New York Bans The Retail Sale of Dogs and Cats

Sheep And Goats

Most of the world's more than 2 billion sheep and goats are grazed on range in countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Farmers in the United States raised nearly 5.02 million sheep and 2.51 million goats in 2022, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Some operations in the United States raise sheep and goats in similar intensive conditions as other farmed animals.

The vast majority of sheep undergo the painful mutilations of having their tails cut off (tail docking) and castration. While not widely practiced in the United States, extreme but less common mutilations include "mulesing"—the slicing off of whole patches of skin around the tail area—and "short docking," in which so much of the tail is removed that the animals are unable to cover their genitals and can suffer from rectal prolapses when the procedure damages the rectal muscles and nerves. Goats are also routinely subjected to painful dehorning and castration.

On higher-welfare, pasture-based sheep farms, tail docking is prohibited and castration is only permitted when uncontrolled breeding cannot be prevented by any other form of management. Dehorning should be prohibited on goat farms.

Devastating Livestock Viral Disease Threatens Millions Of Sheep And Goats

Wednesday, August 17th 2016 - 19:54 UTC Experts from FAO and OIE recommended control measures including vaccination of 800,000 sheep and goats. Quarantine zones have been created

A devastating livestock disease is continuing to extend its global reach and is now present in 76 countries. Georgia recently reported its first-ever case of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a viral disease which is capable of severely impacting goat and sheep populations, while a new outbreak has occurred in the Maldives, showing that even island states are vulnerable to the plague.

 The outbreak in Georgia, near the borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan marked new territory for the disease, which is particularly lethal upon contact with unprotected animals.

Experts from FAO and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recommended control measures including vaccination of 800,000 sheep and goats. Quarantine zones have been created and surveillance of animals in adjacent regions intensified.

The outbreaks — coming on the heels of similar episodes in Western Turkey and mainland China — underscore the risks posed by a virus that can kill as many as 90% of the animals it infects within days.

In the past two decades, PPR has spread rapidly, mostly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, which are home to some 80% of the world's 2.1 billion small ruminants. Sheep and goats are critical assets for poor rural households, providing protein, milk, fertilizer, wool and fiber, as well as often representing essential social capital and access to financial credit.

The disease causes more than US$2 billion in losses each year. Beyond the lost economic value, sick animals add to the food security and nutritional challenges faced by the more than 300 million vulnerable households who raise sheep and goats in the affected regions.

A year ago in Cote d'Ivoire, high-level authorities from 15 countries endorsed global control and eradication strategy for the disease in line with the principles of the successful campaign that led to the global elimination of rinderpest, a similar disease affecting cattle, declared in 2011.

In line with the recommendations of the Abidjan conference, the FAO and OIE have established a joint secretariat and in April 2016 concluded consultations to develop a Global Control and Eradication Program based on the adopted Strategy. The PPR Eradication Program Secretariat is chaired by Bouna Diop and includes coordinators from FAO and OIE, respectively Felix Njeumi and Jean-Jacques Soula.

Regional roadmaps for the 15-year campaign are now being formulated, and chief veterinary officers, epidemiologists and other experts in affected countries are being made aware of available tools to assist in their elaboration of their national campaigns.

Existing quality vaccines are effective and affordable, so global eradication is technically feasible. However, delivery systems to ensure their efficacy and access by remote agro-pastoralist communities need to be established.

Exploring Johne's Disease Transmission From Environment To Sheep

Johne's Disease, an inflammatory gut condition affecting livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats, continues to present a significant challenge to farmers worldwide. The disease, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), is often subclinical, making it difficult to detect until it manifests with severe symptoms like chronic diarrhoea, weight loss, and poor condition, potentially leading to death.

Johne's Disease is considered an 'iceberg disease' because much of the problem remains hidden beneath the surface, with most of the damage occurring out of sight. Its primary route of transmission is faecal-oral, where infected faeces contaminate grazing areas and water sources. In some cases, the infection is passed from infected mothers to their young via lactation or through mating with infected males. Wildlife, including deer and rabbits, also act as carriers of MAP, creating additional reservoirs of infection, particularly in Scotland, where deer populations are high.

A lesser-known transmission route is through the environment itself, where the bacteria can persist in soil and water for over three years. This is especially evident in regions like Scotland and Wales, where acidic soils, such as peatland, provide an ideal environment for the bacteria to survive. Understanding the role of the environment in Johne's Disease transmission is crucial, and this is the focus of a groundbreaking PhD project. The research explores how MAP prevalence in the environment contributes to the spread of the disease in sheep, including asymptomatic carriers.

Moredun researchers are studying how environmental factors contribute to the spread of Johne's Disease in ruminants. The project is a collaboration between the James Hutton Institute, Moredun, the University of Edinburgh, and local farmers. It aims to bridge the gap in current studies, which focus primarily on animal husbandry practices, while often overlooking the critical role the environment plays in spreading Johne's Disease. By examining the gut microbiomes of individual sheep across different farming systems, the research seeks to better understand how MAP infection impacts the natural gut biota and how farming environments affect the disease's transmission.

Professor Lee Innes, leading the research at Moredun, stresses the importance of this approach: "Farmers are at the heart of our research, as they are on the front line of tackling livestock diseases. This collaborative effort highlights the need for a broader understanding of Johne's Disease, considering both animal and environmental factors to create effective solutions."

As the research progresses, the focus remains on providing farmers with valuable insights into how environmental factors, alongside farming practices, influence the spread of Johne's Disease, ultimately helping to manage and reduce its impact on livestock health.

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