NASDA News March 27, 2006

NIAA Special Symposium Announced
Published: March 27, 2006

        NIAA (National Institute of Animal Agriculture) meets in Louisville, Kentucky, April 3 to 6, 2006. The theme of "Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery" will run throughout the entire meeting including a special final symposium which will center on a hypothetical outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the U.S.
        The daylong symposium will be held on April 6 and will feature some of the world's leading experts on the disease as well as on disaster planning and management.. Anyone involved in animal agriculture, animal health and/or emergency management operations are welcome to attend. Information is available online at http://www.animalagriculture.org. (Contact: Bob Ehart)

HHS Launches New Pandemic Flu Website
Published: March 27, 2006

        The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed a new website to provide one-stop access to U.S. government avian and pandemic flu information. This website provides advice on how to prepare in the event of an outbreak and can be accessed at: http://www.pandemicflu.gov. Visitors to the site can stay up-to-date on plans for responding to an outbreak, learn about current tests, vaccines and medications, and see alerts and advisories for travelers. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)

Bush Nominates New Interior Secretary
Published: March 27, 2006

        President Bush announced March 16 that he is nominating Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne as secretary of the interior. Kempthorne would replace Gale Norton who announced her resignation on March 10 and plans to step down by end of the month.
        Previously, Kempthorne served one term in the U.S. Senate before he was elected governor of Idaho in 1998 and reelected in 2004. He had been considered a top candidate for Environmental Protection Agency administrator when that position was open in 2003 and in 2005. Bush said in a statement that Kempthorne would continue the administration's effort "to conserve our land, water, and air resources, reduce the maintenance backlog of our national parks and develop the energy potential of federal lands and waters in environmentally sensitive ways." (Contact: Charlie Ingram)

New Vice Chair Named for House Agriculture Committee
Published: March 27, 2006

        The House Agriculture Committee has announced that Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) will be the new vice chairman of the panel. He takes over the position from Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) who was recently elected House majority leader.
        Pombo represents California's 11th Congressional District which is one of the state's largest agricultural producers including a large number of specialty crops. He has served on the committee since 1993. Pombo said his priorities would be to open both domestic and export markets for agriculture products as well as push for increased investment in the rural community. Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-Ind.) was added to the committee roster to fill the vacancy left by Boehner. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)

Senate Approves Budget Resolution Without Agriculture Cuts
Published: March 27, 2006

        The Senate approved a budget resolution for FY07 on March 16 which provides a total of $2.8 trillion for government spending. The budget measure does not include additional spending reductions for agriculture as proposed by the administration.
        The congressional budget resolution is not signed into law and serves as a blueprint for the House and Senate appropriations committees. The administration's FY07 budget proposal calls for a total of $2.7 trillion in spending with USDA total budget outlays estimated at $92.8 billion--about $3 billion less than FY06 spending levels. Generally, the administration's FY07 budget for USDA calls for an estimated $16 billion in commodity program benefits but includes proposals to reduce government costs by tightening payment limits, reducing crop and dairy payments to farmers by five percent, minimizing dairy price support expenditures, and establishing a marketing assessment on milk. The Senate budget resolution ignored these proposals and would set FY07 new discretionary budget authority at $27.3 billion with outlays of $26.7 billion. Generally, about 77 percent of the FY07 agriculture budget is for mandatory spending programs such as nutrition assistance and farm commodity programs, while about 23 percent of outlays are for discretionary spending. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)

NASDA Urges Funding for Agriculture Security
Published: March 27, 2006

        NASDA sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff on March 23 urging the administration to support the states' efforts on agriculture emergency preparedness and to encourage interstate collaboration. The letter is a follow-up to previous correspondence in November 2005 with recommendations from NASDA's Food and Agriculture Security Committee.
        NASDA has expressed concern about the overall decreased funding available to states under the FY06 Homeland Security Grant program and states' abilities to prepare for emergencies affecting the food and agriculture. The Homeland Security Grant program is currently one of the only sources of funding to states to support preparedness in the food and agriculture sectors. Specifically, NASDA recommends that the risk calculation, which is one of two components that will be used to determine each state's allocation under the FY06 Homeland Security Grant program, fully considers the risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts associated with threats to the food and agriculture sector. NASDA also urged DHS to address the mechanisms for reviewing and awarding grants for multi-state partnerships for homeland security activities. The letter has been posted on the NASDA website. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)

