08/31/06 Free Disease Testing & Bird Flu Results

Free disease testing and bird flu results plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Cattle owners in Washington State can have their animals tested - free of charge - for Johne`s disease by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The program is funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperative agreement and the push is on to get as many herds tested as possible by the end of the year. Johne`s disease, also called paratuberculosis, is a bacterial disease of the intestinal tract. The disease, which is incurable and can be fatal, is more common in dairies, but is still a problem in beef herds nationwide. Private veterinarians will be paid to do a complete herd assessment and evaluate animal-raising practices, from calving to milking. A plan, specific for the herd, will then be developed with the owner/manager to reduce the likelihood of transmission of Johne`s and other intestinal diseases. According to U.S. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne - USDA, DOI and the State of Alaska have now tested more than 13-thousand wild migratory birds for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza. And after those tests - Johanns and Kempthorne says H5N1 has not been detected in any of the samples. Karen Eggert of USDA-APHIS explains. EGGERT: We've ramped up our surveillance with the fall migration. So we started in Alaska in the Alaska Flyways and now we've moved to the lower 48 and we've heightened surveillance in all those states to coincide with the migration of the birds. These samples were collected as part of that surveillance effort. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Quigley, my old cat was sicker than a dog. I rushed him to the vet and learned his symptoms showed signs of zinc phosphide poisoning, a pesticide farmers use to control mice. I was livid that this toxin was used in proximity to my dogs cat wildlife and children and vowed as I watched Quigley fight for his life that that this would be my new cause, riding the world of zinc phosphide. Watch out farmers! I called the WSU Tree Fruit Research Center and was told adamantly that it was highly unlikely Quigley had encountered the poison this time of year. For the sake of my cat I refused to believe, undaunted and I planned my awareness campaign. Meanwhile Quigley had another setback, more blood was drawn and revealed a blood condition, not poisoning. How humbling. My knee jerk reaction could have discredited farmers. I realized how quickly I had succumbed to a mindset based on pure emotion no different that the extremism I abhor. By the way Quigley at 14 is now working on life number 9. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.