputy director of the Animal Health Department in Vietnam, Dam Xuan Thanh, there have been new outbreaks of Porcine Reproductive & Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) which are being discovered in northern parts of Vietnam.
The Deputy further added that the hot weather in the north has set favourable conditions for the spread of PRRS, and some parts of the country were not on high alert in preventing the disease. As there have been actions such as failing to report affected cases or not culling infected pigs.



The northern provinces affected are:
Bac Giang
Nam Dinh
Phu Tho
Dien Bien
Yen Bai

In Dien Bien province, the disease has caused the culling of more than 8,800 pigs while more than 2,600 pigs in Yen Bai province were infected by the virus. Bac Giang province is the most recent province to have been affected by PRRS.

The animal health department is attempting to control the situation in affected provinces, also vaccines have been provided. Phu Tho province's animal health department head, Nguyen Tat Thanh, has stated that the province had set up six quarantine stations with people on guard to check animals and poultry which are transported into the province. These measures are in place to prevent the spread of PRRS.

Source: Vietnam News

Indonesia: Ceva Indonesia discusses Newcastle disease

//25 Apr 2012
Ceva Animal Health Indonesia (Ceva Indonesia) recently conducted a seminar about Newcastle disease (ND) in Bogor. This seminar is part of C.H.I.C.K Day program which has been routinely conducted by Ceva since 2010. The seminar was attended by around 100 participants from the broiler and layer sector.
Prof. Wayan Wibawan of Bogor Agricultural University said that the ND virus was first discovered in Bogor in Indonesia in 1926.

According to Christophe Cazaban – poultry biological scientific direction officer of Ceva Sante Animale France, before 1960, ND virus strains found were only genotype I, II and III. But now in some countries genotype IX has been found. He continued, in Indonesia, the evolution of ND virus has been on the genotype VII.

The evolution of ND virus logically requires a suitable vaccine. However based on field trials, said Cazaban, classical vaccine currently available are still protective against the ND virus that has changed. The result of challenge test conducted by Ceva showed that classical vaccines (Lasota/genotype II strain) were protective against current ND virus and no significant differences with genotype VII strain vaccine.

To control current ND virus, Cazaban recommends to improve biosecurity management in farms, use good vaccine, apply proper vaccination techniques and make good vaccination program.

Ceva poultry regional market manager, Nitiwat Kaewpowat added that C.H.I.C.K (Ceva Hatchery Immunization Control Keys) program is a solution to control ND virus better. This program can optimise the success of vaccination by observing vaccine quality, dosage accuracy, quality of injection and vaccination rate. This program includes five areas of focus such as vaccines, equipment, vaccination technique, monitoring & diagnosis and expertise & training.

Source: Arief Fachrudin

She warned the world of Mad Cow Diseases

//25 Apr 2012
Wendy Grant, who has died aged 89, was a neuropathologist who became one of the first scientists to warn the public that BSE, also known as Mad Cow Disease, could be incubating in the human population.
The disease was first identified in cows in the England in 1985. Two years later government scientists suggested the most likely source was cattle feed made from the remains of dead sheep with scrapie, a similar brain disease.

In 1988 John MacGregor, then agriculture minister, imposed a ban on cattle feed derived from dead animals.

A month before the ban came into force, however, a junior doctor, Tim Holt, became the first to suggest, in an article in the British Medical Journal, that BSE might pose a significant threat to human health, after he and a colleague discovered that some butchers were selling cow brains for human consumption. He suggested that the use of brains in British food should be banned.

Wendy Grant, a retired consultant neuropathologist and an expert in slow viruses (associated with diseases with long incubation periods of months to years) was alarmed by Holt’s piece, particularly when she discovered, through slaughterhouse workers, that cattle brains were being added to meat products such as pies, pâtés and stock cubes.

As one of the few people to have read the literature on scrapie and the human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), she realised that government assurances about BSE, “namely ’we have lived with scrapie for two and a half centuries and it has not done us any harm’,” were based on the false premise that cattle brains and sheep brains were dealt with in the same way at abattoirs, “which they obviously were not”.

Humans, she argued, had not been seriously exposed over the centuries to the scrapie agent as sheep brains are seldom removed to be eaten. But when she wrote to the government pressing the need for an inquiry into the dangers of contamination, she was ignored.

Only after she appeared on the BBC in 1989 warning on the dangers of infected cattle tissues the government in response to growing public concern imposed a ban on the use of offal in baby foods.

Influential article
In an article Wendy Grant accused the government of using baby foods “to divert the public from thinking about other foods and thus to imply they are safe, which they are not”.

The official inquiry into the BSE scandal later identified her article as one of the influences that drove the government towards the decision in November 1989 to ban the use of cows’ brain and spinal cord for human consumption.

As ministers and the food industry battled to reassure consumers that British beef was “perfectly safe” and that eating it carried “no conceivable risk”, Wendy Grant, like other scientists involved, found herself the victim of a smear campaign, treated with hostility by Ministry of Agriculture officials and accused of being “out of date”.

But she refused to go away.

In 1994 she described it as “incomprehensible” that the brains of calves under six months old were still being allowed into the human food chain and called for an immediate ban: “We should not be eating the offal even from calves, because we do not yet know whether the disease is passed from mother to calf,” she said. Two years later government scientists confirmed that cows could indeed pass on BSE to their calves.

Creutzfeld-Jakob disease
The turning point came after the first recorded death from what was later described as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), on May 21 1995.

Within a year 10 cases had been identified and on March 20 1996, the UK Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell made the announcement that these cases were most probably linked to the consumption of BSE-infected beef or beef products.

In June, in the face of a worldwide ban on exports of British beef imposed by the EU, the government agreed to implement a more thoroughgoing slaughter programme and more effective removal of potentially infective materials from carcases.

Since vCJD was first reported in 1996, a total of 217 patients from 11 countries have been identified. Altogether, since the disease became notifiable in 1996, 176 people in Britain have died from the disease, but uncertainties relating to the potential length of the incubation period complicate predictions of the future number of cases.

Helen Grant, always known as Wendy, was born in Ealing, west London on May 11 1922. She was educated at schools in France, Austria, New Zealand and finally at Bedales, where she became head girl. After taking a degree in Medicine at Cambridge, she did her clinical training at University College London.

She decided to specialise in neuropathology and in 1970 joined the Middlesex Hospital as a consultant. In 1985 she moved to Charing Cross Hospital as a senior lecturer and honorary consultant in neuropathology.

Wendy Grant married, in 1945, Alick Elithorn, but the marriage was later dissolved. She is survived by a son. A daughter predeceased her.

Poultry consumption on the rise in Sri Lanka

//23 Apr 2012 The per capita poultry consumption in Sri Lanka is to increase to 8 kilo grams within the next five years in line with the increase of purchasing power of the citizens, Ceylon Grain Elevators (GRAN), the country’s largest poultry producer has said. According to GRAN’S latest annual report, the yearly chicken and egg consumption in Sri Lanka at present is approximately 5.7 kilo grams and 54 eggs per person. The per capita consumption of chicken increased significantly to 5.7 kilo grams from 5 kilo grams in the previous year. “We expect this increasing trend to continue in the coming years on par with increasing purchasing power enjoyed in Sri Lanka,” GRAN Chairman and CEO, Cheng Chih Kwong primus said. The report further stated that supply of locally produced maize, which comprises large part of chicken feed, decreased drastically due to unfavorable weather conditions and floods in maize growing areas. As a result, the price of local maize has increased from Rs.42 per kilo grams in December 2010 to Rs.45 per kilo grams in December 2011. Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

FDA banned antibiotics found in poultry feather meal

//23 Apr 2012 Researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University have found traces of antibiotics banned by the US government used in poultry feather meal. Feather meal, a common animal feed additive, was found to contain fluoroquinolones, a broad spectrum antibiotic banned from use in poultry production in 2005. The FDA instituted the ban due to increasing resistance of Campylobacter bacteria to fluoroquinolones. The feather meal was tested for a set of 59 pharmaceuticals. All of the 12 samples of feather meal, acquired from six US states and China, had between two and 10 antibiotic residues. In addition, the samples also tested positive for seven active ingredients found in personal care products such as Tylenol, Benadryl, and Prozac. In an extension of the study, researchers exposed E. coli bacteria to the concentrations of antibiotics found in the feather meal, and noted that some samples had concentrations high enough to discourage already resistant bacteria. The report was published March 21 in Environmental Science & Technology.

