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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-04-25, Page 13Generational success It was a day of triumph for three generations from one Brussels family when Lori Vader. left, Joan Wissler and Jane Draper graduated together from the XSmokers program, at a ceremo- ny held in Goderich on Sunday. The trio have a combined 70 years as smokers. "Ready for Spring?" NOW IS THE TIME WITH... SPRING SPECIAL We Service All Makes & Models (e- Lawn Mowers & String Trimmers - 7 point inspection " Lawn Riders - 10 point inspection (e. Garden Tractors - 10 point inspection (1.- Chain Saws - 6 point inspection RIDING LAWN MOWER SERVICE Includes: • 10 pt. inspection • Change oil & filters • Grease all bearings •Complete cleaning FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED 1 114 Miles N. of Seaforth www.teamvincent.com 99 9 Parts Extra THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2001. PAGE 13. Farmers pack hall to hear about Foot and Mouth The level of concern over the poten- tial for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) to enter Canada was in evi- dence when a standing-room-only crowd packed the Elmwood Community Centre, April 17 to hear speakers give the latest information on the disease. About 300 farmers attended the last of a series of six meetings across the province that drew more than 2,000 people, far more than the expected attendance of 800, said Cathy Lennon, general manager of the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency who chaired the meeting. John Forsyth OMAFRA program manager of cattle and swine, pointed out FMD is much more widespread than just the current outbreak in Great Britain and Europe, affecting most of Asia and Russia, large parts of Africa and major countries in South America. With modern travel it takes only six hours to get from some infected coun- tries to North America instead of ,a lengthy boat trip when FMD last affected Canada in 1952, he said. As well, many Ontario farmers have close. ties to European countries that are affected by the current out- break. Dr. John Derbyshire, who taught virology at the University of Guelph explained the virus that causes the dis- ease is among the smallest of viruses and is more resistant to environmental conditions, making it perhaps the most contagious of all animal viruses. It takes only 20 particles of the virus to infect an animal. It's RNA-based instead of DNA- based, which means it changes more rapidly, .Derbyshire said. Indeed the virus at the end of an epidemic may be different than the virus that began it. Infected animals start shedding the virus before they show any of the symptoms, which makes it hard to prevent the spread of the disease. Animals are infected by inhaling or ingesting the virus, Dr. Derbyshire said. (Pigs usually get the disease through feed, cattle and sheep by inhaling.) The virus multiplies in the throat and spreads through the blood stream. It causes blisters in the mouth and between the toes. Sheep and goats have relatively mild versions of the disease so it's often hard to tell they have it, but they can multiply the virus and give it to other animals. In Britain the disease was spread by the shipment of sheep from infected parts of the country to non-infected areas. Dr. Rob Tremblay of Boeringer Ingleheim added that cattle are most infected by the disease with pigs next most susceptible. Cattle will show a loss of milk production, a high fever and depression. They develop blisters in their mouths that burst, turning to painful sores that make them salivate. They can have blisters on the teats. On their feet they develop blisters and sores between their toes and around the coronet with soreness out of proportion to the size of the sores. More than 90 per cent of cattle sur- vive, but FMD is so debilitating it makes raising the animal uneconom- ic. Pigs suffer a sudden fever and depression with blisters on their snout and tongue. The sores on their feet may make it too painful for them to get up. They may be squealing and lame. Sheep show more subtle symptoms though they may have a sudden onset of lameness and be reluctant to get up, choosing to "dog sit" on their haunch- es instead. There may also be blisters in the mouth but they are less conspic- uous. Sheep in Britain showed a listless- ness and were off their feed. Sudden death of lambs from heart failure was also experienced. With FMD so widespread around the world, farmers need to be vigilant against the spredd from more than just Britain and European countries, Tremblay said. The FMD virus is unusual in that it can survive for long periods without a host. It can live for up to 20 weeks in stored hay, for instance, which is one reason why feed and hay are also destroyed on a farm where there has been an outbreak. It can survive 14 days in a cattle stall, for 39 days in urine and for weeks to months in manure (longer in a pit, shorter in a manure pile). It can survive from a few days to a few weeks in soil and survives freezing and refrigeration, but not heat, which means it can be killed by pasteuriza- tion. Infected animals shed the virus in all bodily fluids and it can be carried in the meat of infected animals. It can spread up to 60 km overland in the wind and 300 km by sea. Yet for all this hardiness, it can be killed by weak alkaline or acidic solu- tions like a 1:1 ration of vinegar and water. Farmers should protect their farms by increasing biosecurity, Tremblay advised. "The first line of defence on your farm is you," he said. Post warn- ing signs asking people to check with you before entering your property. Tell people where they can contact you if you need to do business so they won't enter your premises. Don't be afraid to ask all visitors if they have visited a country where FMD has been found. If the answer is yes, ask people to come back in two weeks. That way the low possibility the person might actually have been in contact with the disease in another country will be reduced even lower. Visitors should have clean boots and coveralls. It's probably best to keep overalls and inexpensive rubber boots for such occasions, Tremblay said. You might consider using a foot- bath but it's really more a statement about your concern for biosecurity than it is an effective solution, he said. While the prime focus of biosecuri- ty now is FMD, it will also help pro- tect your farm from other diseases that are known to exist in Canada, he said. If FMD is found on your farm, don't leave the farm, he said. If you call your vet and he diagnoses the disease, he shouldn't leave your farm either. You or the vet must call the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Animal Health and Production Program. Dr. Anne West of the program explained how CFIA would then react. Agency personnel, along with counterparts in the U.S. and Mexico, have already practised their response, she said. An area emergency response team would be mobilized if the disease was identified. The infected farm would be isolated by quarantine. The process of tracing all animals that had left the farm or where animals entering the farm had come from would begin. CFIA officials have the power to order destruction of animals infected. All animals infected and any other animals on the farm would be destroyed because it's likely even healthy animals have been exposed. In Britain the policy has been to destroy all animals on the infested farm with- in -24 hours and animals on adjacent farms within 48 hours. If animals are ordered destroyed, farmers are compensated. A panel made up of a CFIA official, a repre- sentative of the commodity in ques- tion and the farmer, evaluate the loss. Compensation is at market value and depends on the type of animal with the top values being: cattle, up to $2,500; bison, $4,000; sheep, $600; goats, $800; swine, $800. If farmers don't think these compensation limits are high enough they should take up the issue with their commodity associ- ations and local MPs, West suggested. There can also be compensation for the destruction of property such as feed. The cost of transportation and disposal of animals can also be paid. Nothing in the Health of Animals Act mentions coverage for the cost of cleaning and • disinfecting the barn, West said. After all animals and feed on a farm have been destroyed, the barn is disin- fected and left vacant for a period of time. Sentinel animals are then intro- duced and monitored for a further out- break. There is no government compensa- tion for business interruption, West said and this is an area that commodi- ty associations may want to address. More information on the disease is available by calling a CFIA toll-free telephone number at 1-877-277-0677. There are also several good websites: www.inspection.gc.ca for the CFIA site; www.pighealth.com ; and www.maff.gov.uk for extensive infor- mation the British outbreak.