Fermanagh man awaiting trial for badger baiting and animal cruelty fails in bid to have bail relaxed
Reply
Convicted dog-fighting dealer caught in Ireland with €1.9m worth of cocaine jailed
Olympics-French foie gras back on menus after bird flu spares ducks
Reuters
Mon, March 4, 2024 at 6:53 AM PST·2 min read
https://www.yahoo.com/news/olympics-french-foie-gras-back-145338728.html
PARIS (Reuters) – A jump in foie gras output this winter as France was virtually spared from bird flu that had ravaged flocks in previous years will allow chefs to have enough of the delicacy when visitors rush to Paris for the Olympics, producers said on Monday.
France has been among the countries worst affected by an unprecedented global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, that has disrupted supply of poultry meat and eggs and sent prices rocketing in many parts of the globe in the past years.
This prompted the government to launch a campaign in October to vaccinate all ducks against bird flu. Ducks are among the most sensitive species to the virus and the most likely to carry it without being noticed, causing higher dissemination risks.
France, by far the world’s largest producer of foie gras, only experienced 10 outbreaks of bird flu since it started vaccination, against 304 outbreaks by the same time last year, official data showed.
Fewer outbreaks allowed producers to raise foie gras output for the first time this decade in 2023, with industry group Cifog estimating the gain at 20% to 10,000 tonnes.
“We are once again becoming a reliable producer in terms of supply and quality,” Cifog Director Marie-Pierre Pe told Reuters.
“The challenge is to put duck breast and French foie gras back on restaurant menus, particularly in the run-up to the big event that is the Olympic Games where the whole world will come to France. We will be able to meet it,” she added.
About 40% of foie gras sold in France is consumed in restaurants, Pe said.
French foie gras’ main competitors are Bulgaria and Romania which have continued to detect bird flu outbreaks this winter.
Most ducks in France are reared to produce foie gras, which is made from the livers of either geese or ducks that have been fattened with grain, usually by force-feeding.
Prices could fall from record highs this year but only slightly as demand remains strong, costs high and stocks very low, Pe said.
(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Christian Radnedge) View comments
H5N1 Bird Flu’s ‘New Monster’ Variant Jumps to Marine Mammals, Raising Human Transmission Concerns!
Out of 12 hunting related shooting incidents across New York in 20923, two were fatal
US Locations Vladimir Putin Would Likely Target in a Nuclear War
Fox hunting group avoid court with ‘secret’ police deal
Wildfires have devastated the Texas cattle industry and the effects may be long-lasting
By Camila Bernal, Zoe Todd, Zoe Sottile and Jeremy Moorhead, CNN
5 minute read
Published 5:58 AM EST, Mon March 4, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/04/us/texas-wildfires-cattle-industry/index.html
Follow:Agriculture
Video Ad Feedback
‘More than 50 dead so far’: Ranch manager shows devastation of Texas wildfire
02:15 – Source: CNNHemphill County, TexasCNN —
When Shane Pennington, a 56-year-old cattle farmer near Canadian, Texas, first saw flames from an enormous wildfire approaching the ranch he manages, his first concern wasn’t his home. It was his animals.
Pennington told CNN he returned to the ranch to find around 50 cattle dead, with nursing cows desperately searching for their lost calves.
As the flames tore through the ranch, they caused excruciating injuries, burning off some animals’ tails and rendering others blind. “It just burned all the hair off them,” he said. “Their feet are coming off. Their hooves, they’re bloody.”
Some of them are “cows that I raised right here,” he said. “It’s just hard to see them burn up.”
RELATED TOPICS
Agriculture
Follow
Feeding Africa’s growing population
Wildfires have devastated the Texas cattle industry and the effects may be long-lasting
Wildfires
Follow
Wildfires have devastated the Texas cattle industry and the effects may be long-lasting
Animal stories
Follow
Escaped horses run wild down Cleveland highway
My dog survived a polar vortex in the Ruffwear Polar Trex Winter Dog Boots
Find more topics that matter to you on your Follow page. Browse, add, or remove topics for a personalized experience.
Pennington is one of many cattle farmers whose livelihoods have been devastated by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest wildfire in Texas history, which has burned more than a million acres of land across the panhandle.
The state is home to about 4.1 million beef cattle, according to David P. Anderson, professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. And more than 85% are in the panhandle, according to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
RELATED ARTICLEFierce winds and dry weather threaten to worsen biggest wildfire in Texas’ history
Farmers and agricultural experts say the wildfire will continue to affect the cattle industry for years to come.
In addition to the short-term effects of cattle killed and grievously injured by the flames, there will be lasting repercussions, as herds cultivated for years struggle to recover and traumatized cows fail to reproduce.
Speaking with CNN’s Omar Jimenez on CNN Newsroom Saturday, Miller asked for donations and prayers for Texas residents who have lost homes and livestock in the wildfires.
“There’s no grass, there’s no water for the livestock,” Miller stressed. “We’ve lost over 3,000 head, which is a very small number, that will double or triple easily. We’ve got cattle that we’re going to have to euthanize because of the damage to their hooves, their udders. We’ll just have to put them down.”
