The Agricultural Biosecurity Blog
When I talked about emergency preparedness with folks involved in agriculture in 2011, I was referencing the Deepwater Horizon oil well explosion, the toxic sludge flood in Hungary, and the Fukushima nuclear plant accident in Japan as example of disasters that were unanticipated. In 2019, I would have referenced the crashes of the Boeing 737-Max, the collapse of the Brumadinho …
The United States is confronting an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that causes serious respiratory disease and may be deadly for older people and those with weakened immune systems. The World Health Organization is now calling the outbreak a global pandemic because it is affecting countries all over the world. People and organizations can fight coronavirus by taking steps to …
Mosquitoes are stealthy pests, but red itchy bumps are not the only thing they leave behind. Mosquitoes can transmit viruses like the one that causes eastern equine encephalitis (EEE or Triple E). Although outbreaks of EEE are not widespread across the United States, the disease can be devastating. An Uncommon but Serious Disease Eastern equine encephalitis is an uncommon but …
Both voluntary and official quarantines are used to limit the spread of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). For a month beginning the week prior to Thanksgiving 2019, both types of movement restriction were implemented in several parts of the country. Case reports can be found on the disease outbreak alert page maintained by the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC). The Impacts of …
When making cookies, the best part for me was eating the raw cookie dough. However, my brother was never a fan of it. He would always tell me that he did not want to risk getting sick. I, on the other hand, did not mind taking a risk to enjoy the raw dough. Recently, I realized an important risk for …
During October 2019, Australia’s agriculture minister cancelled a Vietnamese woman’s visa after authorities found 22 pounds of undeclared food products in her luggage. The luggage contained pork, quail, squid, pâté, fruit, eggs and garlic (Griffiths, 2019). International travel and trade increases the risks of introducing a foreign/exotic disease or pest into another country. Australia had to develop an extensive eradication …
There are many reasons why people are reluctant to comply with government laws and regulations. However, a cooperative state-federal-industry program for eradicating scrapie in the United States has resulted in excellent progress towards eliminating this disease in sheep and goats. The number of animals testing positive for scrapie in the U.S. has decreased by 99 percent, since analysis of producer-submitted …
A line of separation is a biosecurity practice that involves setting up boundaries or zones on a livestock operation. The purpose of the line is to block the introduction, or limit the spread of disease-causing agents (NPPC, 2013). Compliance with procedures for crossing the line can become an issue with farm workers and visitors. The line is meant to separate …
The red maple (Acer rubrum) is one of the most common and widespread native deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. These fast growing trees are usually planted for their beautiful red leaf color in the fall season, and as a shade tree. However, the fallen leaves could be deadly for horses. Ingestion of wilted or dry leaves by …
African swine fever (ASF) is a foreign animal disease (FAD) that has been rapidly spreading across Asia and parts of Europe. When ASF is found on a premises, all of the animals must be culled to prevent further disease spread. If this disease is found in the United States, the federal government will offer compensation to owners of swine herds …
Summer and fall are the times of year when many livestock producers participate in fairs, exhibitions and shows. However, it is not the time to be lax about biosecurity measures given the ongoing risks of commingling animals at these events. Horses and other livestock being hauled to and from exhibitions may contribute to spreading vesicular stomatitis (VS) and other highly …
Livestock production in the United States varies in size and scope from large-scale commercial operations to small-scale, backyard producers. At the national level, plans have been created to ensure that in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak, unaffected parts of the agriculture industry can avoid interruption. These “food supply plans” may seem unimportant for farms with local markets …
