AASV News
AASV officers (left to right) Dr Tara Donovan, Dr Randy Jones, Dr Paul Ruen, and Dr Rodney “Butch” Baker  Photo courtesy of Tracy Ann Raef |
Dr Paul Ruen was installed as the president of the AASV at the association’s annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. He succeeds Dr Butch Baker, who is now immediate past president. Dr Randy Jones has ascended to president-elect. The newly elected vice president is Dr Tara Donovan.
AASV President Dr Paul Ruen (MN ’92) is a practitioner at the Fairmont Veterinary Clinic in Fairmont, Minnesota, a predominately swine practice that also provides management services to clients. Active in the AASV since 1988, Dr Ruen was a district director on the AASV Board of Directors from 2005 to 2008. He was elected vice president in 2008, serving a 1-year term and ascending to the office of president-elect in 2009. During the 2002 International Pig Veterinary Society meeting in Ames, Iowa, Dr Ruen served on the Production and Management Scientific Committee. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer at the AASV annual meetings and the Leman Conference in Minnesota. Dr Ruen grew up in southeastern Minnesota on a diversified livestock and grain farm.
During his term, Dr Ruen plans to keep the AASV focused on providing its members with the educational tools necessary for professional growth and leadership. He believes it is vital that the AASV continues to be a conduit for sharing knowledge and fostering novel approaches to eliminating the devastating impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. Dr Ruen wants the public to know that the AASV supports the use of science and practice to improve food safety and pig health. Because health is connected to animal well-being, Dr Ruen believes swine veterinarians should work closely with pig farmers to demonstrate a high level of pig care to the public. Pigs raised for the benefit of society are also pigs raised with awareness that resources are scarce and proper stewardship demands efficient production.
AASV President-elect Dr Randy Jones (NCSU ’85) is the owner and operator of a veterinary practice limited to swine health and medicine in Kinston, North Carolina. Prior to that, he was a mixed-animal practitioner for 9 years. A member of the AASV since 1985, Dr Jones was serving his second term as an AASV board member representing the southeastern United States before his election to the office of vice president. He is a former president of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association and an active member of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr Jones grew up on a cow-calf farm in western North Carolina.
AASV Vice President Dr Tara Donovan (KSU ’98) is the vice-president of veterinary management for The HANOR Company, one of the country’s top pork producers with operations in six states and over 500 employees. After joining the company 10 years ago as a herd veterinarian, her responsibilities now encompass integration among all aspects of pork production, in addition to the traditional role involving production, research, and development.
Since joining the AASV as a student member in 1996, Dr Donovan has been active on several committees, including chair of the Human Health and Safety Committee. She recently served on the association’s Influenza Working Group. She has also been an active member of several working groups for the National Pork Board and a member of the National Pork Producers Council Antibiotic Working Group.
A native of central Nebraska, Dr Donovan grew up on a diversified farm and was involved in 4-H and Future Farmers of America. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and earned her DVM from Kansas State University, where she also completed a food animal medicine internship in 1999. She is a 2009 graduate of the Executive Veterinary Program at the University of Illinois.
Immediate Past President Dr Rodney “Butch” Baker (AUB ’78) is a senior clinician in the Food Supply Veterinary Services Unit at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to joining the staff at Iowa State in 2006, he was a clinical associate professor at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr Baker began his career in veterinary medicine as a mixed-animal practitioner in Kentucky. After 17 years in private practice, he spent a year in the animal-health industry, 4 years with a pig breeding-stock company, and 3 years as director of health assurance in a large integrated pork production company.
Call for papers – AASV 2011 Student Seminar
Veterinary student scholarships
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians announces an opportunity for up to 15 veterinary students to make scientific presentations during the Student Seminar at the AASV annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, March 6, 2011. Interested students are invited to submit a 1-page abstract of a research paper, clinical case study, or literature review for consideration. The submitting student must be a current (2010-2011) student member of the AASV at the time of submission. The membership application is available at http://ecom.aasv.org/membership.
