News Update
June 20, 2006


Canada Concludes BSE Investigation

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced June 16 it had concluded its investigation of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case first confirmed April 16 in a cow from British Columbia.

According to CFIA, the investigation identified 148 animals, including the affected animal’s herdmates and recent offspring. From this group, 22 live animals were located, and all tested negative for BSE. One additional animal, which is currently pregnant, has been placed under quarantine and will be tested once it has calved. Of the remaining animals investigated, 77 had died or been slaughtered, 15 were exported to the United States and 33 were untraceable.

CFIA reports that while a specific source of infection was not found, agency investigators determined that vehicles and equipment used to ship and receive ingredients likely contaminated cattle feed with the BSE agent.

Investigators also identified a feed ingredient supplier common to this case and Canada’s fourth BSE animal, confirmed Jan. 22. This potential link suggests that all of Canada’s BSE cases fall within the same geographic cluster, which is reflective of feed sourcing, production and distribution patterns.


USDA Awards Conservation Grants

Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey yesterday awarded nearly $20 million in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to 38 states to fund 66 projects designed to develop and refine cutting-edge technologies and approaches that can help producers maintain viable agricultural operations.

Applicants from 45 states submitted 180 project proposals and requested about $63 million. This fiscal year’s grantees include three resource conservation and development councils, seven conservation districts, four state and local governments, 13 non-governmental organizations, 22 colleges and universities, two tribes, 12 business entities and three individuals.

Approved projects address natural resource issues such as water quantity, water quality improvement, livestock nutrient management, grazing lands and forest health, and soil resource management. In addition, projects also address emerging natural resource issues including agricultural air emissions, energy conservation and market-based approaches to conservation.

Additional information about CIG, including summaries of approved projects, is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig. A chart for a state listing of CIG projects, in pdf format, can be found at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig/2006awards.html.

USDA Trains Scientists to Detect Bird Flu

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Ron DeHaven announced yesterday the training of 24 scientists from 19 countries on diagnostic testing for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

The agency’s workshop is scheduled for June 19-23 at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. It is the third in a series of train-the-trainers workshops on HPAI testing and diagnostics.

DeHaven said the goal is to assist senior-level veterinarians and poultry disease experts from countries that either have discovered HPAI, or are at high risk for the disease. The 24 participants come from countries that have requested USDA technical assistance in HPAI testing and diagnostics. Training will include hands-on lab exercises and lectures from USDA experts.

The workshops are a joint effort of Iowa State University and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), APHIS and the Foreign Agricultural Service.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.