US demand for dark poultry meat rises

//23 Apr 2012 Demand for dark poultry meat is on the rise in the US, increasing prices for the product and helping the industry recover from a 2011 slump. Rising US immigrant populations, industry innovation that makes it easier for producers to supply boneless dark meat to satisfy domestic consumer demand, and growing exports to foreign markets that favour chicken on the bone have all contributed to the rise in demand. US consumers prefer buying chicken without the bones, tendons and veins. Poultry processors have gotten better at deboning thanks to new manual and automated methods. Boneless, skinless thigh meat a decade ago sold for just over half the price of boneless, skinless breasts. That gap has disappeared, with prices for both cuts holding around $1.30 a pound for the past nine months, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture. Tyson Foods, the US’s largest chicken producer by volume, is developing more products made from dark meat than ever before, including a new line of chicken sausages. The company said its grocery-store sales of boneless skinless cuts of dark meat are growing as well. Competitor, Pilgrim's Pride is using the global reach of its majority shareholder, Brazil-based conglomerate JBS SA, to expand exports of dark meat and whole birds to Asia and the Middle East. Pilgrim's has said it is dedicating one of its US processing plants to filling export orders. Source: The Wall Street Journal

Hatcheries to vaccinate against Gumboro

//19 Mar 2012 The control of infectious bursal disease (IBD), also known as Gumboro, will be better when vaccination takes place in the hatchery. Trial results prove that this practice provides a better protection to birds compared to the traditional water application. By Wiebe van der Sluis IBD remains an important infectious disease and needs to be controlled to deter losing birds or experiencing a dramatic drop in bird performance. Field studies show that the commonly practised water medication method is insufficiently protecting birds against the disease. Either the vaccination takes place at the wrong time or birds receive an inadequate dose of the vaccine or not at all. To overcome this problem the control of IBD should start in the hatchery. This could be concluded from presentations during the Gumboro symposium organised by CEVA Sante Animal in Budapest last January. Protecting against break trough “Poultry shall become the consumer’s first choice of animal protein in the next ten years”, said Dr Sylvain Comte, Ceva’s corporate marketing director – poultry, in his opening address to more than 250 veterinarians from all over Europe. The limited availability of resources like water and feed force the poultry industry to further improve its production management so more can be produced with less input. It is Comte’s strong belief that pharmaceutical companies have to play an important role in meeting this goal. They have to offer producers sustainable solutions to give their birds a good protection against major diseases by developing a healthy immune system, in which the Bursa of Fabricius plays an important role. Young chicks are well protected against infection of the bursa by maternally derived antibodies, but at the time this antibody level drops the IBD virus can break through the protection. The virus is very tough and resistant, since it can survive in water, feed and manure for 52 days and in the chicken house for at least 122 days after removal of an infected flock. These houses have to be intensively disinfected with formaldehyde, chloramines or quats. Insufficient protection Protecting birds against IBD by conventional vaccination methods (drinking water, eye-drop or spray) requires perfect timing, warned Dr Sjaak de Wit of the Dutch Poultry Health Service in Deventer. In case there are still too many maternally derived antibodies (MDA) present the vaccine will be neutralised and when birds have a low MDA level they will be unprotected for a longer time. This means that serology tests have to be done to estimate the precise vaccination date. Research has shown that when birds had been vaccinated more than one day before the calculated optimal vaccination date (using the Deventer formula), the humoral immune response was delayed or not detectable until slaughter. Nevertheless, when vaccinating at the accurate date by applying conventional methods there is still a chance of an infection. Field surveys showed that the efficacy of these vaccination methods is questionable. Dr Gurogy Banhidi, poultry franchise and technical manager for Ceva conducted a field survey and showed that the commonly used practice of drinking water vaccination insufficiently protects birds. The real coverage was less than 73%. Banhidi told that the uneven seroconversion and uncertainty about vaccine take results from an uncomplete priming of the drinking water system, lack of moving of the flock and vaccinating at the wrong time. Even after improving priming and bird movement the coverage would not be more than 85%. Hatchery vaccination Dr Branko Alva sees a strong increase in the number of birds vaccinated against IBD in the hatchery. A better protection against IBD is possible through vaccinating birds at an earlier stage: actually in the hatchery by using an immune complex IBD vaccine. Dr Branko Alva, Ceva’s corporate poultry product manager explained that it is better to vaccinate properly in one place compared to vaccinating birds in dozens of farms. It will make life easier for farmers, technicians and vets. The time needed for vaccination will be reduced and the logistics to deliver the vaccine is easier, while there is a better control possible over maintaining the quality of the vaccine and the vaccination. Immune complex vaccines can be applied for the active immunisation of healthy 18-day-old embryos by in-ovo vaccination or healthy day-old chicks against classical or very virulent IBD. Such a hatchery vaccination provides enough protection for all birds, so there is no need to revaccinate on the farm. Banhidi showed in his presentation that hatchery vaccination does, compared to water vaccination, not show heterogenity problems nor strain or timing issues. Vaccination in the hatchery assures that all birds will receive the right dosage of vaccine at a minimum of 98% precision. With the poultry industry moving to industrialisation, more and more companies seem to prefer hatchery vaccination, says Alva. He showed that in 2006 2% of the 40 billion broilers produced in the world were already vaccinated in the hatchery. This number has increased to 25% of the 45 billion broilers produced in 2011, which, according to Alva, will increase over the years to come. Source: World Poultry, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2012

Vietnam imported two thirds of it's raw material in 2011

//23 Apr 2012 Vietnam spent a total of $3.7 billion to import 8.9 million tonnes of materials for animal feed production in 2011, accounting for 62% of the total materials used in the country’s animal feed production sector. The figures were provided by Le Ba Lich, chairman of the Vietnam Animal Feeds Association. In details, the country imported 4.8 million tonnes of protein-rich materials like soy-beans and processed animal protein powder and other 3.8 million tonnes of materials which can be produced or replaced by domestic products including 870,000 tonnes of corn; 570,000 tonnes of rice bran and 2.3 million tonnes of wheat , Lich said. “This has been the weakness of the sector over the past years and made the domestic livestock husbandry less effective,” he said. Lack of planting land for animal feed and farming is considered to be the main reason for the high import value and volume of material for feed production.

China favours animal feed above ethanol

//19 Apr 2012 China, the second-biggest corn consumer, lowered subsidies for producers of grain-based ethanol by more than half in the latest move to curb industrial use and ensure livestock-feed supply, reports Bloomberg. Producers now get 500 yuan (US$79) for a tonne of ethanol made with corn or other grain, down from 1,276 yuan last year, COFCO Biochemical Co. said in a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, citing a Ministry of Finance order. Subsidies on ethanol from non-grain crops such as cassava will be 750 yuan(US$119), it said, without giving a previous figure. Corn prices in China surged to a record this year as rising demand from producers of hogs, cattle and poultry outpaced production. The nation may more than quadruple corn imports to 4 million tonnes in the 2011-2012 marketing year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Market analysts conclude that with rising gasoline prices, losses from producing ethanol are shrinking, so “it doesn’t make sense to continue subsidizing this industry,” a spokesman said.

RESEARCH: Brucellosis suis discovered in feral swine in NC

//20 Apr 2012
Feral pigs in the American state North Carolina have tested positive for Brucella suis, a bacteria that can be transmitted to domestic pigs and people.
A North Carolina State University study discovered the contamination while testing the state's feral pig populations for several types of bacteria and viruses. The scientists found that about 9% of feral pigs studied in Johnston County and less than 1% surveyed randomly at 13 other sites in the state showed exposure to B. suis.

The discovery is the first since testing began a couple of years ago.

Immune response
Prof Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf, a North Carolina State scientist in wildlife infectious diseases, said that testing positive for antibodies to the bacteria means the wild boars feral have been exposed to and developed an immune response against B. suis.

Antibodies do not eliminate B. suis from pigs, so the animals are considered infected and capable of transmitting the bacteria to other pigs and people. The USA has long had a swine brucellosis control and eradication programme. By the 19902, all brucellosis was eliminated from all commercial pig populations.

Brucellosis can lead to abortion in pigs, which is a risk should the bacteria jump from feral hogs to the domestic herd.

The North Carolina State research is published in Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

Related website:
• North Carolina State University

NPPC: FDA antibiotics guidance problematic for producers

//18 Apr 2012
The loss of and restricted access to products expected with implementation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s guidance on the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry production likely will disproportionately affect small producers, have a negative effect on animal health and increase the cost of producing food while not improving public health, said the National Pork Producers Council.
First proposed in June 2010, the FDA guidance issued today calls for antibiotics that are “medically important” to humans to be used in animals only when necessary to assure their health. FDA will work with animal health companies to help them voluntarily discontinue the sale to livestock and poultry producers of antibiotics that are labeled only for nutritional efficiency. Additionally, all antibiotics that are in classes used in human medicine will need to be used under a veterinary feed directive (VFD).

“The guidance could eliminate antibiotics uses that are extremely important to the health of animals,” said NPPC President R.C. Hunt, a pork producer from Wilson, N.C. “And the requirement for VFDs could be problematic, particularly for smaller producers or producers in remote areas who may not have regular access to veterinary services.”

The guidance, which does not have the force of law but may be treated as such by FDA, is a move to address an increase in antibiotic-resistant illnesses in humans, which opponents of modern animal agriculture blame on the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry production.

But numerous peer-reviewed risk assessments, including at least one by FDA, show a “negligible” risk to human health of antibiotics use in food-animal production.

“FDA did not provide compelling evidence nor did it state that antibiotics use in livestock production is unsafe,” said Hunt, who pointed out that the agency already has authority to withdraw unsafe products. “Pork producers work with veterinarians to carefully consider if antibiotics are necessary and which ones to use, and we use them to keep animals healthy and to produce safe food.”

The agency did state that disease prevention, control and treatment uses of antibiotics in livestock production are therapeutic and essential to protect animal health, and those label claims will not be affected by its guidance. FDA also will work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand the implications of the VFD on underserved areas.

Source: NPPC

Vietnam: Pig breeders experience major losses

//20 Apr 2012
Pig breeding farms in Dong Nai Province are facing major losses due to illegal lean meat substances which have been used in pork meat.
Dong Nai Province has 1.2 million pigs being raised in 1,261 farms, with 4,000 pigs being sold each day. There have been reports that customers stopped eating pork because of the discovery of illegal substances being discovered in the meat. This relayed to a sharp drop in pork prices throughout the country.

The price of live pigs in HCMC dropped by VND10,000 (US$ 0.48) per kg to VND42,000 per kg, a loss of VND5,000 per kg for pig-breeders. Chairman of the Standard and Customers’ Right Protection Association in Dong Nai Province, Pham Gia Hai, has stated that there is massive concern surrounding this issue by customers, also feeling that they are purchasing below standard meat.