Abstracts and supplementary materials must be received by Dr Alex Ramirez (alex@aasv.org) by midnight on Monday, September 27, 2010 (firm deadline). All material must be submitted electronically. Late abstracts will not be considered. The abstracts will be reviewed by an unbiased professional panel consisting of a private practitioner, an academician, and an industry veterinarian. Students whose papers are selected for presentation at the meeting will be notified by October 15, 2010, and will be expected to provide the complete paper or abstract for publication by November 15, 2010.
To help defray the costs of attending the AASV meeting, Alpharma Animal Health provides a $750 honorarium to the student presenter of each paper selected for the seminar.
Veterinary students whose papers are selected for presentation at the meeting will be eligible to compete for several veterinary student scholarships awarded through the AASV Foundation. The oral presentations will be judged to determine the amount of the scholarship awarded.
Alpharma Animal Health funds a $5000 scholarship for the student whose paper, oral presentation, and supporting information are judged best overall.
Funding for additional scholarships is pending. In the past, the Eli Lilly & Company Foundation, on behalf of Elanco Animal Health, has provided $20,000 in additional funding enabling the AASV Foundation to provide awards of $2500 each for 2nd through 5th place, $1500 each for 6th through 10th place, and $500 each for 11th through 15th place.
Students whose papers are not selected for oral presentation in the Student Seminar will be eligible to be considered for participation in a poster session at the annual meeting. Alpharma and the AASV fund a stipend of $250 for each student who is selected and participates in the poster presentation.
Complete information for preparing and submitting abstracts is available on the AASV Web site at www.aasv.org/annmtg/2011/studentseminar.htm. Please note: the rules for submission should be followed carefully. For more information, contact the AASV office (Tel: 515-465-5255; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org).
Update on unapproved animal-health products
On October 28th, the AASV published an article in the e-Letter regarding the use of unapproved animal-health products in food-producing animals.1 The article essentially advised veterinarians and producers that only products listed on the FDA’s approved drug database, Animal Drugs@FDA, could legally be used in food-producing animals in either a label or extra-label manner.
Following publication of this article, we received some inquiries regarding a couple of products being marketed for topical use that were not included in the FDA’s database but for which the manufacturers felt they had FDA “approval” to market. The AASV contacted FDA directly to discuss the status of these specific products. Representatives of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine reviewed the issue and basically reiterated their earlier position, that only drugs listed in the FDA-approved drug database, or approved human-label drugs under AMDUCA, could be used for topical treatment of wounds in food-producing animals.
Members of AASV can access a list of approved topical products on the AASV Web site. Take note, however, that of the 20 products, only the two trypsin-based products can be used in food-producing animals without veterinary prescription. The other products on the list could be prescribed by a licensed veterinarian on an extra-label basis assuming the criteria set forth under AMDUCA are met. It is our understanding that at least one of the manufacturers has been in contact with FDA regarding having their product included in the list of approved products. We will update our database and let you know when additional products are added to the official approved products list.
Reference
1. Snelson H. Are you aware there are unapproved animal health products on the market. AASV e-Letter. October 28, 2009. Available at: https://www.aasv.org/news/story.php?id=3825. Accessed 21 March 2010.
USDA to abandon NAIS, pork industry continues support of swine ID plan
The USDA has announced plans to abandon the National Animal Identification System and will develop a new, flexible framework for animal-disease traceability.
“After concluding our listening tour on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 15 cities across the country, receiving thousands of comments from the public and input from states, tribal nations, industry groups, and representatives for small and organic farmers, it is apparent that a new strategy for animal-disease traceability is needed,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I’ve decided to revise the prior policy and offer a new approach to animal-disease traceability with changes that respond directly to the feedback we heard.”
The framework, announced at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture mid-year meeting, provides the basic tenets of an improved animal-disease traceability capability in the United States. The USDA’s efforts will apply only to animals moved in interstate commerce, be administered by the states and tribal nations to provide more flexibility, encourage the use of lower-cost technology, and be implemented transparently through federal regulations and the full rulemaking process.
