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Deadline Approaches for Public Comment on Proposed
Rule Change to Practice Act
The Illinois Department of Professional Regulation (DPR) has
recently published a proposed rule change in the Illinois Register
(dated 12/19/03) to amend the veterinary practice act to recognize the
Program for Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) for
graduates of non-accredited schools/colleges of veterinary medicine. Please
see:
http://ilsos.net/departments/index/register/register_volume27_issue51.pdf
Review pg. 18955 for the full text of the proposed rule change.
The public has 45 days from the date of publication (i.e. until
2/4/04) to comment. The proposed rule change is also posted on the
DPR Web site:
http://www.ildpr.com/WHO/ARpropsd/WEBpropVet.pdf
Washington
Cow with BSE Likely to Be Only Infected Animal in Herd: DeHaven
(courtesy AVMA)
Since bovine spongiform encephalopathy was diagnosed in Washington state in
December, the Department of Agriculture has been "operating out of an
abundance of caution" with regard to public and animal safety, said Dr.
Ron DeHaven, the USDA's chief veterinary officer.
On Jan. 11, Dr. DeHaven spoke at the AVMA
Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago
about the ongoing epidemiologic investigation occurring on both sides of the
U.S.- Canadian border.
"We
know that even in countries with a high prevalence of the disease, most
notably the United Kingdom,
it is very rare for there to be more than one or two, or maybe three positive
animals in a given herd," Dr. DeHaven said.
"It's very likely that this (Washington
state cow) was the only animal in that herd that was
infected." Nonetheless, since the Holstein
tested positive for BSE on Dec. 23, the USDA has traced, quarantined, and
culled hundreds of at-risk cattle, recalled thousands of pounds of beef, and
implemented several measures to ensure the safety of the food supply.
Dr. DeHaven believes one of the more important safeguards
announced by Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman
is a national animal identification system. Because BSE is not a contagious
disease, agriculture officials have had weeks to track down animals of
concern. "But if we were dealing with a highly infectious disease, such
as foot-and-mouth disease," he said, "we would need to be able to
trace animals in a matter of hours if we had any hope of containing and
eradicating this disease." Such an identification system has been in the
works for more than two years. Dr. DeHaven hopes
that resources will now be made available to accelerate the system's
implementation.
The
investigation has traced the infected cow to her birth herd on a dairy farm
in Alberta, Canada,
meaning there has not been a native-born case of BSE in the United States.
Consumer confidence in the safety of U.S. beef remains high, and
cattle prices appear to be rebounding. Dr. DeHaven
referred to a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis that concluded that if BSE
is in the United States,
then it exists at low prevalence. Moreover, the ban on ruminant-to-ruminant
feed would eliminate the disease, even if the compliance rate were only 70
percent. The Food and Drug Administration claims a better than 99 percent
compliance rate, Dr. DeHaven noted.
Many have
tried comparing the BSE situation in North America with those in some
European Union nations and Japan.
"In fact, the situations are very much different," Dr. DeHaven said. There has been a high prevalence of the
disease in some E.U. countries. Yet, extensive surveillance programs in Canada and the United States demonstrated a low
prevalence of the disease here. Consumer confidence in the E.U. nations and Japan is so
low that governments have gone to such extremes as testing animals that
aren't of the susceptible population, such as cows younger than 30 months of
age.
The United States
is being pressured to follow those models, despite what is scientifically
known about BSE, Dr. DeHaven noted. Trade has
suffered a massive blow. In 2002, America exported $3.1 billion in
beef and beef products. "Indeed, virtually all of that export market has
now been shut off," he said, adding that Congress is likely to introduce
any number of bills pertaining to the disease and its effects on trade.
Bills Call
For Ban On Slaughter Of Horses
Equine
lovers and state legislators clashed this week over a proposed ban on the
slaughter of horses for food. Cavel International,
a Belgian-owned horse slaughtering plant in DeKalb,
has been closed since it was destroyed by fire in March 2002. The facility is
scheduled to reopen in March, according to a plant secretary. However, two
bills – one from each legislative chamber – may stop it.
Senate
Bill 1921 and House Bill 3845 each call for a ban on the slaughter of horses
for human consumption. Representative Robert Molaro,
D-Chicago, sponsored the House bill and expects final action in February.
Cavel is one
of only three horse slaughterhouses in the country; the other two are in Texas. All horsemeat
produced at the Illinois
plant is shipped overseas.
The
Senate passed the bill last March, but Molaro held
it for a final vote in the House in December out of respect for the late
Representative David Wirsing, who represented the DeKalb area and died days before the planned vote. He
opposed the ban.
Representative
Robert Pritchard, R-Sycamore, took Wirsings seat
and also opposes the ban. “If we as a government start banning one segment of
the livestock industry, then it’s a slippery slope
for the rest of the livestock industry,” Pritchard said. “It’s horses today
but probably cows and pigs tomorrow.”
Horses
are classified as livestock under some provisions of state law and as
companions under others, according to Jim Fraley, livestock program director
of the Illinois Farm Bureau. The bureau opposed the ban last year and will
continue to do so, Fraley said. Slaughter is “an opportunity to permit a
humane and swift end to life instead of prolonged suffering,” he said. The
bureau believes that more horses will be neglected at the end of their lives
if the ban is passed. Owners will have nothing else to do with them.
Animal
activists, on the other hand, held a Capitol news conference in support of
the bills. They charge that Cavel treats horses
cruelly and has a negligible impact on the economy.
ISVMA
Annual Convention Deadline Looms
The early registration deadline of
January 20th is fast approaching. Hotel reservations should be
made at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest (888) 627-8093. Ask for the ISVMA
discount so your room applies to our contract requirement!
You can register on-line at www.isvma.org and we will invoice you for payment of your registration fees.
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