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Jacob Hegeman
State
Liaison, APHIS
Legislative
and Public Affiars
202-720-6794
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The detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United States in 2003 resulted in a precipitous drop-off in U.S. beef exports overseas. Since then, the United States has taken unprecedented steps to assess the risk of BSE in the U.S. cattle population and adopt food safety measures to further reduce the potential introduction of BSE into the food-chain. These efforts have resulted in a substantial increase in foreign consumer confidence in U.S. beef and have led to a rebound in exports to near 2003 levels. While the order of their ranking has changed since 2003, the top four importers of U.S. beef remain Mexico, Canada, Japan and Korea.
However, exports to Asian markets are much smaller today than in 2003 due to a patchwork of BSE-related restrictions that vary depending on the destination of the beef. Notably, none of the top five export markets (Mexico, Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan) share the same BSE import measures. Among these, only Canada’s measures are open and consistent with international guidelines set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). However, OIE-consistent BSE import measures are being used by a growing number of trading partners. Currently, 11 of the 25 top importing countries apply OIE-consistent BSE import measures, which now account for nearly 30 percent of total U.S. beef sales overseas.
Although cold weather and snow are still a reality in some parts of the country, spring is officially here and the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) program is gearing up for warmer weather with its seasonal “Promise” campaign. The campaign urges the public to take personal responsibility for protecting our forests and stopping the spread of the EAB. It’s called the “Promise” campaign because APHIS is asking members of the public to pledge that they will not move firewood, which is a major pathway for the spread of the EAB. The campaign is a nationwide effort, but it is targeting the 10 States in the Northeast and the Great Lakes area where the EAB has already been detected as well as adjacent unaffected States. The “Promise” campaign was first launched in the fall of 2008 and was very successful in reaching its primary audience. Radio spots from the fall campaign aired more than 10,800 times with an estimated broadcast audience of more than 24 million listeners. Print ads also appeared in publications more than 950 times. In addition, 23 mobile billboards traveled highways near outdoor recreation/hunting areas and outdoor destination retailers for 10 days leading up to the week of Thanksgiving. The spring/summer outreach materials have an outdoor recreational theme and can be customized by States for their own use. The materials include public service announcement scripts for radio and television, print advertisements in various sizes, interactive Web banner ads and mobile and static billboards. If you would like to receive a copy of these materials on disc, please contact Sharon Lucik with APHIS’ Legislative and Public Affairs office. She can be reached at 810-844-2713 or by email at sharon.e.lucik@aphis.usda.gov. For more information on the EAB go to: www.stopthebeetle.info
The USDA National Detector Dog Training Center in Orlando, FL, recently graduated a new class of canine agricultural inspection specialists better known as the Beagle Brigade. The five canine teams, which consist of a beagle and their handler, completed the agricultural specialist canine training on March 12, 2009. The beagles are now ready to report to work at their respective ports of entry or duty stations where they will ferret out prohibited agricultural products using their keen sense of smell. In order to prepare the new recruits, APHIS’ training specialists take the canine teams through 10 to 14 weeks of intensive training. Upon graduation, the Beagle Brigade teams primarily work for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection to clear international travelers at airports, but they can also clear vehicles, ships, containers and pallets. APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine program also has a number of teams in service and the Orlando training center has even prepared canine teams to work for several countries, including South Africa, Taiwan and Canada. Beagles make the best agricultural inspectors because they are social, not intimidating, and will happily work in exchange for a small food reward. During training, the beagles are taught five basic odors: apple, citrus, mango, pork, and beef. Once they have developed the ability to recognize these odors, they are taught how to respond accordingly. The beagles work a maximum of 45 minutes per hour for a period not to exceed 10 hours per day. Their careers can last 6 to 8 years with a mandatory retirement age of 9. After retirement, they are adopted by their handlers or placed in an adoptive home. For more information on the Beagle Brigade, contact the National Detector Dog Training Center at 407-816-1221.
