Division of Ag offers biosecurity training for animal health professionals
By The U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- Training offered for USDA, APHIS avian influenza professionals
- Three-day intensive course in poultry industry, production, disease surveillance
(200 words)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service is offering federal animal health professionals a three-day training session addressing avian influenza and control methods.
The training runs Wednesday and runs through Friday and is being offered to animal health technicians, veterinary medical officers and other members of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service veterinary service.
“In the last week, a new strain of bird flu – N7N8 — was confirmed in Indiana. It’s the first appearance of bird flu since last year’s outbreak, which was caused by a different strain, H5N2. The N5N2 strain led to the deaths more than 40 million birds,” said Dustan Clark, extension veterinarian for the U of A System Division of Agriculture. “Thanks to precautions taken in the poultry industry and by backyard flock owners, Arkansas’ losses were minimized, with only one Arkansas farm affected by bird flu in 2015.”
This week, USDA officials called for an immediate response to the Indiana outbreak to keep it contained.
The intensive three-day training includes an overview of the poultry industry, a crash course in poultry anatomy and physiology, poultry production, surveillance and control tactics.
For more information on poultry production, or information about upcoming biosecurity workshops, contact your county extension office or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu
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