Substances known as beta-agonists, stimulate growth and promote lean meat have resulted in damages to the breeding farms which is estimated to be about VND500 billion (US$23.9 million). It showed in current test outcomes that 33 pork samples from 12 breeding farms in Thong Nhat and Trang Bom Districts contained banned substances.

Recently, officials have called on criminal charges to be implemented against those who make use of lean meat additives in animal feed. According to Vietnam Feed Association (VFA) vice president Pham Duc Binh, despite the ban, the lean meat additives are still being used in animal farming.

Philippines bans Taiwanese poultry imports

//20 Apr 2012
The Philippines has suspended imports of Taiwanese poultry and related products following reports of the presence of avian influenza at chicken farms in Taiwan.
At least one chicken farm, in Liujia, Tainan, has reported the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture has said. As a result, poultry and related products and wild birds from Taiwan will now be banned from entering the Philippines.

The officials said the Philippines is one of only a few Asian countries that are "avian flu-free", a status which they hope to maintain to create more commercial opportunities for their country's poultry industry, which grew by 4.34% last year.

Source: Focus Taiwan

China reports H5N1 bird flu outbreak

//19 Apr 2012
An outbreak of the highly epidemic H5N1 bird flu virus in poultry has been reported in China's Northwestern Ningxia Hui autonomous region, the country’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced.
A total of 95,000 chickens have been culled after the H5N1 bird flu case was confirmed.

A quarantine team is now in a village of Touying town in the city of Guyuan in Ningxia Hui autonomous region to guide poultry farmers on how to prevent another epidemic, according to the ministry.

The outbreak was discovered as 23,000 chickens at several farms in the village exhibited symptoms of the avian influenza. The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory then tested the chickens and confirmed the outbreak.

This year, two people have already died from H5N1 infection, health authorities said. One fatality was a man from the southwestern Guizhou province. He died in January. China is particularly vulnerable to birdflu outbreaks as it has the largest poultry population in the world and the proximity of the birds to humans.

Related website:
OIE

China favours animal feed above ethanol

//19 Apr 2012
China, the second-biggest corn consumer, lowered subsidies for producers of grain-based ethanol by more than half in the latest move to curb industrial use and ensure livestock-feed supply, reports Bloomberg.
Producers now get 500 yuan (US$79) for a tonne of ethanol made with corn or other grain, down from 1,276 yuan last year, COFCO Biochemical Co. said in a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, citing a Ministry of Finance order.

Subsidies on ethanol from non-grain crops such as cassava will be 750 yuan(US$119), it said, without giving a previous figure.

Corn prices in China surged to a record this year as rising demand from producers of hogs, cattle and poultry outpaced production.

The nation may more than quadruple corn imports to 4 million tonnes in the 2011-2012 marketing year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Market analysts conclude that with rising gasoline prices, losses from producing ethanol are shrinking, so “it doesn’t make sense to continue subsidizing this industry,” a spokesman said.

Study: Lameness in broilers substantially reduced by probiotics

//18 Apr 2012
Year in and year out, lameness is one of the leading causes of mortality in broilers, making the condition a significant economic concern for the poultry industry. But because the incidence rate of lameness is low in research flocks, the phenomenon has been difficult to study, which has hampered efforts to develop measures that may help producers.
However, a team led by researchers at the University of Arkansas has developed a wire-flooring model that reliably induces lameness in broilers at levels sufficient to allow in-depth study of the condition. The team published the results of their study in the April issue of Poultry Science, a journal published by the Poultry Science Association (PSA).

Yielded significant results
The model has already yielded significant results, including the finding that lameness in broilers due to the most common cause of the condition, bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), may be reduced by administering probiotics prophylactically from the first day of rearing. Hence, probiotics may lessen or even eliminate the need for antibiotic treatment of BCO-related disease conditions in growing broilers.

“One way the BCO bacterium spreads is by entering the bloodstream via translocation from the gastrointestinal tract,” said Dr. Bob Wideman, lead author and professor in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas. “Once in the bloodstream, some of the bacteria find their way to the growth plates of growing bones, where they are harbored in microfractures. The bird’s immune system can’t reach them there, and they grow rapidly and begin destroying bone minerals. This occurs primarily in the hip joint or proximal femur, and in the proximal tibia. It’s the damage caused by the festering of BCO bacteria that leads, first to subclinical lesions, and ultimately, if unchecked, to lameness.”

Dr. Wideman’s team speculates that probiotics help reduce BCO-induced lameness by lessening bacterial translocation from the gut, which helps prevent BCO transmission. Specifically, according to the article, “probiotics may interfere with the development of osteomyelitis by attenuating intestinal populations of pathogenic bacteria, improving gut health to reduce bacterial leakage (translocation) across the gut wall, or by priming the immune system to better eliminate translocated bacteria.”

Reduced incidence of lameness for broilers
Over the course of five experiments conducted from December 2009 to April 2011, the researchers found that adding probiotics to the birds’ diets beginning at one day of age consistently reduced the incidence of lameness for broilers reared on wire flooring.

The experimenters were able to begin an effective investigation of BCO-induced lameness by developing a wire-flooring model that consistently induced the condition in research flocks at rates high enough to enable statistically sound study. The wire flooring model works by dependably imposing greater torque and shear stress on susceptible leg joints, which, the authors suggest, results in microtrauma to bone growth plates, creating the microfractures conducive to BCO described above.

Animal procedures for the five experiments conducted by the research team were approved by the University of Arkansas Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

“We feel confident that this new model will allow researchers, for the first time, to more deeply investigate the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment strategies for BCO,” said Dr. Wideman. “This should lead to more effective preventive strategies applicable to commercial flocks, which in turn will help decrease economic losses due to BCO.”

Previously, pathogenic bacteria had to be injected intravenously into broilers and turkeys to induce lameness for study purposes. The new experimental model instead provides, according to the article, a safer mechanism for studying the condition by “reliably triggering BCO in commercial broilers without purposefully exposing the flock to known pathogens.”

Source: The Poultry Science Association (PSA) www.poultryscience.org

Vietnam to be the next China

//18 Apr 2012
While China and India get most of the press for expanding middle class demand for agricultural exports, Vietnam has the potential to rank right up there with them, according to a panel of experts during the 2012 Commodity Classic.
The panel included: Thomas Dorr, president and CEO, US Grains Council; Mark Jagels, vice chairman of US Meat Export Federation; and Roy Bardole, US Soybean Export Council chairman.

In Vietnam US farmers and ranchers face dual export opportunities from the increasing demand for protein. "The rapidly growing middle class is driving the food demand," Dorr said.

Export opportunities
On the crop side, more coarse grains and oilseeds will be needed for livestock feed and consumers. On the livestock side, there's an opportunity to export more beef, pork and lamb to a country that can't raise enough domestically to fill demand.

Dorr said that USGC expects by 2020, 600 million households will join the global middle class. And those markets will exceed the US, European and Japanese markets in demand within the next decade.

"By 2020, Vietnam could account for 350 million new households in the middle class – that's about 925 million people," Dorr said.

Many Asian countries, where the biggest population booms will be, are the least able to increase food production from their own natural resources.

Jagels explained that Vietnam's 90 million population continues to grow by about 1 million every year, and as of today 54% of that population is under 25 years of age.

Those young Vietnamese, combined with new tastes in cuisine and an increasing GDP (up by 5.89% in 2011), mean the appetite for meat in Vietnam is growing.

Refugees
There's also a strong demand for meat among the growing Viet Kieu population – the more than 3 million Vietnamese who fled the country at the end of the US-Vietnam war and who currently live outside of the country. These Vietnamese refugees regularly return to their homeland to visit family.

Another segment of the population that is growing in buying power are cash-rich farmers who have received large payments for their land from the ever-expanding cities, Jagels said.

With shrinking farmland, he added that it's doubtful domestic production of coarse grains will be able to fully meet food and feed demand.

"It's 20 years behind China on the development curve, but they are learning from that example," Dorr said, adding that there are gigantic new growth opportunities for producers and agribusiness.

Domestic production of coarse grains continues to fall short of the feed and food demand, Dorr said. "Imports of US corn in 2011 were down 1.7 million tonnes just because of the cost and were replaced with feed wheat from Argentina."

From 2009 to 2010, Vietnam imported nearly 4 million tonnes of corn. He said while their demand for feed corn is growing at a 30% rate, their production can't match it because of a smaller base.

"Vietnam is the No. 1 market for US dried distillers grains in Southeast Asia and is only behind China, Mexico and Canada," Dorr said.

Aquaculture growth
Vietnam has a strong aquaculture industry, and in the next three years, as China's expanding population will demand nearly all of the world's aquaculture production, Vietnamese fish farms will have a large opportunity, Roy Bardole explained

In 2010, he said, there were more than 1 million hectares of aquaculture in production in Vietnam, producing about 500,000 tonnes of fish.

"Most fish ponds are on the edge of livestock pens," Bardole said. Using a manure base for fish feed is common, but by using a soy-based fish diet, Vietnamese farmers could have better feed conversions and be better able to control diseases.

"The amount of soybeans produced in Vietnam in any year is about 250,000 million tonnes," Bardole said. "There are two counties in Iowa that grow more soybeans."

The US has a 75% market share in soybean exports to Vietnam, mostly in containers. The Vietnamese want to take American soybeans and run them through their own crushing facilities in the country. This changes US exports from soy meal to soybeans.

Mycotoxins kill 7,000 chickens in Russia

//18 Apr 2012
One of the largest poultry producers in Russia, ‘Amur broiler’ has reported a staggering number of chicken deaths.
Local media Amur Info reported that products from this poultry producers have disappeared from markets shelves. Representatives of Rosselkhoznadzor, which receive monthly reports from the company, believe that the chicken deaths were caused by poor-quality feed.

