03/16/07 Going International

Going International on Ag Issues. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. USDA and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization - or FAO - have formally signed the Framework Agreement to coordinate technical assistance that was approved last fall. U.S. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns says the agreement will facilitate greater international coordination and collaboration on a variety of ag issues - including plant and animal diseases like avian influenza - conservation - genetic resources - and the growing demand for renewable energy sources. By enhancing the worldwide response to highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza - Johanns says the benefits of the agreement will be immediate. Under the agreement - a Crisis Management Center - which has been focused on the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu - was formed in Rome. Here at home - Johanns says USDA has also been focused on efforts to prepare for and protect the U.S. from the disease. And in April - he says USDA will implement the 2007 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Early Detection System - an updated version of the Wild Bird Surveillance Plan. JOHANNS: Once again our state and academic partners will conduct surveillance in all 4 major flyways and in Hawaii and in the South Pacific. We also will use the data collected from 2006 to further focus our sampling on high risk species in geographic locations. Along with that plan - Johanns says the National Poultry Improvement Plan - the National Animal Health Surveillance System - and surveillance at live bird markets are important to USDA's efforts. But he says research is just as important. According to Johanns - USDA employs some of the world's top AI researchers. He says the work of those researchers has improved the department's understanding of the complexities of this disease. Johanns notes that a seven year study - conducted by USDA researchers in partnership with the University of Alaska - has shown that the risk for the introduction of high-path H5N1 avian influenza through migratory birds in Alaska is relatively low. As a result of research - Johanns says USDA has also been able to share valuable information with poultry consumers. JOHANNS: Another USDA study confirmed that properly cooked poultry is safe to eat. Scientists tested infected chicken meat and determined that heating it to 165 degrees kills high path avian influenza including the H5N1 strain in a matter of seconds. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.