A2B- Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 19,2001
Combating infectious iaryngotracheitis, or ILT, on farms
requires proper biosecurity and timed vaccination pro
grams, according to Dr. Nathaniel L. Tablante Jr., assist
ant professor/extension poultry veterinarian, Virginia-
Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine,
University of Maryland, right. Tablante speaks with Carl A.
Anthony, sales representative for Aerotech, at the semi
nar.
Biosecurity,
Coordinated
Vaccine
Programs Can
Control ILT
(continued from Page A 1)
ILT outbreaks have been spo
radic throughout the Delmarva
Peninsula throughout the ’9os.
But one particular outbreak
caused about $2OO million in
losses in 1994-1995, noted Ta
blante. Losses were particularly
heavy in Sussex County, Dela
ware, home to about five million
broilers in a five-square-mile
area.
Delmarva itself, the “birth
place of the commercial broiler
industry,” Tablante noted, is the
fifth largest broiler production
area in the U.S., with more than
115 million broilers on the
ground at any given time.
Producers should take pre
emptive actions on their farm to
combat ILT.
The problem with ILT is that
it is highly infectious. And it can
be infectious before the telltale
signs are there gasping for
air, conjunctivitis, infectious
bronchitis, and bloody radius
so biosecurity is critical.
“We believe (the disease) is
spread by people and equip
ment,” Tablante said. Some pro
ducers may not be following the
rules of biosecurity “they do
not disinfect, do not change
clothes. Some allow 8-10 service
people on the farm per day.
They’re not taking necessary
precautions.”
Tablante said the key to con
trol is “training our growers to
take precautions, not to wait for
the company to give them in
structions.”
Top priority, noted Tablante,
is to “focus on the people.”
Uncoordinated virus pro
grams, lack of good biosecurity,
lack of communication to per
sonnel, together with a virus
that is endemic to houses can
result in outbreaks.
For many counties in the Del
marva, there are only a few com
petitive integrators remaining.
In 1987, six major companies
owned flocks in the area. Now,
because of mergers and acquisi
tions, only four integrators are
left.
Coordination of ILT control
programs between growers and
integrators must be conducted
correctly.
Though many believe heat
can kill the virus that causes
ILT, more outbreaks seem to
occur in cold weather. In 1998,
seven cases of ILT sprang up, in
cluding one broiler and six
roasters from the same integra
tor.
The infection causes the tra
chea to literally clog up. Chick
ens stop breathing.
Researchers believed that
backyard flocks could be the
source. One major producer had
a backyard chicken flock about
100 yards away. Though ILT
was found in the flock, another
reason for the infection was
blamed.
In many cases, the vaccine
source itself, given to a young
flock, can create actual disease
outbreak in an older flock if the
flocks exist too close to each
other.
In one case, workers with
simple street clothes moving
from one house to another cre
ated an ILT outbreak.
For other producers, carcass
disposal created outbreaks. One
producer was composting dead
birds right on the ground, com
plaining of “no room to put
them,” Tablante noted. Rather
than “composting,” said Ta
blante, the birds were “decom
posting.”
One producer simply had an
“incinerator” which turned
out to be a simple aboveground
burning pit. Dead chickens were
only partially disposed of, and
wild animals dragged the car
casses around, potentially
spreading the disease.
Wild animal movement can
spread the virus to non
vaccinated farms. Also, one pro
ducer’s house was practically in
the shoulder of a major highway
in Delaware.
Producers and integrators
who don’t work together and
coordinate a vaccine plan could
put flocks at considerable risk.
In June 1999, cases of ILT rose
sharply simply because “not all
the integrators were following
the same plan.” Only 50 percent
of the flocks were vaccinated.
But, with more coordination
the next year, the ILT outbreaks
were controlled, simply because
the integrators worked “in
sync,” Tablante said.
The importance of carcass
disposal, tighter biosecurity
measures (wearing clean uni
forms, hairnets, and booties),
and control of the movement of
personnel and equipment work
in a big way to control ILT.
If a house is quarantined for
ILT, it is important to let the
Milk Marketing Board Hears
Testimony From Dairy Industry
(Continued from Page A 1)
caused difficulty for Pennsylva
nia farmers to sell their milk.
“The milk supply is low and
demand seems to be slightly in
creasing,” Zug said in arguing
for the $1.40 premium. “For the
first time in years we could tell
the Pennsylvania dairy farmer
that there is hope.”
Zug also pointed out the ad
verse effect of dry weather on
dairy operations this spring, es
timating that his first cutting al
falfa crop is “less than half’ of
the first cutting crop in 2000.
Edward Gallagher, an econo
mist for Dairylea Cooperative
also representing Dairy
Farmers of America Northeast
Council and Dairy Marketing
Services said that the current
over-order premium of $1.40
may be too low relative to prices
that may exist elswhere later in
the year. That situation could
jeopardize the ability of Class 1
(fluid milk) plants to procure
milk, he said.
Gallagher did not ask for an
increase in the premium, how
ever, because of “an under
standable skepticism about how
tight northeastern milk markets
will be later this summer and
into the fall.” Instead, Gallagher
asked the board to maintain the
$1.40 premium and be prepared
to hold an emergency hearing
later in the year if market condi
tions warrant.
Earl Fink of the PAMD also
requested continuance of the
status quo premium of $1.40 and
asked that another hearing be
conducted in September or Oc
tober to consider further adjust
ments.