"At the end of the year the poultry received stale feed. Quite simply, Penicillium - fungi was prensent in the feed, which produces mycotoxins, and extremely dangerous for both animals and humans. This is a virulent poison, " explained Olga Atavina, deputy chief of management of Rosselkhoznadzor for the Zabaikalye Territory and Amur Oblast. “Perhaps these mycotoxins undermined the chicken immune system,” she added.

According to experts, the feed killed about 7,000 of the company’s poultry. Meat from the sick animals did not end up on shop-shelves, the officials added. However, the owners of the stricken poultry farms denied that the chickens died due to mycotoxin poisoning. According to them the underlying cause could be the new equipment installed at a chicken farm. According to the representatives of the company the decrease in the production rate was due to the recent reconstruction of the maternity area on the farm.
Source: Vladislav Vorotnikov

Vietnam: Criminal charges for using lean meat feed additives

//16 Apr 2012
Officials have called for criminal charges to be implemented against those who make use of lean meat additives in animal feed.
Reports state that the additives, known as beta-agonist compounds, were introduced in Vietnam by some feed companies in 2000 and banned since 2002.

According to Vietnam Feed Association (VFA) vice president Pham Duc Binh, despite the ban, the lean meat additives are still being used in animal farming. He added that it is necessary to bring those who use the additives to court since the current penalties are not deterrent enough to stop the use of the illegal substances.

The chemicals, especially beta-agonist, have recently been found to be widespread in pig farming as it makes the meat lean but also shortens the animals' growth period, making it even more profitable.
La Van Kinh, deputy head of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Viet Nam said the use of the additives is not only threatening people's health but also damaging the husbandry industry as it has come to consumers’ attention. This has led to consumers becoming worried about the use of the additives in meat.

Source: Vietnam News

EU puts off organic animal feed rules till 2014

//17 Apr 2012
Producers were permitted to feed 5% of non-organic feed to pigs and poultry up until the end of last year. However, the European Union have postponed the introduction of a 100% organic diet for monogastric animals for two years.
This means that organic producers can continue to use 5% of non-organic protein feeds currently not available in organic form until the end of 2014.

The European Commission first planned to end the derogation for non-organic feed by 1 January 2012. However this was be delayed for an unspecified time in December, as there were fears that this would leave poultry producers short of raw ingredients to provide the nutritional requirements for their birds.

The regulation on regional sourcing has also been amended. Although producers will now be required to source a percentage of feed “produced in the same region in cooperation with other organic farms or feed business operators”, the levels have been lowered from 40% to 20%, while 60% of feed for herbivores must be sourced from either on-farm or from the region, originally set at 70%.

Merial acquires swine vaccine firm Newport Laboratories

//16 Apr 2012
Merial, the Animal Health division of Sanofi, announced that it has acquired Newport Laboratories, a privately held company based in Worthington, Minnesota, involved in autogenous vaccines with a focus on swine and bovine production markets.
“Newport has demonstrated over time the ability to screen field samples and produce autogenous vaccines from large integrated producers with remarkable efficiency,” declared Jose Barella, chief executive officer of Merial.

“The combination of Newport’s expertise and Merial’s strength in technology and geographic footprint will reinforce our exposure to the swine market segment and illustrates our strategy to expand our position in treatments for production animals”.

Newport Laboratories’ molecular diagnostic technology assists in identifying pathogens, and their novel manufacturing technologies are used to produce quality “Pinpoint” evidence-based - autogenous - vaccines, offering veterinarians and producers alternative methods to help prevent diseases in food animals. Due to this specific positioning, Newport has developed a unique relationship in the US with swine producers.

Merial has been a long-standing leader in vaccine technology with recombinant-vectored vaccines for large animals and pets, the first non-adjuvanted feline vaccine line, and oral rabies vaccines for wildlife. In addition, Merial developed the first therapeutic vaccine for cancer in dogs with xenogeneic plasmid DNA vaccine technology.

Dr. Randy Simonson, chief operating officer, Newport Laboratories commented, “Joining forces with Merial allows us to expand our expertise in the market and enhance the profitability of our customers through solution-based animal healthcare offerings. We will also be able to reach untapped markets in the US, and eventually, even bring our expertise to the rest of the world.”

This acquisition will enable Merial to expand its production animal business in the US and optimize Merial’s product technology with Newport’s demand realization expertise, thus providing a unique opportunity to meet the needs of US swine producers. Newport Laboratories will continue to operate from its Worthington site and maintain its high level of service to its customers.

Related websites:
Newport Laboratories
Merial

Report: Industrial enzymes market to hit US$3.9 billion

//13 Apr 2012 GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on Industrial Enzymes markets. Global market for Industrial Enzymes is projected to reach US$3.9 billion by the year 2017. Growth will be primarily driven by expansion in application possibilities, rising demand from industries in developing countries, and stringent environmental clampdown on conventional chemicals and chemical processes. Environmental concerns benefit enzyme sector A part of the industrial biotechnology sector, also known as "White Biotechnology", industrial enzymes are produced and isolated from micro-organisms. The sector is poised to benefit from growing environmental concerns and increased government intervention the world over to curb the unchecked use of hazardous and environmentally harmful conventional petro-chemicals. Environmental legislation has and will continue to remain a prime driver for change and will aid in widening the use of industrial enzymes. The natural greening process underway in the manufacturing sector driven by sustainable production principles, also augurs well for the future of the market. For instance, in the upcoming years, the incremental adoption of bioprocesses into every aspect of industrial manufacturing will help turbo-charge growth further. A measure of the untapped potential in store is reflected by the encouraging growth in R&D investments witnessed till date. Several of the R&D projects are currently centered on indentifying enzymes from fungi and microbes such as cellulases. The biofuel industry will witness the maximum action in the R&D space in the upcoming years. The development of newer grades of next generation enzymes, such as Psychrozymes, will open up newer application areas for enzymes in addition to its existing use in food, feed, textile, leather, oils & fats, beverage alcohol and biofuel industries. Animal feed enzyme technology Recent developments in feed enzyme technology promises to provide a significant boost to the animal production market, including poultry production. Novel feed enzymes have been developed that are economical and eco-friendly posing least risk to the animals. The enzymes are usually mixed with wheat and barley feeds for poultry and animals. The enzymes offer plethora of advantages including low cost, low mortality rates, enhanced carcass output, and reduction in phosphorus and nitrogen release in the environment. The cosmetics industry is also singled out as one of the major drivers of industrial enzymes. The move towards natural ingredients in cosmetics is indicated by the rapid rise of the organic cosmetics sector. Also, the prevailing trend towards enhancing the use of natural actives in product development to meet both sustainable and responsible manufacturing requirements and consumer's growing awareness over the importance of preserving natural biodiversity, provides ample opportunities for natural enzymes at the expense of petrochemical based enzymes. EU debt crisis effect on enzyme market Market prospects for industrial enzymes are hugely dependent on the health of the industrial and manufacturing sector. The European debt crisis and its induced volatility in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), not surprisingly leaves the domestic industrial enzymes market nervous over the future playout of the crisis. EUs industrial sentiment currently remains torn between optimism and fear, given the mixed signals emanating from the volatile manufacturing data in Spain and Italy and the encouraging industrial performance in Germany. Bearish market sentiments indicate that an escalation in the euro crisis could precipitate a slowdown in the market. Also the shift from fiscal government stimulus to anti-crisis austerity and spending cuts as a measure to tame the towering public debt scenario could impact capital expenditure in manufacturing industries in debt affected economies by limiting borrowing and reducing investments in capital goods. Reduced ability of the government to fund capital expenditure can impact both domestic and foreign financed projects thus indirectly influencing spending on machinery solutions, plant utilization rates and production capacity expansion, which in turn will directly impact production and production raw materials and feedstocks such as, industrial enzymes. However, despite the challenges and uncertainties, over the continued economic stability in Europe, most market indicators for the immediate-term future feature a largely positive outlook for the manufacturing industry in the year 2012. Also, the biotechnology industry in Europe continues to remain positive given the fact that applicable product development and reach in this sector is high, in light of the technology's potential to alter manufacturing processes for the better and reduce the 'carbon footprint' of production processes. The ability of enzymes to generate value across the production value chain is a key reason responsible for the optimism displayed by players in this market. As stated by the new market research report on Industrial Enzymes, Europe represents the largest market worldwide. Asia-Pacific is forecast to emerge as the fastest growing market with a projected CAGR of 7.2% over the analysis period. Major players in the marketplace include AB Enzymes GmbH, Advanced Enzyme Technologies Ltd., Amano Enzyme Inc., Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, BASF SE, Cargill Texturizing Solutions, Chr. Hansen A/S, Danisco A/S, Genencor International Inc., DSM Food Specialties, Hayashibara Company, Novozymes A/S, Verenium Corporation, among others. The research report titled "Industrial Enzymes: A Global Strategic Business Report" announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a comprehensive review of the industrial enzymes markets, impact of recession on the markets, current market trends, key growth drivers, competitive scenario, product overview, end-use analysis, recent product introductions, recent industry activity, and profiles of major/niche global as well as regional market participants. The report provides annual sales estimates and projections for geographic markets, such as, US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan), Middle East and Latin America. Product segments analyzed include Carbohydrases, Proteases, Lipases, and Others. End-use segments analyzed include Food & Feed, Detergents, Textiles, Leather, Pulp & Paper, and Others. For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit - www.strategyr.com/Industrial_Enzymes_Market_Report.asp Related links: Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA)