NAFTA Free Trade Commission Meets in Mexico
Published: March 27, 2006

        Last week, the NAFTA Free Trade Commission, including Sergio Garc¡a de Alba, Mexico's secretary of economy; the Honorable David L. Emerson, Canada's minister of international trade, and Ambassador Rob Portman, United States trade representative, met in Acapulco, Mexico. In a statement, the commission members noted that they had laid important groundwork for the Security and Prosperity Partnership Conference among President George Bush, President Vicente Fox, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper for this week in Cancun.
        They discussed the changing global commercial environment and its implications for Mexico, Canada and the U.S. Plus, reaffirmed each country's commitment to NAFTA as the cornerstone for strengthening North American competitiveness in today's global economy. In addition, they committed to achieving concrete, commercially-relevant results that will continue to ease the flow of goods, services, and capital between our three countries. Specifically, work was initiated that will focus on sectors and the removal of specific impediments to the free flow of goods, services and capital. The countries agreed to conduct a thorough review of the operation of the NAFTA working groups and committees in order to identify potential improvements and future work and to examine how our three countries might collaborate in the trade agreements with other countries and how elements of the free trade agreements might inform improvements to NAFTA practices such as transparency and trade facilitation. Officials agreed to report back to ministers in six months on these issues. The full statement can be located at http://www.ustr.gov/ under "Top News." (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)

BSE Update From Alabama
Published: March 27, 2006

        Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks and Alabama State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Frazier with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) and USDA have provided an update on their ongoing joint investigation of the cow that died from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Alabama.
        Since the investigation began, the ADAI and the USDA have followed multiple leads in the traceback process. At this time, 13 locations and 32 movements of cattle have been examined with 27 of those being substantially completed. Additional investigations of locations and herds will continue. In addition, state and federal officials have confirmed that a black bull calf was born in 2005 to the index animal (the red cow). The calf was taken by the owner to a local stockyard in July 2005 where the calf died. The calf was disposed of in a local landfill and did not enter the human or animal food chain.
        Without a premises or animal ID program in place, the traceback process to find the herd of origin of the index cow is time-consuming and difficult. It includes conducting interviews, reviewing of records and documents, and testing of cattle DNA. State and federal officials have discovered several herds of interest and they are planning to use DNA testing to determine DNA linkage between the index cow and the herds. Through the DNA testing of these herds, investigators will attempt to find a genetic path that could lead to the herd of origin. Sparks stressed that the DNA testing being conducted on the herds is for genetic markers and is not a test for the disease BSE.
        As part of the thorough investigative process, a large number of cattle may be tested in this phase and the number of herds included will continue to grow as the traceback progresses. Leads will be followed by state and federal officials until they are exhausted. Even when an index animal is traced to its birth herd, often cohorts of that animal are no longer in that herd. In addition, even if an animal's cohort has been exposed to the same infective material in feed, the other animals will not necessarily contract BSE.
        BSE is not a contagious disease that spreads animal to animal, or animal to human. BSE spreads in cattle through the consumption of feed containing specified risk material (brain and spinal cord) derived from BSE infected cattle. The United States banned the use of such protein supplements in cattle feed since 1997. Sparks says that beef consumption in this country is safe and there are measures in place to see that it continues to be safe. For example, downer animals are not allowed to enter commerce for human consumption and there is a ban on feeding ruminant derived protein to cattle. (Contact: Bob Ehart)

USDA Proposes to Change Domestic Quarantine Regulations Regarding Exotic Newcastle Disease
Published: March 27, 2006

        The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to make several changes to the exotic Newcastle disease (END) domestic quarantine regulations. The proposed changes include harmonizing the foreign and domestic regulations regarding the movement of dressed carcasses of dead birds and dead poultry; adding restrictions on the interstate movement of ratites out of quarantined areas; providing for the use of alternative procedures for treating manure and litter for composting, and adding an additional surveillance period prior to removing quarantine restrictions.
        APHIS has determined that these changes are necessary based on experiences during the eradication programs for the recent outbreaks of END in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. These changes would help ensure that END does not spread and is eradicated within quarantined areas. Notice of this proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the March 27 Federal Register. Consideration will be given to comments received on or before May 26. (Contact: Bob Ehart)

USDA, DOI, and HHS Expand Screening for Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza in Migratory Birds
Published: March 27, 2006

        Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt announced further measures to ensure the protection of people, domestic poultry and wild birds by unveiling an enhanced national framework for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild migratory birds in the United States. This readiness plan and system builds on, significantly expands and unifies ongoing efforts among federal, state, regional, and local wildlife agencies. Those agencies have been monitoring and testing for the presence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in migratory birds for several years.
        The increased efforts come as the spring migration of migratory birds is underway and the spread of avian influenza continues across continents. Intensifying monitoring of migratory bird populations increases the likelihood of early detection, which is key to controlling the spread of the virus, particularly in domestic poultry. It is important to note that a detection of Asian H5N1 in a migratory bird in the United States would not signal the start of a human pandemic and properly prepared poultry is safe to eat, because proper cooking will kill the virus. (Contact: Bob Ehart)

