Nebraska is known for its beef, in fact there are more cattle than people in the Cornhusker state, with an average of 6.8 million head of cattle raised and fed in the state annually. According to the Nebraska Beef Council, farmers in Nebraska bring in around $1.7 billion dollars in revenue from beef and veal exports. With cattle being a major industry in the state it’s no surprise that biosecurity could become a major concern amongst producers, with H5N1 cases affecting the dairy industry. H5N1, often referred to as bird flu is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can spread between species. While there have been no reported cases in the national beef herd it doesn’t mean that it couldn’t affect beef production in the state. An outbreak of any pathogen would be a devastating blow to the economy of Nebraska and the United States, with beef exports totaling over $10 billion.
Most producers in the pork and poultry industry have a biosecurity plan in place to prevent the movement of diseases, with separation of sick animals and decontamination of affected areas being a critical measure in ensuring the protection of healthy operation. With cattle producers, this isn’t a requirement but most implement some biosecurity practices. In the case of Foot and Mouth disease, these practices, called a Secure Beef Supply -an enhanced biosecurity plan – would be put in place to ensure a healthy herd. Jesse Fulton M.S., director of Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance, suggests developing an enhanced Secure Beef Supply plan, stating that “while there is no deadline to implement the plan, we’re working to encourage producers to adopt an enhanced program”.
In the event of an outbreak, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture would require the implementation of an enhanced plan to begin immediately, requiring producers to have a plan in place in order to receive a livestock permit. The state would require the permit to be held for all ongoing operations within an affected area in order to ensure a supply of safe, healthy cattle. You can find more information on a Secure Beef Supply plan on the Beef Quality Assurance website.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66b1837ce7f7495bb7f968b74eb16f56&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnebraska.tv%2Fnews%2Fntvs-grow%2Fnebraska-beef-producers-to-enhance-biosecurity-plans&c=832030040852696864&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-01 07:16:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.