Exhibitors and visitors pleased with Victam Asia show

//16 Apr 2012 Fiaap, Victam & Grapas Asia 2012 were held for the 9th time but for the first time at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand from 15 – 17 February 2012. Exhibitors valued the exhibition with 8.3 points out of 10. Victam, Fiaap and Grapas Asia attracted 166 exhibitors from 29 different countries. Exhibitors were asked to complete a questionnaire in order to assess the event and also to assist us as the organizers. When asked about the general organization of the event the average score, 10 being the highest, was 8.3, an improvement of 0.3 on the 2010 show. The quality of the wireless internet connection received an exceptionally low mark, due to malfunctioning of the system. While visitors now were transported by minibus from the Skytrain to the exhibit hall, the BITEC management have also assured that the air-conditioned walkway from Bang Na railway station will be completed shortly and thus available at the next issue of the show. Quality is the key word Over the three days of the exhibition there were 6,198 visitors to the shows; an increase of 10% on the 2010 event, and over 550 delegates attended the conferences. The visitors came from 73 countries. Once again “quality” was the word being used to describe the entire event. The visitors described the exhibits as high quality, the exhibitors said the same for the visitors and delegates also confirmed the quality of the conferences. Over one third of all visitors to the exhibitions were of director level, again demonstrating the high level of the quality and status of the visitors. Many had travelled from all over South & South East Asia. The exhibitions now co-located with the Victam show also proved popular. The Grapas show, grain processing, rice and flour milling, brought in new visitors and almost 48% of all the visitors were interested in the Grapas exhibitors. The feed ingredients and additives exhibition – Fiaap, attracted a lot of interest; 52% of the visitors were interested in this exhibition. A number of these visitors commented that they would like to see more ingredient and additive suppliers at the 2014 exhibition. 2014 edition Victam International B.V. has tentatively reserved Halls 103 and 104 again at BITEC for the 2014 event. Unfortunately the exhibition halls were not available in February or March 2014 so for just that year the exhibitions and conferences will be held from 8-10 April, 2014. This will enable the event to avoid Chinese New Year and local public holidays. In 2016 the event will return in February/early March.

EU postpones organic poultry feed rules

//16 Apr 2012 The European Union have postponed the introduction of a 100% organic diet for monogastric animals for two years. This means that organic producers can continue to use 5% of non-organic protein feeds currently not available in organic form until the end of 2014. The European Commission first planned to end the derogation for non-organic feed by 1 January 2012. However this was be delayed for an unspecified time in December, as there were fears that this would leave poultry producers short of raw ingredients to provide the nutritional requirements for their birds. The regulation on regional sourcing has also been amended. Although producers will now be required to source a percentage of feed “produced in the same region in cooperation with other organic farms or feed business operators”, the levels have been lowered from 40% to 20%, while 60% of feed for herbivores must be sourced from either on-farm or from the region, originally set at 70%.

Foreign investments takeover Vietnam feed industry

//12 Apr 2012
Vietnam currently has 59 foreign-invested firms and joint ventures which hold 70% of the domestic animal (compound) feed market share while 180 local firms retain the remaining 30%.
Foreign invested firms have been pouring money into and expanding animal feed production, according to the Vietnam Animal Feed Association.

The animal feed market in Vietnam is expected to retain great potential due to animal feed demand of 18-20 million tonnes by 2015 and 25-26 million tonnes by 2020.

US-invested Cargill Vietnam in March added two factories to its nine existing feed production facilities, increasing total capacity to 1 million tonnes per year, accounting for 10% of the local market.

"Recent investment in animal nutrition is a sign of our continued commitment to fostering the economic growth of Vietnam," said Cargill CEO Greg Page.

Last year, Charoen Pokphand, a Thai animal feed producer operating in Vietnam, announced it would build six additional factories by 2014. Also Chinese firm New Hope, confirmed it would construct six more feed plants.

Outcompeting local initiatives
The association said foreign investment increase in animal feed production was due to high domestic demand as well as advantages in capital and tax during the production process.

Meanwhile, local animal feed producers have faced many challenges, including high interest rates on loans and low competitiveness.

Association Chairman Le Ba Lich admitted supporting capital to poor local producers still had to become reality.

Lich suggested the Government better regulate the animal feed market, encouraging foreign invested firms to produce mixed feed materials using advanced technology.

The state should offer investment incentives to local feed producers such as capital and warehouse facilities at ports, Lich added.

Local firms faced the risk of losing their market share to foreign rivals due to increased foreign investment into the feed industry, Lich noted. — VNS

Thailand looks to Laos to solve animal feed need

//13 Apr 2012
Thailand is experiencing a shortage of maize, the main raw material in feedmeal. The increased need of animal feed due to this year’s strong livestock market plus the high world market price for maize which is driving Thai traders to export, is contributing to the shortage.
To lessen the shortages the Thai government have approved a proposal from the Commerce Ministry to import 30,000 tonnes of maize from Laos to supply small feedmills.

The Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO) has been authorised to import the maize from now to the end of May. The local maize harvesting season begins in July.

The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives will lend the PWO nearly €8.4 million (337 million baht) to pay for the maize, priced at about 0.17-0.19 euro cents a kilogramme. About €7.5 million will be for the maize and the rest will cover operating costs.

According to Parkdehans Himathongkorn, deputy government spokesman, the maize will be imported at a 0% Asean Free Trade Area tariff rate.

Thailand's maize production is estimated at 4.78 million tonnes this year, while domestic demand is 4.525 million tonnes. Exports are projected at 190,000 tonnes.

Last year, Thailand bought about 387,400 tonnes of maize from Laos and Cambodia.

It is estimated that the local livestock industry will use about 15.22 million tonnes of feed meal this year to feed about 1,160 million chickens, 600,000 tonnes of shrimp, 350,000 head of cattle, and 2.2 million pigs.

An association source said that many feed mills are reluctant to import grain because of high prices.
"We're not certain about the quality of maize from neighbouring countries. Considering the low price of 0.17 euro cents (7 baht), the government will have to inspect the grain," the source said.
The source was surprised that the government still allow traders to export maize despite high demand in the domestic market.
The cost of maize rose from 0.25 euro cents a kg to 0.26 euro cents in February to March

Pfizer Trainee of the Year Award - bigger and better

//13 Apr 2012
The annual Pfizer Trainee of the Year Award moves into the next stage of its development this year. With financial support from animal health company Pfizer, the competition has become one of the most important events in the British pig industry calendar.
And now, to give it more depth at the grass roots, BPEX has agreed to take over its organisation.
The BPEX Trainee of the Year Award, sponsored by Pfizer, will offer a £1,000 training grant to the winner, and as before this may be used to benefit all staff on the winner’s pig unit.

The winner will also receive a £500 cash award provided by Pig World, and accommodation for two in central London for the awards ceremony, provided by BPEX.

BPEX knowledge transfer managers will play a key role in their respective regions by identifying candidates for the award and producing a short-list of finalists for the national judging panel.
“Bringing in BPEX is a natural progression,” said pig industry training chief Richard Longthorp, who is chairman of the award judging panel.

“With the involvement of BPEX knowledge transfer managers, who have considerable grass roots knowledge of their individual regions, we will be able to ensure a wide breadth of candidates from a range of pig units — small, large, corporate, family, indoors and outdoors.”
The move to the BPEX Trainee of the Year Award follows a meeting at which Pig World, Pfizer and BPEX considered ways to build on the award’s growing profile as a major event in the industry calendar.

Much of the success of the industry award, which was founded by training group Agskills a decade ago, is due to the long-term support of Pfizer.

“I am delighted that we have found this excellent way to build greater organisational depth into the award by bringing in the skills and resources of BPEX,” said Pfizer’s Marcon Tigges. “Pfizer will continue to play an important role — we have been involved with the start and are keen to continue supporting pig sector skills.”

BPEX skills development manager Tess Howe said, “The knowledge transfer team at BPEX have always supported the award by encouraging suitable candidates to enter, and they are highly motivated by the prospect of having an even greater role in future.

“The award is the highly visible pinnacle of all that we have been seeking to achieve in the industry over recent years in providing resources for professional development, improving career opportunities and stepping up productivity in the national herd.”

Under Pfizer and Pig World’s watch, the award presentation ceremony has moved from being an informal ad hoc occasion to a high profile event at the Houses of Parliament. It is envisaged the awards ceremony will continue to be an important industry event but details have yet to be finalised.

Source: BPEX

FDA calls on drugmakers to help limit use of antibiotics in pigs

//13 Apr 2012
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has called on drug companies to help limit the use of antibiotics in pigs, poultry and other livestock within the next three years.
Under new recent FDA guidelines, antibiotics should be used ‘judiciously’, or in other words, when necessary to keep animals healthy. The agency also wants to require a vet to prescribe the antibiotics – nowadays they can still be purchased over the counter by animal farmers.

The draft recommendations by the FDA are not binding, and that is why the agency is asking pharmaceutical companies now to voluntarily put the proposed limits in place. They would need to adjust the labelling of their antibiotics to remove so-called production uses of the antibiotics.

Three years
The FDA hopes the pharmaceutical companies will phase out language promoting non-medical uses within a timeframe of three years.

William Flynn, a deputy director in the FDA’s veterinary medicine centre, told Associated Press: "Now you have a veterinarian who will be consulting and providing advice to these producers and we feel that is an important element to assure that they are in fact using these drugs appropriately."

FDA officials pointed to scientific literature, supporting the role that animal use of antibiotics plays in reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics in humans.

Related websites:
• Food and Drug Administration

The latest FDA statement on antibiotics: criticism and approval

//13 Apr 2012
Reactions are mixed regarding the latest statement of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the use of antibiotics in poultry, pigs and other food animals.
This week, the agency asked pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily put proposed limits in place. They would need to adjust the labelling of their antibiotics to remove so-called production uses of the antibiotics. The agency also wants to require a vet to prescribe the antibiotics.