One of USDA’s first steps will be to convene a forum with animal-health leaders for the states and tribal nations to initiate a dialogue about the possible ways of achieving the flexible, coordinated approach to animal-disease traceability we envision. The announcement eliminating the NAIS does not change the objective pursued by the National Pork Board (NPB), which is for pork producers to have timely disease surveillance and protection for the US swine herd.
“Premises identification is the cornerstone of animal-health and disease surveillance,” said Dr Paul Sundberg, vice president of science and technology at the NPB. “This new direction does not change that fact, and the pork industry remains committed to these critical efforts. The pork industry is committed to working collaboratively with USDA and state animal-health officials to provide a sound system. Pork producers have demonstrated their confidence in premises identification through their participation, and it is important that we maintain this voluntary cooperation.”
According to USDA data, the US swine industry already has more than 85% of its farms identified through premises identification.
The Checkoff’s Swine Health Committee, and the committee’s Animal ID Working Group, had supported the NAIS and incorporated elements of the program as a requirement in the industry’s Pork Quality Assurance Plus® program. The announcement by USDA does not change the Checkoff’s reliance on a voluntary premises identification program as an integral part of our swine-health initiatives. The committee will work closely with USDA and state animal-health officials in maintaining our progress toward improved swine-disease surveillance. More information on USDA’s new direction on animal traceability and the steps to improve disease prevention and control is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability.
Veterinary accreditation changes effective February 1
The USDA has enacted sweeping changes to the veterinary accreditation program effective February 1, 2010. The National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) requires all accredited veterinarians to select between two categories of accreditation and requires continuing education prior to renewal. Although accreditation is a voluntary program, the United States depends extensively on accredited veterinarians to carry out many of its animal-health programs and services – including animal inspections, testing, and certifications. Accredited veterinarians serve as the first line of defence in ensuring the health of the nation’s livestock.
If you were accredited prior to February 1, 2010, you must complete VS Form 1-36A, checking box 3 and selecting the category of accreditation desired. This completed application must be returned to USDA prior to August 2, 2010, to avoid expiration of existing accreditation. Following approval of the application, USDA will issue an Elect to Participate Letter establishing a renewal date and assigning a National Accreditation Number. This National Accreditation Number will replace any federal or state accreditation numbers previously assigned. This number will be utilized on all official documents requiring an accreditation number.
The new program institutes a number of significant changes that will impact every future or currently accredited veterinarian. A list of these changes can be found on the USDA Web site (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/nvap/). Following are a few of the key changes.
1. All accredited veterinarians must elect to participate by completing VS Form 1-36A and submitting the application to USDA prior to August 2, 2010; VS Form 1-36A and instructions for completing and submitting the form are available on the NVAP Web site (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/nvap/).
2. Accredited veterinarians will be assigned a random National Accreditation Number to be used on all official documents requiring an accreditation number.
3. You must select one of two accreditation categories:
a. Category I animals: All animals except food and fiber species, horses, birds, farm-raised aquatic animals, all other livestock species, and zoo animals that can transmit exotic animal diseases to livestock.
b. Category II animals: All animals.
4. Your accreditation must be renewed every 3 years following completion of three or six units of continuing education as described below.
5. Supplemental training requirements – you must complete the APHIS-approved supplemental training that is required for your accreditation category: three units of supplemental training per renewal period for Category I veterinarians, and six units for Category II veterinarians. Online training is available at no charge. Other training options are available at minimal cost.
6. Following accreditation in one state, you may apply for authorization to perform accredited duties in each additional state in which you are licensed or legally able to practice.
7. Initial accreditation requirements after July 1, 2011, will include successful completion of APHIS-approved training in addition to all other activities outlined above.
Remember, if you are currently accredited and wish to continue to perform accredited duties, such as issuing Certificates of Veterinary Inspection, you must submit a completed VS Form 1-36A to USDA prior to August 2, 2010, or your accreditation will expire. Links to all pertinent information are available in the Hot Topics section on the AASV homepage (www.aasv.org).