For Pennington, the inferno has been both financially and emotionally catastrophic.
“Your job is to keep them alive, not to destroy them,” he said. “It’s tough.”
A calf burned in the wildfire lies down at Jack Fields’ ranch. Camila Bernal/CNN
“Even if they survive it, more than likely they’re gonna get pneumonia, they’re gonna get sick, they’re gonna die,” Pennington added.
He said he’s already euthanized some animals due to their injuries and anticipates the number will continue growing as he identifies which animals will be unable to recover from their wounds and illnesses.
And some animals will need to be culled simply because the hundreds of bales of hay meant to feed them burned up in the flames, he said.
It will likely take years for the business to recover. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Pennington said.
An aerial view of cattle on Shane Pennington’s ranch. Pennington is one of many cattle farmers whose livelihoods have been devastated by the Smokehouse Creek Fire. CNN
Death and destruction hit iconic industry
The cattle business in Texas is worth an estimated $15.5 billion, making it by far the most profitable agricultural commodity in the state, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. There are millions of cattle across the panhandle specifically, with some counties counting more cattle than people among its residents, the department reported.
RELATED ARTICLEHow a warming climate is setting the stage for fast-spreading, destructive wildfires
“The losses could be catastrophic for those counties,” Miller said in a news release. “Farmers and ranchers are losing everything.”
Brandon Meier, a local rancher, volunteer fire chief, and agricultural science teacher at a high school in the panhandle town of Canadian, described the raging inferno as a “monster.”
Seeing the way the flames transformed the landscape was “surreal,” he told CNN.
“I’ve seen this country, how it is with grass and sagebrush and cattle roaming out there, and the next day we come down here; it’s a barren desert,” he said.
In addition to damage to their hooves and eyes, many of the cattle are also suffering from smoke inhalation which can cause fatal pneumonia, Meier said. And udder burns have made it impossible for some cows to nurse their calves, requiring them to be bottle-fed with milk substitutes.
The loss of life represents a massive loss of income for ranchers, he said.
“A lot of these families are ranching families, and that’s their livelihood out there” in the panhandle, he said. “And we rely on that income … Our job isn’t 8 to 5. It’s 24/7, holidays, everything.”
Brandon Meier, a local rancher and volunteer fire chief in Darrouzett, Texas, speaks to CNN. CNN
Flames deal lasting blow to ranchers
Ranchers and local authorities say although the wildfire is not expected to affect beef prices across the country, it may leave lasting economic scars for ranchers.
Fields, the owner of the ranch where Pennington works, told CNN “a good productive cow” is worth between $2,000 and $2,400.
Currently, he told CNN, he’s more concerned about “trying to make them comfortable” than worrying about the financial losses he’s suffered. He credited volunteer firefighters with saving his ranch house and helping preserve his property,
He pointed out cattle prices were already high before the wildfire hit and they will likely continue to go up in the aftermath of the blaze.
Anderson, the agricultural economics professor, told CNN the effect on cattle ranchers will be multifold. In addition to losing animals, affected farmers have also lost grass, hay, barns, and fencing to the blaze. A mile of fencing alone might cost between $15,000 and $18,000, he said.
Some relief might come from government programs designed to help farmers in the wake of ecological disasters. The USDA has instructed farmers to document their losses and take photos of each dead animal for reimbursement through its disaster assistance programs.
The Texas Department of Agriculture coordinates its own relief fund for farmers and is also working to connect farmers in need with hay through its “Hay Hotline.”
Anderson said despite how challenging the wildfire will be for Texas ranchers, it is unlikely to have a significant effect on beef prices. The number of affected cattle is small compared to the total population across the US, he explained.
“If the fire hits your ranch, it’s a huge disaster for you,” he said. “But we don’t expect to see price effects to consumers because of this.”
For Pennington, the incident has proved the challenges of separating the business from the emotional side of his work.
“As sentimental and as attached as you get, it still has to be treated like a business,” he said, surveying the herd of injured and traumatized animals.
“But look at these baby calves. How could anybody be mean to any of them?” he said.
CNN’s Rebekah Riess and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.
Up next
Fierce winds and dry weather threaten to worsen biggest wildfire in Texas’ history6 minute read
Crews battling massive Texas wildfires get a crucial opportunity to contain flames in calmer weather Monday5 minute read
Avian influenza is spreading globally from birds to marine mammals
03-02-2024
Earth.com staff writer
https://www.earth.com/news/avian-influenza-h5n1-marine-mammals-spreading-worldwide
The emergence of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in marine environments, a pathogen capable of crossing species barriers, has raised significant concerns within the wildlife conservation community.
A recent collaborative study by the University of California, Davis, and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) in Argentina has shed light on the virus’s adaptation and its implications for both marine and bird populations along the Atlantic coast of South America.
H5N1 avian influenza strikes marine life
Researchers focused their investigation on a collection of brain samples from deceased sea lions, a fur seal, and a tern found in Argentina’s most affected sea lion rookery.
The analysis confirmed H5N1 infection in all specimens, revealing a near-identical virus sequence across the samples.