Elanco
Jeff Simmons, president of Elanco, a large animal pharmaceutical company in Greenfield, Indiana, agrees with the the FDA's move. Putting antibiotic use ‘under the oversight of the veterinarian is critical’, he said.

He said that his company already plans to veer away from some of its antibiotics and adopt more natural alternatives.

Iowa State University
Iowa State University associate professor, Dr Scott Hurd, a known advocate of drugs use in pork business replied to the latest FDA initiative in a weblog. He wrote, “Please do not let the genteel approach of my professional FDA colleagues fool you. This action is big! It will result in the end of all antibiotic uses that are critically important to humans as well as those not labeled for the treatment or prevention of a specific animal pathogen or ‘bad bug’.”

He also warned that the impact on pork producers could be immediate. “Although Guidance 209 does not take effect for three years, most of the veterinarians I know in large pork production companies have already begun to comply. Additionally, I can assure you, the packers who buy that pork will make every effort to ensure compliance with FDA’s ‘voluntary guidance’ particularly through the producer’s Quality Assurance Program.”

Campaigning organisations
Several anti-drugs campagining organisations responded, calling it ‘the most sweeping action the agency has undertaken’ – but others expressed worries that they do not trust the drug industry to voluntarily restrict its own products.

There already is a shift away from long-term change the over-use of antibiotics in animal feeds. In the European Union prophylactic use of antibiotics has been banned for several years now and McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken do not accept it.

Related websites:
• Food and Drug Administration
• Iowa State University
• Elanco

Reduced-oil DDGS worries nutritionists

//12 Apr 2012
Ethanol producers now also extract oil from corn before making DDGS, which lowers the energy value of the ethanol co-product, but how much? University of Minnesota extension service teamed up with USDA-ARS to develop a tool for energy prediction in DDGS.
Dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS) is the predominant ethanol co-product fed to swine, and its energy value is about equal to corn even though most of the starch is removed to produce ethanol.

This is due to the fact that all other nutrients, including corn oil, remaining in the co-product after ethanol distillation, are concentrated by a factor of three.

Corn oil has a much higher (about 2.25 times) energy value compared to starch, and is the main reason why DDGS is considered such a valuable energy ingredient in swine feeds.

However, due to the high price of crude corn oil and the relatively low capital investment required by ethanol plants to install centrifuges to extract some of the corn oil prior to making DDGS, the profitability and return on investment of oil extraction from the ethanol co-product stream is high.

Anxiety
As more of the industry extracts more oil before making DDGS, reduced-oil DDGS has created a lot of anxiety in the feed, livestock, and poultry industries because some of the energy value of DDGS has been taken away. The question is: "How much?" Up until recently, no one knew the answer to this question.

Jerry Shurson, University of Minnesota Extension animal nutritionist - anticipating this change in DDGS composition - teamed up with Brian Kerr, USDA-ARS in Ames, Iowa to determine the impact of oil extraction on energy content for pigs using 11 different DDGS sources.

The project was funded by the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council and USDA. Cenex Harvest States assisted in providing DDGS samples for the project.

Fibre more important
From the outcome of the project it was learned that the change in oil content of DDGS had much less of an effect on energy value than the change in fibre content.

This was initially surprising because of the high amount of calories in corn oil compared to the calorie concentration in corn fibre.

In fact, many people were expecting a simple answer, such as "removing one percentage unit of corn oil reduces energy value by x-number of calories."

This relationship does not hold true because of the variable concentrations of other nutritional components that either contribute to increased energy or reduce the energy value.

By conducting this research, Shurson and Kerr have developed accurate energy prediction equations to give nutritionists, pork producers and DDGS marketers to tools needed to determine changes in energy value of any source of DDGS, and negotiate price based on changes in energy value.

Foreign investments takeover Vietnam feed industry

//12 Apr 2012
Vietnam currently has 59 foreign-invested firms and joint ventures which hold 70% of the domestic animal (compound) feed market share while 180 local firms retain the remaining 30%.
Foreign invested firms have been pouring money into and expanding animal feed production, according to the Vietnam Animal Feed Association.

The animal feed market in Vietnam is expected to retain great potential due to animal feed demand of 18-20 million tonnes by 2015 and 25-26 million tonnes by 2020.

US-invested Cargill Vietnam in March added two factories to its nine existing feed production facilities, increasing total capacity to 1 million tonnes per year, accounting for 10% of the local market.

"Recent investment in animal nutrition is a sign of our continued commitment to fostering the economic growth of Vietnam," said Cargill CEO Greg Page.

Last year, Charoen Pokphand, a Thai animal feed producer operating in Vietnam, announced it would build six additional factories by 2014. Also Chinese firm New Hope, confirmed it would construct six more feed plants.

Outcompeting local initiatives
The association said foreign investment increase in animal feed production was due to high domestic demand as well as advantages in capital and tax during the production process.

Meanwhile, local animal feed producers have faced many challenges, including high interest rates on loans and low competitiveness.

Association Chairman Le Ba Lich admitted supporting capital to poor local producers still had to become reality.

Lich suggested the Government better regulate the animal feed market, encouraging foreign invested firms to produce mixed feed materials using advanced technology.

The state should offer investment incentives to local feed producers such as capital and warehouse facilities at ports, Lich added.

Local firms faced the risk of losing their market share to foreign rivals due to increased foreign investment into the feed industry, Lich noted. — VNS

Banned antibiotics still used in US poultry

//10 Apr 2012 In a joint study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University found evidence suggesting that fluoroquinolones, a class of antibiotics previously banned by the US government for poultry production, is still in use. Results of the study were published March 21 in Environmental Science & Technology. The study, conducted by the Bloomberg School’s Centre for a Liveable Future and Arizona State’s Biodesign Institute, looked for drugs and other residues in feather meal, a common additive to chicken, swine, cattle and fish feed. The most important drugs found in the study were fluoroquinolones, a broad spectrum of antibiotics used to treat serious bacterial infections in people, particularly those that have become resistant to older antibiotic classes. The banned drugs were found in eight of 12 samples of feather meal in a multistate study. The findings were a surprise to scientists because fluoroquinolone use in US poultry production was banned by the Food and Drug Administration in 2005. This is the first time investigators have examined feather meal, a byproduct of poultry production made from poultry feathers, to determine what drugs poultry may have received prior to their slaughter and sale. Arsenic also found The rendering industry, which converts animal byproducts into a wide range of materials, processes poultry feathers into feather meal, which is often added as a supplement to poultry, pig, ruminant and fish feeds or sold as an “organic” fertilizer. In a companion study, researchers found inorganic arsenic in feather meal used in retail fertilizers. “The discovery of certain antibiotics in feather meal strongly suggests the continued use of these drugs despite the ban put in place in 2005 by the FDA,” said David Love, lead author of the report and an assistant scientist at the Centre for a Liveable Future. “The public health community has long been frustrated with the unwillingness of FDA to effectively address what antibiotics are fed to food animals.” Campylobacter resistance A primary reason for the 2005 ban on the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry production was an alarming increase in the rate of the fluoroquinolone resistance among Campylobacter bacteria. “In recent years, we’ve seen the rate of fluoroquinolone resistance slow but not drop,” noted study co-author Keeve Nachman, Farming for the Future program director at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. “With such a ban, you would expect a decline in resistance to these drugs. The continued use of fluoroquinolones and unintended antibiotic contamination of poultry feed may help explain why high rates of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter continue to be found on commercial poultry meat products over half a decade after the ban,” he said. All samples positive In conducting the study, the researchers analyzed commercially available feather meal samples acquired from six US states and China for a suite of 59 pharmaceuticals and personal care products. All 12 samples tested had between two and 10 antibiotic residues. In addition to antimicrobials, seven other personal care products, including the pain reliever acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol), the antihistamine diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) and the antidepressant fluoxetine (the active ingredient in Prozac), were detected. Researchers also found caffeine in 10 of 12 feather meal samples. “This study reveals yet another pathway of unwanted human exposure to a surprisingly broad spectrum of prescription and over-the-counter drugs,” noted study co-author Rolf Halden, co-director of the Centre for Health Information and Research and associate director of the Swette Centre for Environmental Biotechnology at Arizona State. Select for resistance When researchers exposed several strains of E. coli bacteria to the concentrations of antibiotics found in the feather meal samples, they also discovered that the drug residues could select for resistant bacteria. “A high enough concentration was found in one of the samples to select for bacteria that are resistant to drugs important to treat infections in humans,” Nachman noted. “We strongly believe that the FDA should monitor what drugs are going into animal feed,” Nachman said. “Based on what we’ve learned, I’m concerned that the new FDA guidance documents, which call for voluntary action from industry, will be ineffectual. By looking into feather meal, and uncovering a drug banned nearly six years ago, we have very little confidence that the food animal production industry can be left to regulate itself.”

