34 Nebraska Cattleman October 2023 Inside Track By Julia Herman, DVM, MS, DACVPM Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Updates on Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness for the Cattle Industry Every day, cattle producers are taking steps to protect their families, animals and operations from various risks such as inclement weather, poor nutrition, predators, viruses and microbes, and contaminated water, among many others. The cattle production system in the United States upholds high standards of animal care and handling, as outlined in the Checkofffunded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. As discussed in BQA, the goal of biosecurity is to protect animals from disease by minimizing the movement of biological organisms such as viruses, bacteria or parasites within or onto an operation. This in turn promotes animal health and minimizes the time and labor resources required to treat a sick animal. Protecting our national herd from foreign animal (also called transboundary) diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) through these biosecurity practices is one task that multiple teams at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) are working on. FMD is the most contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hooved animals (such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and wildlife) and has not been seen in the United States since 1929. This disease causes blisters in the mouth and on the feet of these animals. Thankfully FMD does NOT affect public health or food safety, so humans cannot get the disease. Meat and milk from affected animals are safe to eat and drink (note – FMD is different than hand, foot and mouth disease, which does affect humans). The effects on our economy, trade and way of life would be tremendous if FMD were to re-enter the United States or North America. Kathy Simmons, DVM, NCBA chief veterinarian, shared the many steps the Public Policy Center is taking to advocate for FMD preparedness, including: • Successful academic support for animal health provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill that authorized funding for a National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP), the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB), which stores foreign animal disease vaccines, and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) diagnostic laboratories. NCBA continues to advocate for further support in the 2023 Farm Bill. • Participation in working groups for the U.S. Department of Agriculture CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 GUIDING PRODUCERS TODAY TO FEED THE WORLD TOMORROW Scan the QR code with your smartphone to learn more about ingredient and TMR analysis at Ward Laboratories! 308 - 234 - 2418 www.wardlab.com From the pasture to pen, Ward Laboratories, Inc. has the feed and forage analyses to help livestock producers reach their goals.
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