Israelis Ask Georgia Agriculture Department to Participate in Anti-Terrorism Conference
Published: March 27, 2006

        Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin has assigned one of his senior staff to speak at an antiterrorism conference in Israel later this month.
        Georgia State Veterinarian Dr. Lee Myers will brief Israeli officials on steps taken by Georgia to prevent, and to respond to, terrorism involving agriculture.
        "This is our first such international conference involving another government," said Irvin. "I am pleased that agroterrorism will be discussed and that the Georgia Department of Agriculture will be making an important contribution to preventing agroterrorism internationally. The four-day conference beginning March 19, "Countering Terrorism--Sharing Experience and Expertise," is sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Security.
        While in Israel, Myers will meet with officials of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, including the chief veterinary officer, to discuss agriculture and food defense policy.
        "Like us, the Israelis realize the importance of agriculture and that it can be a target for terrorists. We all want to be proactive, alert and as watchful as possible, said Commissioner Irvin.
        "Following the 9-11 attacks, the Georgia Department of Agriculture began a plan of action to meet the challenge of potential attacks on the food supply or other agricultural sector. Because of our experience at the state level, it was only natural that we play an important role in global protection from people who deliberately seek to cause harm through terrorism or sabotage," said Irvin.
        Addressing another issue relating to agricultural terrorism, Irvin is taking an active role in the Georgia bid for the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. "Having a federal facility dedicated to agroterrorism would enhance the good work being done by our department, and other agencies and universities in our state. I was proud to be among the first constitutional officers to point out the importance of having such a facility in Georgia. We have been garnering support for the development of the facility ever since," said Irvin. (Contact: Public Affairs, 404/656-3689)

TDA Forestry Division Deploys New Tool in Wildfire Protection
Published: March 27, 2006

        The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry last week unveiled a new tool in fighting wildland fires in Tennessee. Fifty-one "pumper units" are being deployed in 49 counties across the state to improve fire protection in areas where development interfaces with the landscape.
        The new equipment was funded through an appropriation of more than $500,000 in the current year's state budget as proposed by Governor Phil Bredesen and supported by the Tennessee General Assembly.
        "As we continue to experience growth in many of our outlying areas, being able to respond quickly and with better equipment will be crucial to our fire suppression efforts in the future," said Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens. "This new equipment will help us meet that challenge, and we're proud that Governor Bredesen and members of the General Assembly recognize the importance of this public safety service."
        The pumper unit consists of a 150 gallon tank with a high pressure pump mounted in the bed of a pickup truck capable of delivering a higher volume of water or foam and drawing water from a variety of sources.
        "Homes built in heavily wooded areas can present a real challenge for firefighters who must work in close quarters to build fire breaks between structures and an advancing fire," said State Forester Steve Scott. "These units will allow us to respond more effectively to debris fires, roadside grass fires and fires threatening structures--often before they become larger fires requiring more equipment and expensive resources."
        The Division of Forestry is equipped to work in wildland-urban interface zones along with volunteer and local fire department personnel in protecting structures from wildfire. State forestry officials say the cooperation between the Division of Forestry and local fire departments is crucial to providing an effective wildland fire suppression program. The Division of Forestry provides technical assistance and $250,000 annually to volunteer fire departments through federally funded grant programs.
        The Division of Forestry also provides financial and technical assistance to community groups to address local issues associated with wildland-urban interface fires. Workshops are conducted to educate homeowners and community leaders on how to identify high fire risk areas and how to protect property from wildfire. Grant funds are provided to local communities to reduce risk of structural loss or injuries from wildfires through risk assessments and hazardous fuel reduction projects.
        Last year, the Division of Forestry deployed 112 "fireplow" units across the state to replace its aging fleet of heavy dozers and transport trucks. The upgrade was funded through a $20 million bond issue proposed by Governor Bredesen and supported by the Tennessee General Assembly.
        Since January 1, Tennessee has had nearly 1,100 wildfires that have burned more than 16,700 acres. Nearly 40 percent of those fires were due to arson. Tennessee averages about 2,500 wildfires annually that burn around 25,000 acres, resulting in the loss of valuable forest resources and structures. Official fire season in Tennessee is from October 15 through May 15. During that time citizens not covered by local fire restrictions are required to obtain a permit from the Division of Forestry before conducting any type of open, outdoor burn.
        Since August 2005, the TDA Division of Forestry has responded to emergencies with more than 140 firefighters and specialists, heavy equipment and other resources in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma for hurricane relief and wildfire suppression efforts.
        More information about wildfire danger and protection can be found on the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Web site at http://www.tennessee.gov/agriculture, then click on Fire Danger News. Contact: Tom Womack, 615/837-5118)