APHIS’ Legislative and Public Affairs (PA) program has established an online publication ordering system that is now accessible through the APHIS Web site. The publication order form, which went online in early March, was created to streamline the ordering process and make it easier for APHIS’ stakeholders and members of the public to get copies of Agency publications. Prior to the establishment of the online form, people often had to call around to multiple offices before finding the right point of contact. The new system directs requests straight from the Web site to APHIS’ Printing, Distribution and Mail Center Services, which maintains an inventory of all APHIS publications. The online form asks for basic information, including a name, address, and phone number as well as the title of the publication and the quantity desired. Once submitted, this information is automatically received by the printing and distribution center for processing. Two to three weeks should be allowed for delivery. The online publication ordering form can be found at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/order_pubs.shtml
APHIS’ Veterinary Services (VS), National Veterinary Stockpile (NVS) is teaming with the Multi-State Partnership for Security in Agriculture (MSPSA) and Canadian partners to conduct a three day, multi-State exercise focusing on an intentional introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the United States. The exercise is slated for mid-June and will be led by NVS Director Dr. Glen Garris in close coordination with the MSPSA and Canada.
Immediately following the TTX, the one-day FSE segment of the exercise will take place in Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska and Canada on June 18 and Kentucky on June 19. It will include logistic warehouse operations and a simultaneous deployment of NVS countermeasures and simulated FMD vaccine to the four locations. The FSE will allow participating States to validate their NVS plans, the utility of NVS emergency shipments known as push packs, and the clarity of NVS documentation that comes with its shipments.
The third year of sampling wild birds and the environment for high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) closed on March 31st. Through partnerships with all 50 State wildlife agencies and Tribes, national sampling goals for the 2008 biological year, which ran from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009, were exceeded by sampling more than 64,000 wild birds and more than 25,000 fecal samples. National sampling goals for the year were set at 50,000 wild bird samples and 25,000 environmental samples. None of the more than 89,000 samples tested positive for HPAI. Wild bird samples were screened at laboratories participating in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and if presumptive for H5 or H7 sub-types, shipped to APHIS’ National Veterinary Services Laboratories for confirmation. Diagnostic testing included 46 laboratories receiving and analyzing samples from live wild birds, hunter-harvested birds, and morbidity/mortality events. Fecal samples were tested by APHIS’ Wildlife Services. In addition to proving disease freedom for HPAI in wild, migratory birds, sampling also provided insight into the prevalence of low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI). From the more than 64,000 wild bird samples collected, nearly 6,800 samples tested positive for LPAI. This data is still considered preliminary, but it does show a marked increase from previous years in the percentage of samples testing positive. Of the approximately 6,800 positive samples, almost 900 were positive or suspect for H5 or H7 sub-types of LPAI. The 2009 biological year is just getting underway and Wildlife Services’ goal for this year is to continue the interagency effort, respond to morbidity/mortality events, and collect 44,000 wild bird samples. The Procedures Manual, Implementation Plan, and Laboratory Procedures for biological year 2009 are now available. If you would like to receive a copy of any of these documents, please contact your Wildlife Services State Director or Seth Swafford at seth.swafford@aphis.usda.gov. For more information on avian influenza, go to: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/avian_influenza/avian_influenza.shtml
Title: Office Location: Tell us about your program:
How long have you worked at APHIS? Education: Most Memorable APHIS experiences: Priorities for the coming months:
Last good books read: Favorite movie: Hobbies:
All Agency vacancies are posted on the APHIS Web site. To view the entire list of APHIS vacancies go to www.aphis.usda.gov. Under Related Topics click on Find a Job in APHIS. The positions highlighted below are for relevant positions that are at the GS-13 level and above. Position: Biotechnology Scientist (Biotechnology) Position: National Science Program Leader (Plant Pathogens and Weeds) Position: Supervisory FOIA Program Specialist (Information Analysis) Position: Veterinary Medical Officer Position: Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer Position: Veterinary Medical Officer or Animal Scientist |
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