This uniformity included specific mutations known for mammalian adaptation, previously identified in marine mammals and a human case across Peru and Chile, and, notably, in a tern for the first time.
Agustina Rimondi, a virologist from INTA and the study’s first author, emphasized, “This confirms that while the virus may have adapted to marine mammals, it still has the ability to infect birds. It is a multi-species outbreak.”
Dire implications of H5N1’s marine mammal mutation
The presence of mammal-adaptation mutations in the tern’s virus sequence highlights the potential for transmission between marine mammals.
Despite these findings, Marcela Uhart, a senior author and wildlife veterinarian at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, reassures that the virus currently poses a relatively low risk to humans.
However, she warns of the potential for increased concern if the virus continues to replicate in mammals. Uhart underscores the importance of ongoing surveillance and early warning efforts to mitigate this risk.
Tracing the path of H5N1
Labelled as “this new monster” by Uhart, the clade 2.3.4.4b variant of H5N1 emerged in 2020 amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, initially impacting sea birds in Europe before spreading to South Africa, and then to the Americas, threatening poultry and wild bird populations.
By February 2023, the virus had reached Argentina, demonstrating its lethal potential by August 2023 among sea lions at Tierra del Fuego’s Atlantic coastline, and then moving northward with devastating effects on marine mammals and seabirds alike.
A staggering toll has been observed, with at least 600,000 wild birds and 50,000 mammals, including elephant seals and sea lions across Argentina, Chile, and Peru, as well as thousands of albatrosses in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, succumbing to the virus.
A significant outbreak documented by Uhart and her team resulted in a 70% mortality rate among newborn elephant seal pups during the 2023 breeding season in Argentina’s Península Valdés.
Avian influenza marching towards Antarctic marine life
The virus’s southward trajectory towards Antarctica has prompted urgent wildlife surveillance efforts by Uhart and her colleague Ralph Vanstreels, aimed at assessing the risk to previously unexposed species.
The potential consequences of such exposure could be dire, necessitating a vigilant approach to monitoring and prevention.
The study embodies the One Health concept, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, domestic animal, wildlife, and environmental health. It calls for a unified response from public, wildlife, agricultural, and health sectors worldwide to address the challenges posed by interspecies disease outbreaks.
In concluding remarks, Uhart reflects on the necessity of giving a voice to affected wildlife populations, highlighting the importance of long-term observational data and global collaboration in preparing for future challenges.
“We are trying to be at the forefront of documenting, recording, and providing early warning,” she states, emphasizing the critical role of scientific and conservation efforts in addressing the sprawling impact of the H5N1 virus.
Global consequences of H5N1 in the wild
In summary, this disturbing study by the University of California, Davis has illuminated a critical shift in the behavior of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, revealing its newfound ability to infect and spread among marine mammals, alongside its traditional avian hosts.
Their research underscores the virus’s escalating threat to global wildlife conservation while highlighting the imperative for heightened surveillance and international collaboration to mitigate its spread.
By tracing the genomic footprints of H5N1 across species and continents, scientists offer a clarion call to action, urging a unified approach to safeguard the health of our planet’s diverse ecosystems against this formidable viral foe.
More about H5N1 avian influenza
The H5N1 avian influenza virus, commonly known as bird flu, represents a significant threat to both avian and human populations worldwide.
Identified initially in 1959 during an outbreak in Scottish chickens, H5N1 has since evolved into a highly pathogenic strain that inflicts severe respiratory disease in birds and poses a zoonotic risk to humans.
Transmission and spread
H5N1 primarily affects birds, both wild and domestic, with waterfowl and poultry being particularly susceptible. The virus transmits through direct contact with infected animals, their secretions, or contaminated environments. Notably, migratory birds play a crucial role in spreading the virus across continents, facilitating outbreaks that can decimate poultry industries and threaten food security.
Human cases of H5N1 infection are rare but have occurred, primarily among individuals with close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments. Human-to-human transmission remains extremely limited, but the potential for the virus to evolve and gain this capability is a source of global concern.
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.624.0_en.html#goog_989703832
Symptoms and treatment
In birds, H5N1 causes severe respiratory problems, leading to high mortality rates. Symptoms in infected birds include sudden death, uncoordinated movement, and decreased egg production.
In humans, H5N1 infection can cause severe respiratory illness, including pneumonia. Symptoms often begin as typical flu-like symptoms but can rapidly progress to severe respiratory distress and other complications. Treatment typically involves antiviral medications, and early intervention is crucial for improving outcomes.
Prevention and control measures
Preventing H5N1 spread involves rigorous biosecurity measures, including surveillance of poultry farms, culling infected animals, and vaccinating poultry.
Public health initiatives focus on reducing human exposure to infected birds, improving hygiene practices, and preparing for potential pandemics through vaccine development and strategic planning.
Implications and future study
The H5N1 avian influenza virus remains a potent threat to global health and economy, necessitating ongoing vigilance, research, and cooperation among nations to mitigate its impact.
While primarily an avian disease, its potential to evolve and spread among humans underscores the importance of preparedness and response strategies to protect public health.
The full study was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
—–
Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.
Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.
Exposing the Big Game 