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Avian flu was a biosecurity ‘wake up call’
Biosecurity for animal agriculture is the focus of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) annual conference in Kansas City.
The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2015 is a big topic of discussion. Conference co-chair Dr. Michael Coe with Animal Profiling, Inc. says the rapid spread of the virus—and the destruction it caused–was a wake up call for many who work in the animal agriculture industry.
“Our discussions will not focus just on poultry, but also on the swine industry and some outbreaks we’ve had there,” Coe says, “and then how do we use this to get prepared for any diseases that come—and keep us really vigilant on protecting our food supply and keeping those diseases out of our herds in the U.S.”
Coe says there’s one disease concern that’s always near the top of the list.
“We’re always concerned, in the back of our minds, with Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) for cattle—and it crosses into swine,” he says.
BVD in cattle and PRRS and PEDv in swine are other top concerns, Coe says.
AUDIO: Michael Coe
Nice job!