Iowans love their animals, whether they are the family pet or a livestock raised on a family farm. In both cases there are special connections and the owner responsible wants to make sure their animals are receiving the best possible care.
The veterinarians within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship work to maintain the health of the animals in our state and prevent the spread of diseases.
The State Veterinarian, Assistant State Vet and six district vets are all within the Department’s Animal Industry Bureau. In addition, there are five livestock inspectors, two compliance investigators, nine office personnel and two temporary field staff within the Bureau that all work together to protect, safeguard, and improve animal health.
Iowa is a national leader in livestock production, leading the nation in the production of pork and eggs and in the top ten in beef production as well as in sheep, horses and turkey numbers. As a result, animal agriculture is a $10 billion a year business in Iowa.
As part of that, over 25,138,000 animals moved into Iowa during the 2008 calendar year. So, it is vital that we are protecting the health of our animals and preventing the spread of disease.
This was highlighted, even if mistakenly so, by the recent H1N1 flu outbreak. When it first came to light and was dubbed “swine flu,” there was significant concern about its potential impact in Iowa since so many pigs are raised in the state.
The truth soon came to light that the animals were at more risk from us than we were from them, but it showed the potential impact of diseases on both animal and human populations.
The State Veterinarian’s office helped communicate the safety of pork throughout the outbreak and an important part of that was to get the most accurate and up-to-date information to the veterinarians throughout the state.
To do that the Department used the Iowa Rapid Veterinarian Information Network (IRVIN), which was specifically designed to effectively and efficiently communicate with vets throughout the state. It was developed as part of disease response and recovery plans, but is useful in situations like the H1N1 outbreak as well.
Their office also coordinates the Iowa Veterinary Rapid Response Team (IVRRT), which is a volunteer group of veterinarians, agriculture industry and animal health care professionals who are trained in animal disaster response and willing to respond if there is a disaster. There are annual training sessions and exercises to provide individuals with a knowledge base on personal protection, diseases, animal sheltering, the Incident Command System, biosecurity practices, disposal, and proper cleaning and disinfection.
Currently, there are over 350 IVRRT members, many who played a vital role in caring for animals following the tornados and floods that struck Eastern Iowa last year.
In addition, the Bureau is responsible for reviewing and reporting on the surveillance testing of animals to maintain disease free status for pseudorabies, brucellosis, tuberculosis and other reportable diseases. The State Vet’s office also works closely with other state agencies, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, other state departments of agriculture and the USDA to prevent the spread of animal diseases.
The Bureau also operates a variety of other programs, including Notifiable Avian Influenza, Foreign Animal Disease, State Premise Identification/National Animal Identification System, Johne’s, Scrapie and Chronic Wasting Disease.
These programs help protect our animals’ health and are important to livestock producers as it makes it easy to move animals and give assurance to customers that the animals in our state are safe.
The Animal Industry Bureau also is responsible for the humane care and treatment of companion animals in commercial establishments that are licensed by the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for breeders that sell animals across state lines.
Through these efforts and several others initiatives, the veterinarians within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are playing an important role in protecting animal health and important economic driver in Iowa’s economy.
Bill Northey is serving his first term as Secretary of Agriculture. Northey is a fourth-generation corn and soybean farmer from Spirit Lake, Iowa. His priorities as Secretary of Agriculture are expanding opportunities in renewable energy, encouraging conservation and stewardship, and telling the story of Iowa agriculture. To learn more visit www.IowaAgriculture.gov. |