The PAMD has a membership
of 33 Pennsylvania milk dealers
that primarily process and de
liver Class I milk. According to
Fink, the PAMD distributes
“the vast majority of beverage
milk sold in the common
wealth.”
Fink said that there is a con
tinuing movement of Pennsylva
nia milk to markets in the
southeastern part of the U.S.
“Our major cooperative sup
pliers have told us that the we
may have to pay prices above
the $1.65 current premium (in
cluding the $.25 fuel adjust
ment) to attract milk to our
plants,” Fink said.
Dealers would not recover
feed providers, the utility com
panies, and other personnel on
the farm know. They must be
kept away from spreading the
virus.
One producer even went as
far as parking a pickup truck in
a driveway to keep unauthor
ized personnel out of a quaran
tined zone.
“We have learned quite a
bit,” said Tablante, from the
outbreaks. “Good biosecurity
measures must be followed at all
times.”
Tablante said that company
managers, veterinarians,
growers, lab technicians, and ex
tension agents must work to
gether to manage ILT. The
Delmarva Poultry Industry
funded a Geographic Informa
tion System database to track
infected farms and to keep
records of their status.
A university project is looking
at some correlation between
wind direction and infected
flocks. However, according to
the poultry veterinarian, more
data as part of the project is
needed before producer recom
mendations can be made.
such “over-price” premiums in
the mimimum wholesale prices
until the following year, he said.
Requesting Premium Reduction
Joel Rotz, PFB dairy special
ist, acknowledged the need for
continuing income incentives for
Pennsylvania dairy farmers, but
recommended a lower $.BO
premium out of concern for
what the market can bear and
for the possibility of cheaper
milk being brought into the state
from elsewhere.
“It does little good to raise the
premium to a point where
cheaper milk can be brought
in,” Rotz said.
Rotz said the price of milk in
the grocery store is also a factor
to be considered in setting the
premium.
“There’s something about the
$3 (per gallon) limit that con
sumers notice,” he said.
According to Rotz, an $.BO
over-order premium translates
to $.06 $.07 more per gallon
in the grocery store compared to
the federal order price.
Dennis Schad, economist for
Land-O-Lakes Inc., said that the
availability of cheaper milk
from elsewhere in the country
will present a danger to Pennsyl
vania milk producers if the over
order premium remains at
$1.40. He called on the board to
Erin’s Law Increases
Sanitation Requirements
For Ariimal Exhibitions
(continued from Page A 1)
would be required to limit or
control contact with animals.
• Owner must promote
public awareness of the risk of
E. coli infection at the animal
exhibition by distributing pam
phlets and posting appropriate
notices.
Walter Peechatka, executive
vice president of PennAg Indus
tries, said that the agricultural
community in Pennsylvania has
already developed standards for
animal exhibition sanitation
through the PDA and Penn
State University, though the
standards are not in the form of
law.
Peechatka said that legisla
tion such as Erin’s Law could in
crease compliance with existing
standards by five to ten percent,
USDA Corrects Mandatory
Price Reporting Calculations
WASHINGTON, D.C. Be
cause of a technical error in the
computer program for the
USDA’s Mandatory Price Re
porting System, the boxed beef
cutout and primal cut values re
ported in the National Daily
Boxed Beef Cutout and Boxed
Beef Cuts reports for April 3
through May 11 may have been
incorrectly calculated.
The Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) is in the process
of recalculating the boxed beef
cutout values from April 3
through May 11, and primal cut
values from April 3 through
set the new premium at $.55.
“We believe Pennsylvania
dairy farmers are vulnerable to
competition from surrounding
states,” Schad said.
Schad showed the board a
milk container from Wisconsin
which he said was sold in a
Pennsylvania Wal-Mart.
According to Schad, lower
milk prices in Texas and New
Mexico will ultimately cause a
ripple effect of lowered prem
ium prices throughout the coun
try.
All five dairy industry repre
sentatives said they supported
continuation of the $.25 fuel ad
justment premium.
The PMMB will consider the
five testimonies and set the new
over-order premium by early
June, after which there will be a
six-day review period.
Earlier in the month, the
PMMB reported Pennsylvania
average Class I milk prices for
April as $17,49 in western areas
of the state and $17.98 in central
and eastern areas. The prices in
clude the current over-order
premium and fuel adjustment
premium.
The three-member PMMB
consists of chairwoman Beverly
Minor, dairy farmer Luke Bru
baker, and consumer represent
ative J. Robert Derry.
but that fewer farmers would
likely be willing risk to exhibit
ing their livestock and farms to
the public. That would result in
fewer people who understand
agriculture, he said.
“The agricultural community
in Pennsylvania is very dedi
cated to doing the job right,”
Peechatka said, pointing out
that there is already high com
pliance with sanitary measures.
Steve Wagner, press secretary
to Pennsylvania secretary of ag
riculture Samuel Hayes Jr., said
that the department will form a
position on the proposed law as
discussion proceeds.
Brendon Landis, agricultural
services coordinator for the Lan
caster Chamber of Commerce,
said he will also be reviewing the
law.
May 15. AMS will post the recal
culated values in a future Na
tional Daily Boxfed Beef Cutout
and Boxed Beef Cuts report.
Corrections of boxed beef
cutout values for May 14
through 15 have been issued.
The calculations for boxed beef
cutout and primal values begin
ning May 16 are correct.
Boxed beef cutout and primal
cut values may be accessed at
http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/
mncs/ls—mpr.htm. For addi
tional information, contact AMS
Public Affairs Kathryn Mat
tingly at (202) 720-8998.