AWIC
July 21, 2008
AVMA Passes Groundbreaking Animal Welfare Policies
MarketWatch.com reports the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates voted to pass a groundbreaking policy on veal calf housing that promotes both animal health and welfare. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/avma-passes-groundbreaking-animal-welfare/story.aspx?guid=%7BCA3386B7-1514-4225-B8C1-C1E3844ADCF1%7D&dist=hpprPosted by sball at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)
Vivisection: Scientists Use 6% More Animals for Research
The Guardian reports in the United Kingdom the number of scientific procedures carried out on animals rose by 6% last year. The 83% used rodents, the number of procedures that involved monkeys declined by 6%. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jul/21/animal.experiments?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfrontPosted by sball at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
USDA Awards $4.1 Million to Study Colony Collapse Disorder
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that more than $4 million will be awarded to the University of Georgia to study the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and other diseases affecting bee populations, whose pollination is valued at $15 billion annually to U.S. agriculture. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB/.cmd/ad/.ar/sa.changenav/.c/6_2_1UH/.ce/7_2_5JM/.p/5_2_4TQ/_th/J_2_9D/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?PC_7_2_5JM_contentidonly=true&PC_7_2_5JM_contentid=2008%2F07%2F0188.xmlPosted by sball at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
Wild Horses May Face Death Sentence
NPR.org reports with the cost of feeding a horse up and adoptions down, the Bureau of Land Management may begin killing wild horses to deal with surplus numbers. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92691184Posted by sball at 06:28 AM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2008
Animal Welfare Institute and National Black Farmers Association Launch
Project Wanted Horse -- The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) today launched a national partnership aimed at helping American horses in need by finding them homes on farms operated by NBFA members. http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/news/NBFA061808.pdf http://www.awionline.org/ http://www.blackfarmers.org/Posted by sball at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)
Group to Document Unwanted Horse Incidents
Unwanted horses have become a growing concern across the U.S. The Horse Welfare Committee serves as a "clearinghouse" for verifiable evidence related to the unintended consequences of the ban on equine slaughter in the U.S. http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/news/HorseWelfareCommiitteePressRelease071708.pdf http://www.horsewelfarecommittee.com/Posted by sball at 12:59 PM | Comments (0)
FDA's BSE Final Rule Published
FDA has published two rules to protect animals and consumers against BSE by prohibiting the use of most mammalian protein in the manufacture of animals feeds given to ruminant animals and by removing high-risk materials from all animal feed. These rules were published in 1997 and 2008. http://www.fda.gov/cvm/bsetoc.htmlPosted by sball at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
Choctaw and Cherokee Strains of Colonial Spanish Horses Needs Immediate Help
The primary breeding herd of Choctaw and Cherokee strains of Colonial Spanish horses needs immediate help to ensure stable, long-term conservation. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) is look for help in this effort. A combination of unique factors, including the loss of access to over a million acres of timberland and lack of alternate grazing lands, has resulted in an immediate need to place horses. If you are able and willing to help with this conservation effort, please contact the ALBC office as soon as possible at: ALBC, PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, (919) 542-5704, or email albc@albc-usa.org.Posted by sball at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2008
BASF and Transinsight Agree to Collaborate in Exploring Alternatives to Animal Testing
BASF SE and Transinsight GmbH have agreed to establish close cooperation in the area of semantic analysis to search for alternatives to animal testing. http://www.transinsight.com/news08Posted by sball at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)
Tigers Disappear from Himalayan Refuge
ScienceDaily reports the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent in the Bengal tiger population of Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702132159.htmPosted by sball at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
Pill-Popping Pets
The New York Times Magazine reports animals being prescribed medications designed for humans has growing.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/magazine/13pets-t.html?ref=magazinePosted by sball at 09:48 AM | Comments (0)
Dr. Howard L. Bachrach Retired USDA Scientist
Dr. Howard L. Bachrach, retired USDA, Agricultural Research Services (ARS) chief scientist at the ARS Plum Island Animal Disease Center, passed away on June 26, 2008. He was 88 years old and was a member of the USDA, ARS Hall of Fame (1987). Dr. Bachrach received the National Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan in 1983 for his role in producing the first genetically engineered vaccine for use in animals or humans. It was for foot-and-mouth disease. Thirty years earlier, he purified the polio virus, which led to the development by Jonas Salk of the polio vaccine. Dr. Bachrach worked at the Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory from 1953 until he retired in 1981. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1982. Dr. Bachrach was a Minnesota native, and he graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he also received his doctorate. During World War II, he worked on improving military ordnance as part of the Office of Science Research and Development in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Posted by sball at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2008
Alternative Feeds Initiative
Healthy Animals. USDA and NOAA Collaborate to Improve Aquaculture Feed. One of the best ways to get high-quality protein and nutritious omega-3 fatty acids is by eating fish. And fish get them the same way humans do. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/ha/han34.htmPosted by sball at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)