A cow raised in Saskatchewan has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced late Tuesday.
Saskatchewan cow tests positive for bovine tuberculosis
Bird flu spreads to California dairy cows
Cows at three dairy farms in California tested positive for H5N1 bird flu at the end of August, marking an expansion of the virus into the largest dairy producing region of the United States, according to an announcement from the state’s agriculture department. More than 190 herds have been infected across the U.S. since March, […] Read more
African swine fever efforts get $9.6-million boost
Pork sector projects get funding to bolster African swine fever measures
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The federal government has earmarked more than $9.6 million to help the Canadian pork sector prevent and prepare for African swine fever. Francis Drouin, parliamentary secretary to the minister of agriculture and agri-food, said in a release that 29 projects under the nationwide African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program will receive funding. […] Read more
Animal disease outbreak support provided
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture Canada recently announced an investment of up to $1,697,850 to Animal Health Canada to support its role in foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness efforts in Canada, including for African swine fever and foot and mouth disease. Animal Health Canada brings together the agriculture industry and federal, provincial and territorial partners to provide input […] Read more
House committee urges biosecurity boost
Report calls for annual reviews, new vaccines, and says veterinarian shortage worrying
Reading Time: 2 minutes A new report from the House of Commons agriculture committee recommends stronger defences when it comes to diseases like avian influenza, BSE, foot and mouth disease and African swine fever. The report, “Protecting Against Animal Biosecurity Risks: The State of Canada’s Preparedness,” included seven recommendations to combat existing and future disease concerns. Animal disease outbreaks […] Read more
Behind the times on bovine TB
Standard tests are inefficient and inaccurate, and that can be deadly for both cattle and humans, say researchers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s monitoring regimen for bovine tuberculosis is based on tests that are old, time consuming and not overly accurate, researchers say. But there aren’t any better options. “We don’t have a better test for humans either,” said one researcher, Shu-Hua Wang. Wang is a professor of medicine at Ohio State University and […] Read more
Opinion: Eliminating bird flu in chicken barns
Bird flu could be eradicated by editing the genes of chickens and one study shows how
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially help create disease-resistant animals. In a recent study, my colleagues and I showcased the potential of gene editing to protect chickens from the threat of avian influenza. This disease is caused by an ever-evolving virus that gets around numerous biosecurity measures such as good […] Read more
ASF compartmentalization moves a step forward
Plan not an attempt to download responsibilities, CFIA says
Canada is one step closer to a compartmentalizing regime that hog farmers and the rest of the industry hope protects them against market impacts of African swine fever. Practical application can be developed now that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has released its National Standards and National Framework for the Canadian ASF Compartment Program. From […] Read more
Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee
Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says
A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private […] Read more
Beekeepers call to reopen cross-border package bee trade
Ten years after the last risk assessment, some say it’s time to re-evaluate
Canadian beekeepers are calling for the federal government to reopen the border to the importation of U.S. package honeybees. Witnesses at a meeting of the House of Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food last Wednesday presented recommendations for what the government could do to resolve issues of honeybee health decline and bee mortality. The […] Read more
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