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The most recent AABP News Articles
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| FDA Takes Action Against Maryland Veal Calf Dealer
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FDA NEWS RELEASE: FDA Takes Action Against Maryland Veal Calf Dealer Man allegedly sold animals for human consumption that contained illegal drug residues The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a complaint for permanent injunction against William F. Nickle of North East, Md., for allegedly selling veal calves for human consumption that contained illegal drug residues in edible tissues. The complaint, filed Nov. 13, 2009, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, also alleges that Mr. Nickle caused drugs to become adulterated while held for sale after shipment in interstate commerce, used animal drugs in an “extralabel” manner without a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship, and used drugs in animals in which such drugs are expressly forbidden. Mr. Nickle is a dealer and hauler of calves and the sole owner and employee of a private unincorporated business. He buys and sells more than 1,200 calves a year for human consumption. The complaint is based, in part, on illegal flunixin drug residues in the edible tissue of Mr. Nickle’s veal calves sampled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Flunixin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug approved for injection into cattle to control abnormal rise in body temperature associated with bovine respiratory disease and endotoxemia. It also is indicated for the control of inflammation in endotoxemia. The sale of animals for human food that may contain illegal levels of drugs is a concern because of the potential for adverse effects on human health. The FDA requirements for animal drugs include a specified time to withdraw an animal from treatment prior to slaughter, so that a drug is depleted from edible tissue to levels safe for humans. |
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| FDA urged to ban feeding of chicken feces to cattle
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A coalition of food and consumer groups that includes Consumers Union and the Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the practice. McDonald's Corp., the nation's largest restaurant user of beef, also wants the FDA to prohibit the feeding of so-called poultry litter to cattle. Members of the coalition are threatening to file a lawsuit or to push for federal legislation establishing such a ban if the FDA doesn't act to do so in the coming months. Farmers feed 1 million to 2 million tons of poultry litter to their cattle annually, according to FDA estimates. Using the litter -- which includes feces, spilled chicken feed, feathers and poultry farm detritus -- increases the risk of cows becoming infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumers Union. That's because the spilled chicken feed and the feces contain tissue from ruminants -- cows and sheep, among other mammals. The disease is transmitted through feeding ruminant remains to cattle. The National Cattlemen's Beef Assn., the beef industry's main trade group, said the ban was not needed and that several FDA reviews had determined that the chance of cattle becoming infected with mad cow disease from eating poultry litter was remote. ''Science does not justify the ban, and the FDA has looked at this now many times,'' said Elizabeth Parker, chief veterinarian for the trade group. |
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| Slaughter seeks new study on animal antibiotics
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New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, a Democrat, has asked the Government Accountability Office to conduct a new study on the federal government’s tracking and monitoring antibiotic use in animals and the government’s efforts to assess and mitigate ''human health risk elated to antibiotic use in animals.'' Slaughter, who chairs the powerful House Rules Committee, is the author of H.R. 1549, the ''PAMTA'' bill (Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. The bill seeks to end non-therapeutic, animal use of seven antibiotics that are key treatments for human illness. In a Sept. 21 letter to the GAO, Slaughter, who is a microbiologist, noted ''the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been working for nearly two decades on efforts to track and monitor data on antibiotic use in animals to assess the human health risk related to antibiotic use in animals and help mitigate that risk. Yet, in a 2005 report entitled Antibiotic Resistance: Federal Agencies Need to Better Focus Efforts to Address Risk to Humans from Antibiotic Use in Animals, GAO found that data were not being collected on the types and amounts of antibiotics used in different species of food animals or whether they were used to promote growth, prevent disease, or treat disease.'' |
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| University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine and Davis Family Dairies Announce Private Grand Opening of New Sweden Dairy
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The University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine and Davis Family Dairies, LLC celebrated the private grand opening of New Sweden Dairy, LLC in Nicollet County, MN. Over 100 guests from the dairy industry, government, and other interested parties gathered together to learn about the dairy's mission, tour the new facilities and share a catered lunch. The new dairy facility houses more than 4,000 cows in addition to 3,000 milking cows at Northern Plains Dairy, LLP, another dairy owned by Davis Family Dairies. The two dairies combined employ 75 people. The New Sweden site serves as a birthing center for more than 6,000 calves per year and milks 3,000 cows daily. It also includes dormitory facilities, classrooms, and teaching laboratories. Davis Family Dairies owns and operates the facility while the College of Veterinary Medicine contributes toward the aspects of the facility specific to academic functions. The New Sweden Dairy Education Center is the first facility of its kind and scope in the world. The University of Minnesota's goal is for the center to serve as a national center for dairy veterinary education and research. |
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| AABP 42nd Annual Conference Award Winners
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The AABP 42nd Annual Conference in Omaha, Neb. recognized several deserving veterinarians. Fort Dodge Animal Health AABP 2009 Practitioner of the Year
Gary Koester, Cadillac, MI Alpharma Award of Excellence
Pam Ruegg, DVM, University of Wisconsin Merial Excellence in Preventive Medicine
Beef – Dave Rethorst, Red Cloud, Neb.
Dairy – Fred Gingrich, Ashland, Ohio Pfizer Animal Health Distinguished Service Award
Jim Ehrlich, Argyle, NY Intervet/Schering-Plough Mentor-of-the-Year
Dan Upson, Manhattan, Kan. James A. Jarrett Award for Young Leaders
Lisa Willis, Gustine, Texas |
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| AVMA responds to Pew Commission Report on Industrial Farm Animal Production
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The AVMA has been working for the past several months to develop a response to the Final Report of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. We felt it was imperative to respond to the Pew report due to Pew’s widely publicized findings and recommendations, which are being used to advocate for the passage of H.R. 1549 and S. 619, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), which the AVMA does not support. The AVMA’s response is currently being widely distributed through several different channels. Congressional leaders in agriculture and public health, Senate and House committees, and key stakeholders have been identified and targeted for personal delivery of the AVMA response. We encourage you to read the full report and view relevant multimedia materials, including podcasts and a video, at www.avma.org/PEWresponse. The AVMA’s Communications Division is ensuring a coordinated strategic distribution of the AVMA response, including a press release and public availability via our website, JAVMA News, Facebook, iTunes and other outlets. We have also identified spokespersons from academia, AVMA entities, and members ready to discuss the AVMA’s response and concerns regarding PAMTA with their respective Congresspersons and Senators. Please help us advocate for AVMA by: 1. Forwarding this email to your friends and colleagues. 2. Asking Congress to vote “NO” on PAMTA. Take action by clicking the link below and entering your zip code. http://avmacan.avma.org/avma/issues/alert/?alertid=13873126 |
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