March 9, 2010

Michigan develops animal-disease alert system

Michigan agriculture officials have developed the Animal Health Network, and with such a kind of early warning system in place, it can save the livestock industry millions of dollars.

In the event of a disease outbreak, officials can use the network to get the word out to small and hobby farmers, people least likely to see it in commercial trade journals or through farm organisations, State veterinarian Steven Halstead said.

The information flows in both directions. People can alert the state if there is an unusual illness in their animals, sounding an early warning before a disease event is widespread enough "to show up on our radar," Halstead said. That kind of early action can save livestock industries millions of dollars, said Ann Nieuwenhuis, emergency planning specialist at Michigan State University in Kalamazoo.

Back in 2003 when a devastating disease of chickens hit backyard flocks in California, it was six months before agriculture officials even knew of its presence in the state. By the time they realised it was there, Exotic Newcastle Disease had hit California's commercial poultry industry, and its eradication required killing millions of birds at a loss of US$72 million. Add the economic impact of a subsequent ban on export of poultry products, and the cost soars higher, Halstead said.