Milk and special diets fail to reduce S. suis in weaners

//03 Apr 2012 Adding either milk or special feed to weanling piglet diets does not reduce the number of weaned piglets with clinical signs of an infection with Streptococcus suis. This was the outcome of two recent experiments at the Dutch Swine Innovation Centre Sterksel, part of Wageningen University. The research was supervised by Dr Carola van der Peet-Schwering. Main question in the trials was whether the supply of milk after weaning can increase the energy intake of the weaned piglets and reduce the number of weaned piglets with clinical signs of an infection with Streptococcus suis (S. suis). Pre-starter diet Moreover, it was investigated whether the supply of a specially prepared pre-starter diet can increase the energy intake of the weaned piglets and reduce the number of weaned piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis. This diet consisted of with a lower level of non-digestible crude protein and with higher levels of gelatinised corn, acids, coconut oil and fermentable non-starch polysaccharides. In the trials described in this report, milk was supplied during the first three days after weaning. In total 320 weaned piglets (ten piglets per pen) were allotted to a 2 x 2 factorial experiment. Treatments were: • Milk versus no milk: piglets received no milk after weaning or they received the first three days after weaning a milk product which was specially developed for this trial. All piglets received a pre-starter diet. • Control pre-starter diet (diet A) versus an optimised pre-starter diet (diet B): piglets received the pre-starter diets the first 14 days after weaning. Then all piglets were switched to the same starter diet. Weaned piglets were followed from weaning till 35 days after weaning. The number of culled and veterinary treated piglets and the number of piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis was registered daily. Results and conclusions Energy intake after weaning can be increased by the supply of milk after weaning. Energy intake and daily gain in the first week after weaning were respectively 0.14 EW/d and 86 g/d higher in piglets that were fed milk during the first three days after weaning than in piglets that received no milk after weaning. From day 7 to 14 after weaning, energy intake (0.51 versus 0.45 EW/d) and daily gain (382 versus 341 g/d) were higher in milk fed piglets than in piglets that received no milk. Feed conversion ratio was similar in both groups. From weaning to day 35, energy intake (0.72 versus 0.66 EW/d) and daily gain (458 versus 424 g/d) were higher in milk fed piglets than in piglets that received no milk. The supply of milk after weaning did not reduce the number of weaned piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis (19 of 160 piglets in both groups). Yield per delivered piglet was € 1.04 lower in milk fed piglets than in piglets that received no milk. Weaned piglets that received pre-starter diet B had a higher energy intake from weaning to day 14 and from weaning to day 35 than weaned piglets that received pre-starter diet A. Daily gain and feed conversion ratio were similar in piglets that were fed pre-starter diet A or B. Pre-starter diet B did not reduce the number of weaned piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis (21 versus 17 piglets) and the number of culled piglets (3 versus 2) compared to prestarter diet A. Yield per delivered piglet was similar in piglets that received pre-starter diet A or B. Milk increased energy intake Based on the results of the two experiments, it can be concluded that the supply of milk after weaning increased the energy intake and daily gain of the piglets in the first week after weaning and from weaning to day 35. However, the supply of milk did not reduce the number of piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis. It seems that a higher energy intake after weaning will not reduce the number of piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis. Pre-starter diet B did not improve the performance of the piglets in both experiments. Pre-starter B can reduce the number of piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis (experiment 1) but this is not always the case (experiment 2). It is not clear why pre-starter B reduced the number of piglets with clinical signs of an infection with S. suis in the first experiment but not in the second experiment. The research was done by order of the Dutch Product Board for Livestock and Meat, the Dutch Product Board for Animal Feed and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. Earlier research focused on the supply of milk during the first six days after weaning. The results of this experiment were published last year. Related websites: • Dutch Swine Innovation Centre Sterksel • Wageningen University (WUR) • Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation

Poland imposes ban on MON810 GM-maize

//11 Apr 2012 Poland has now officially imposed a ban on Monsanto's MON810 GMO maize. Recent protests by beekeepers and anti-GMO activists have resulted in a successful conclusion. Digital Journal reported in late March on a protest by Beekeepers and Anti-GMO activists in Warsaw who were demanding that the Minister of Agriculture, Marek Sawicki ban MON810 in the country. Their protests now have had a successful outcome. Minister of Agriculture in the Polish Government, Marek Sawicki says that as well as being linked to range of health ailments, the pollen originating from this GM strain might actually be devastating to the already reduced bee population in the country. “The decree is in the works. It introduces a complete ban on the MON810 strain of maize in Poland,” Sawicki told the press. On March 9th, there was similar opposition to Monsanto GMO strains. On that date 7 European countries blocked the proposal by the Danish presidency to permit the cultivation of GMO crops on the entire European continent. The countries who blocked this proposal were Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia. A week after this announcement, France imposed a temporary ban on the Monsanto MON810 strain. Worldwide opposition A report released last week shows that worldwide opposition to the biotechnology giant Monsanto and "the agro-industrial model that it represents" is growing. La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth International, and Combat Monsanto, the groups who issued the report, show that small farmers, groups and communities in every continent are rising up to resist Monsanto's products and environmental harm. While Monsanto's approach, including genetically modified crops, has been shown to hurt biodiversity, local food knowledge and the environment, the report shows that "food sovereignty is a real and feasible alternative." This new report documents the intense opposition to this powerful transnational company, which peddles its genetically modified products seemingly without regard for the associated social, economic and environmental costs," said Martin Drago, Friends of the Earth International's Food Sovereignty program coordinator. In February, a French court found Monsanto guilty of poisoning a French farmer. The Lyon court ruled in favour of Paul Francois, who claimed to suffer from neurological debilities after inhaling a Monsanto weed killer in 2004. Economic disaster The report states that genetically modified crops are causing an economic disaster for farmers in the US. GM crops have cost American taxpayers $12 billion in farm subsidies in the past three years. Within a few years of the introduction of GM crops, almost the entire $300 million annual US maize exports to the EU had disappeared, and the US share of the soya market had decreased. In addition, GE crops have lead to an increased use of pesticides, while resulting in overall lower crop yields. The activists state that there is compelling evidence that animals provided with feed containing GM ingredients can react in a way that is unique to an exposure to GM plants. This is revealed through metabolic, physiological or immunological responses in exposed animals.

Sanofi acquires US swine vaccines

//06 Apr 2012 French drugmaker Sanofi announced it has acquired Newport Laboratories, a US swine and bovine vaccines manufacturer, to bolster its animal health unit Merial, Reuters reports. The acquisition will enable Merial to expand its US cow and pig vaccine business, Sanofi said. Newport specialises in autogenous vaccines, which are developed and produced from a virus or bacteria strain that has been isolated from tissue samples submitted from a particular farm, offering alternative methods to help prevent diseases in food animals. In 2011 Merial reported sales of €2 billion, up 4.3 percent from 2010.

4% of Vietnam's pork contains banned additives

//06 Apr 2012 A random sample of Vietnam's pork detected that 4.4 % contained forbidden lean-meat additives which could lead to cardiovascular complications in humans, revealed Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's department of Animal Husbandry. Nine laboratories conducted an analysis after inspectors found the harmful substances being used in southern Dong Nai Province. Eight among 179 pork samples were found to be positive for the chemical. Additional tests were also conducted on animal feed and urine. Of the 268 samples of animal feed collected, 13 were positive for the additives while seven of the 108 urine samples were contaminated. The Department set up two inspection teams to take an additional 90 samples in 15 northern and coastal provinces and cities. Results showed toxic substances to be present in three samples collected in Hoa Binh, Bac Ninh and Hai Duong provinces. "The use of banned Beta Agonist substances in livestock farming has decreased and is very close to the regulated level. However, there is still potential for the risks to rise again, especially since their use has resulted in profit for a number of businesses," said vice head of the department Nguyen Xuan Duong. Duong added that the department had completed the necessary legal documents to fine 11 farms in southern Dong Nai Province that had been found to violate regulations. At least two farms have already been fined VND25 million (US$1,200) each for their behaviour. Minister Cao Duc Phat said it was necessary to find the source of harmful substances in Vietnam, especially the persons involved in trading these chemicals. Phat instructed relevant authorities to continue taking random samples, especially in places where violations had been found to crack down on violators. He also asked the Animal Health Department to strengthen its inspections of animal feed businesses to ensure the absence of additives in these products. Relevant authorities were asked to complete the legal foundation to get rid of forbidden substances in animal husbandry. •for more information go to Vietnam News

New appointment to represent Fancom in Vietnam

//10 Apr 2012 Fancom B.V. has closed an agreement with Nguyen Van Cuong for the marketing, sales and service activities of Fancom in Vietnam. With his veterinarian background Nguyen Van Cuong disposes of an extensive network and thorough knowledge of the Vietnamese poultry and pig keeping industry. “The innovative solutions of Fancom fit perfectly with the increasing demand of the Vietnamese pig keeping industry to improve the production process and quality to ultimately obtain a better position in the world food market”, says Nguyen Van Cuong. “High production costs, disease and mortality are a big problem in Vietnam and there is a strong need for professionalization of the production process”. “Fancom is pleased with this cooperation”, according to Peter Marcelissen, area sales manager at Fancom. “Together with our partners we can offer the Vietnamese pig farmer a complete house equipment solution with full Fancom automation for climate control, feed control, biometrics and a management system. This gives the farmer more grip on the production process and he enables him to make big improvements. On top of that, an efficient automation results in considerable savings on production costs and labour.”

