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It's not clear how how much use of antibiotics in livestock affects humans, but those who work with farm animals are at risk for becoming colonized by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Jill Adams reports for the Los Angeles Times. Advocates of antibiotic use in livestock cite studies that diminish human risk, like a 2004 paper that says contamination between animals and humans is a "two-way street." (Read more)
Resistance to antibiotics has become a global public health issue. Michael Fielding of Meatingplace reports German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner has submitted legislation to limit antibiotic use after a study revealed E.coli in chickens. Germany is Europe's third-largest poultry producer. But Meatingplace blogger Sarah Hubbart writes a new study from the University of Glasgow in Scotland suggests livestock likely doesn't "have a major impact on antibiotic resistance in humans," and the researchers are urging British lawmakers to reconsider antibiotic bans in livestock.
Hubbart says that research is important in light of the recent FDA decision. Iowa State University professor Scott Hurd, a former U.S. agriculture undersecretary, said misconceptions about antibiotic use are widspread. "They think it is just being poured into the feed to make the animals grow better," he said. Tom Talbot, former president of the California Cattlemen's Association, thinks people believe that, too. He told Tim Hearden of Capital Press that "The idea that we're using this enormous quantity of antibiotics in beef cattle prior to slaughter, I think that's a misconception." Hearden reports livestock industry representatives don't think the FDA's recent change will have a big impact on operations, but they fear further restrictions.
The FDA is accepting public comments about the proposed ban on certain antibiotic use in livestock until March 6. Comments can be submitted here.
Mary Ann Tobin, of Irvington, coaxes a bald eagle out of the cage Monday. More than a dozen people watched as a bald eagle was released Monday, Jan 16, 2012, west of Oakland, Ky. The eagle was found injured two weeks ago by the Fears family. Members of the Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary, in Irvington, spent two weeks nursing the injured bird back to health. Joe Imel/The Daily News.Mary Ann Tobin slowly climbed a ladder Monday and reached out to release the latch on a cage perched on a platform in a tree off Glasgow Road just west of Oakland.
“I’ve waited 10 years for an eagle,” said Tobin, founder of the nonprofit Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvington. “We go all over the state picking up animals.”
The bald eagle stepped out of the cage, spread its wings and took flight. About a dozen people stood in the field and watched in awe as the bird became a distant dot in the cloudy afternoon sky. The release was the culmination of a little more than a week spent trying to rehabilitate the eagle back to health.
“We’ve had two eagles,” said sanctuary staff veterinarian Dr. Mike O’Bryan. “The first one came in without the potential to be treated and released.”
This eagle was found Jan. 7 in Smiths Grove. Chris Fears of Oakland had been out for a drive with his family when they noticed a group of people gathered around what they thought might be an injured bald eagle.
“I asked if anybody had called for help,” he said.
Although someone had already called, Fears decided to call 911.
Eventually, he got in touch with Bryan Hill, a conservation officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
“We sat with the eagle for two hours before he got here,” Fears said.
Hill arrived and confirmed that the bird was a bald eagle. He said it was his first time handling one.
“We were able to capture him and put him in a crate. It was nerve-wracking,” he said. “I’ve dealt with deer, possum, all the time. It’s not every day you deal with an eagle.” READ MORE
By ALYSSA HARVEY
The Daily News, Bowling Green
jJannie Giles’ career in the horse industry has featured success with a variety of breeds and disciplines, and that diversity has helped earn her a nomination as “Equestrian of the Year” for 2011 by the United States Equestrian Federation.
Giles, who operates Black Horse Manor in Pleasureville, is one of eight nominees for the USEF honor, which will be announced Saturday during the annual Pegasus Awards event at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza in Cincinnati.
Though Giles is primarily focused on Saddlebreds these days, her path to the USEF award came via a Friesian named Victor FC. In Victor FC’s first year of competition, the 5-year-old won the International Friesian Show Horse Association National Champion Western Pleasure Open, National Champion Junior Western Pleasure, and World Champion Open Western Pleasure title.
The triumphs were attained in October at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va., and ultimately earned Giles the Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy, an annual award presented to an equestrian showing in a non-reining Western discipline.
“It is quite an honor, competing with equestrians from all disciplines all over the country,” Giles said of the USEF nomination. “I am honored to be in their company.
“The best part is to be nominated for something that you love doing.”
Giles’ love for horses began as a child, showing Hackneys and Shetland ponies throughout the New England area in which she was raised.
She eventually became a student of the late Helen Crabtree in Simpsonville, who was regarded nationally as a top teacher of young riders, traveling to Kentucky during summer vacations and weekend trips.
“She was an amazing woman,” Giles said. “She led the way for a lot of women to break into the horse industry. I wasn’t one of her star pupils, but I learned a lot and respect her very much.”
Giles and her husband, horse show organizer and announcer Peter Fenton, relocated to Pleasureville to open Black Horse Manor about six years ago. Giles has developed a reputation as an excellent judge of horse and rider combinations.
By Ryan Conley
The Sentinel-News
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