US: Pig manure attracts interest from big firms Google and Apple

//10 Apr 2012 North Carolina’s pig farms are becoming the focus of big tech companies interested in off-setting their carbon footprint by investing in manure-to-methane renewable energy. It first started with Google’s partnership with Duke University, seeking to demonstrate manure-to-methane renewable biogas as a viable technology, with the aid of a local pig farm. Apple, with the construction of its new data centre in Maiden, North Carolina, is interested in qualifying for the state’s renewable energy credits. North Carolina is examining its hog waste as a potential uptapped resource as a means of reducing its dependence on coal-fired power plants, as well as the risks that come with an overly successful hog industry. In 1995 after a hog waste lagoon broke open, inundating nearby fields and creating a a massive fish kill in a nearby river. In addition to Duke University’s project, the University of North Carolina has been researching manure-to-energy as a way to eliminate odors and waste disposal issues at hog farms. The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has also been investigating the potential for hog waste to produce biodiesel and other oils, including a tarlike asphalt substitute that could be used for road surfaces. Read more at TPM Idea Lab

WTO: India and US consult at DSB on Indian ban of US poultry

//11 Apr 2012 India and the US have embarked on a trade war over restrictions on poultry imports and higher visa fees. India has dragged the US to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) dispute settlement body (DSB) over an increase in the professional visa fee. Both sides will present a case to the WTO's dispute settlemement body (DSB) on India’s ban on US poultry imports, Business Standard reports. This is for the first time in the history of their bilateral relations that India is taking the US to the WTO. On April 16, India and the US will consult on the case concerning India’s ban on US poultry imports. If the consultations fail to resolve the issue, the US possesses the right to call for a dispute settlement panel, giving rise to a full-fledged dispute. Normally, it takes almost 8-10 years for a case to be settled at the DSB. India’s poultry market is one of the largest in the world and it had been maintaining the ban on US poultry products since 2007 even after the US denied having any inconsistencies on international safety standards. According to US trade representative Ron Kirk, India has never substantiated its arguments with proper scientific evidence. “Every country today is becoming protectionist, with the huge churn that is happening in the global economy. There is still a huge slump in US employment rates. India and the US are stuck in matters of national importance having political repercussions. Every country is now apprehensive of India’s economic might and its impact on their economies,” said T S Vishwanath, principal adviser, APJ-SLG Law Offices. For more information go to Business Standard: India

Ghana rules out imported poultry ban

//11 Apr 2012 Persistent concerns expressed by poultry farmers over the influx of imported poultry products has lead the Ghanaian government to categorically state that it has no immediate plans to ban the importation of poultry into Ghana. The farmers have waged a campaign against importation of the products or at least the imposition of tariffs on them. Deputy Agricultural Minister, Dr Sugri Tia has stated that, while a ban could always be a possibility; the country needs to first focus on boosting local production. “It is possible to increase tariffs but we are considering that it is not an immediate option now.” He said the “consumption of poultry has been very low and people’s purchasing power has not been the best and we are trying to push local production whiles encouraging people to consume more. So we want to keep their appetite for chicken there”. The government fears that with a tariff domestic poultry prices would further increase, hampering the growth of sector.

Ceva developed Vectormune HVT AIV vaccine gets USDA approval

//11 Apr 2012 Ceva announced the successful development and subsequent USDA approval of Vectormune HVT AIV, a recombinant vaccine against Avian Influenza (AI), at the 8th International Symposium on AI. Since the first major outbreaks of AI due to H5N1 were reported in China in 1996, and considering the limited efficacy of classical inactivated vaccines, including the ones using reverse genetics technology, Ceva has focused its efforts on the development of a new type of live vaccine using HVT vector technology. Vectormune HVT AIV offers a new way to control this disease. The vaccine can be used in the hatchery, in day old chicks, allowing for optimal vaccine coverage. In situations were the classical inactivated vaccines had lost 100% of their efficacy because of variations of the field virus, Vectormune HVT-AIV proved to maintain a high level of protection. Vectormune HVT-AIV also showed capabilities of reducing the shedding of the field virus after challenge, which is a key factor to consider when aiming at a better control of the spreading of the disease. “We are dedicated to combating zoonoses, diseases transmitted between animals and humans that carry the threat of serious and devastating pandemics,” said Arnaud Bourgeois, Vice President of the Ceva Group and Director of Ceva’s Biology Business Unit. “After years of research, including both failure and success, we are proud to offer this new tool in the global fight against influenza.” Vectormune HVT AIV has been successfully tested against several antigenically divergent Avian Influenza viruses from different parts of the world, in both laboratory and field conditions. “Our research revealed such outstanding potency features and flexibility that we believe this vaccine can dramatically help in improving the control of Avian Influenza,” said Yannick Gardin, Director of Biology Innovation Strategy at Ceva Santé Animale. Ceva was a gold sponsor of the 8th International Symposium on Avian Influenza organized by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency UK. Hosted in the Royal Holloway, University of London, this important Congress welcomed more than 300 professionals working in related scientific fields around the world, including research, regulatory, and control of Avian Influenza. Ceva actively participated in the scientific program with two oral presentations and three poster papers by both external and internal scientists. A comprehensive compilation of all scientific information on Vectormune HVT AIV is available upon request.

Cephalosporin Order of Prohibition Goes Into Effect

April 6, 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that the order of prohibition of cephalosporins originally published on January 6, 2012 is now effective.

The order prohibits certain uses of the cephalosporin (excluding cephapirin) class of antimicrobial drugs in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys.

FDA is taking this action to preserve the effectiveness of cephalosporin drugs for treating disease in humans. Prohibiting these uses is intended to reduce the risk of cephalosporin resistance in certain bacterial pathogens.

In its order, FDA is prohibiting what are called “extralabel” or unapproved uses of cephalosporins in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys, the so-called major species of food-producing animals. Specifically, the prohibited uses include:

using cephalosporin drugs at unapproved dose levels, frequencies, durations, or routes of administration;
using cephalosporin drugs in cattle, swine, chickens or turkeys that are not approved for use in that species (e.g., cephalosporin drugs intended for humans or companion animals);
using cephalosporin drugs for disease prevention.
The order had a comment period of 60 days that began on January 6, 2012 and closed on March 6, 2012. The FDA carefully reviewed all submitted comments and determined that the order of prohibition, as published on Jan 6, 2012, should go into effect on April 5, 2012 without further revision or delay.

Russia rapidly increasing use of antibiotics in feed production

//05 Apr 2012
According to the Russian Federal Statistic Service (Rosstat), the production of feed antibiotics in 2011 was 47,400 kg - this is 3.41 times higher than in 2010
Every year antibiotics are becoming more and more popular among Russian farmers, and this trend is also reflected in the price. In January 2012 the average price of feed antibiotics in Russia grew by 4.8% reaching the level of 1,073 rub (US$ 36) per tonne when compared with January 2011,

According to official statistics, the Russian market of feed antibiotics increased by 230% from 2005 to 2010. Almost half of antibiotics used in agriculture are imported. The major suppliers of this production into the country are – CIS companies Seva, Invesa, and also US company Pfizer. For example, Pfizer from 2005 to 2010 increased supplies of antibiotics in the Russian market by 11 times (from US$ 450,000 to US$ 5 million in value).



Experts are currently considering the gaps in the Russian legislation. The main problem is monitoring of the use of antibiotics in feed production, meaning it doesn’t meet international standards. So at the moment there is no real control. If a farmer is found to be using antibiotics for non-therapeutic purposes, which is currently prohibited by law, the farmer will incur a small fine, which does not affect his production process. No other action is taken.


Such rapid growth of feed antibiotic production has drawn criticism from the head of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselhoznadhor) Sergei Dankvert. “We have a need to significantly strengthen laws regarding the use of antibiotics in animal feeding,” Dankvert said in a recent interview. "We have a number of things that are not reflected in the legislation - for example, nitrofuran." Many countries already prohibit its use, but we still don’t consider it an antibiotic.”

The experts also forecast that if this trend continues Russia may soon become the largest consumer of feed antibiotics in the world.
Source: Vladislav Vorotnikov

UK vet association questions allegations around superbug

//04 Apr 2012
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) urged caution over the findings of a Soil Association (SA) literature review, which cites ‘overwhelming evidence’ that the use of antibiotics in UK livestock farms is contributing to the rise of resistant human E. coli infections.
The BVA questioned the claim that there is ‘overwhelming evidence’ in the Soil Association report and in contrast points to the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority, which states:

“Few studies designed to assess risk factors for ESBL and/or AmpC occurrence in animals are available. The use of antimicrobials is a risk factor for selection and spread of resistant clones, resistance genes and plasmids.”

The opinion then goes on to state: “How widespread ESBL-carrying bacteria are in food-producing animals in the breeding/ rearing/ fattening sectors is generally unknown.”

University of Glasgow
The BVA also pointed to a recent study from the University of Glasgow in which the data show that animal and human populations of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 differ significantly indicating that animal populations are unlikely to be the major source of resistance to these bacteria in humans. Could this also be the case for other bacteria?
Commenting, Carl Padgett, BVA president, said: “The leading scientific panel in Europe has taken the view that the evidence is simply not there to draw such conclusions. The incidence of resistance in animals and the use of antibiotics as a predictor of incidence in man is now being questioned by research from the University of Glasgow. Although this research relates to different bacteria, we have to reflect on whether such a conclusion may also apply to E. coli and we would welcome more research in this area."

Kneejerk reactions
Padgett continued, “The BVA is concerned that kneejerk reactions to the very real problem of antimicrobial resistance can lead to blanket restrictions on the use of these medicines by veterinary surgeons that are not backed up by scientific evidence.

“However, the Soil Association’s call for a stronger regulatory framework for the newer antibiotics is something the BVA supports wholeheartedly.

“The BVA has been at the forefront of attempts to encourage the profession to use medicines responsibly, especially the newer classes of antimicrobials in animals. In the BVA poster on responsible use we specifically recommend that these antimicrobials, along with fluoroquinolones should be reserved for clinical conditions that respond poorly to other classes of antimicrobials.
“We will continue to work with the RUMA Alliance to promote strong guidelines on responsible use to veterinary surgeons.”

British Poultry Council
The British Poultry Council also disputed the SA’s report, saying that the UK poultry meat sector follows a responsible and responsive programme of antimicrobial stewardship.

Peter Bradnock, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, said: “We are aware of new scientific information on ESBLs and the ways they develop, and have reflected this in changes in the categories of antibiotics and prescription criteria for antibiotic treatment of chickens. We are not, however, aware of any recent evidence that ESBLs are increasing in chicken farms across the UK.”

Related website:
• British Poultry Council
• British Veterinary Association
• Soil Association