Additional Criteria Must Be Met Before Emergency Use of Vaccine for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Can Be Approved

USDA Will Review Vaccination Options As They Become Available

The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to work closely with state and local partners and poultry producers who have been impacted by an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). To date, USDA has deployed nearly 400 employees and contracted more than 2,100 personnel to work around the clock in states impacted by the outbreak. USDA has also identified more than $160 million in indemnity payments to date for producers whose flocks have been affected by HPAI, and we will continue to ensure adequate resources remain available to support a robust response.

As part of USDA’s ongoing response, the Department evaluated the efficacy of current vaccine options for HPAI in addition to economic impacts of vaccination and has determined that, as it currently stands, additional criteria must be met before a vaccine can be approved for emergency use. Vaccines currently available are not well matched and do not meet a suitable level of efficacy. USDA also wants to be sure that the vaccine industry is in a position to produce enough doses to create an effective control measure. Finally, additional outreach with trading partners will be required to avoid significant market disruptions

In the weeks and months ahead, USDA will continue to support efforts to develop a more effective vaccine, assist poultry producers with strong biosecurity measures, indemnify producers for losses, and take aggressive action to maintain open markets for U.S. poultry based on international standards.

USDA will continue to encourage development of vaccines for HPAI and will approve vaccines as they are developed and evaluated. Currently, there is lack of a well matched, effective vaccine for HPAI from the public and private sectors. The vaccine currently available offers just 60 percent effectiveness in chickens, leaving 4 in 10 birds unprotected.  The vaccine’s effectiveness in turkeys is still being studied. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will reevaluate its vaccination decision as more effective vaccines are developed and ready for use, carefully considering both the efficacy of the vaccine and the potential trade impacts. If used, vaccines will be targeted in the states and poultry sectors where they can be most effective. Areas where quarantine, depopulation, and enhanced biosecurity cannot stop the spread of HPAI would be prioritized.

During this outbreak, USDA has preserved open markets to countries that account for approximately 84 percent of the value of U.S. poultry and poultry products (including eggs) in 2014.  However, some significant trading partners have indicated that, if we began vaccinating, they would ban all U.S. exports of poultry and eggs until they could complete a risk assessment. Risk assessments are a common method of evaluating these types of requests, and often require a significant amount of time.  The loss of these markets could potentially cost U.S. poultry producers billions in lost export sales that would need to be diverted to other export and domestic markets, with no clear timeline for reopening closed markets. USDA will continue to work closely with stakeholders and trading partners throughout the response.

The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world so that the food supply and our people remain safe. No human infections with these viruses have been detected, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to the general public to be minimal. America’s food supply is safe. Properly prepared and cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat.

As we continue to respond to this current outbreak, USDA and its partners continue to stress the importance of biosecurity measures for backyard and commercial poultry owners, underscoring five basic steps for responding quickly and decisively:
·        Quarantine
·        Eradicate
·        Monitor region
·        Disinfect
·        Test

Additional information about HPAI can be found at www.usda.gov/avianinfluenza.

PrecisionHawk Launches the Algorithm Marketplace; the First Data Analysis App Store for the Drone Industry

Over 40 university and corporate partners including Texas A&M and Mississippi State University are providing analysis products for the marketplace. Additionally, PrecisionHawk's acquisition of satellite data provider TerraServer will allow marketplace users to link satellite and drone data to observe change over time.

RALEIGH, N.C., June 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Algorithm Marketplace, launched today in BETA, provides automated analysis of aerial data acquired by UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). Using sophisticated algorithms, drone operators no longer need a background in geographic information system (GIS) or remote sensing to interpret their aerial data, instead, the marketplace provides an action-based report to improve management of assets. This launch includes initial algorithms in agriculture, but users can expect solutions to be deployed in the areas of environmental monitoring, energy, insurance and infrastructure assessment.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150601/219815
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150601/219814

"We spent the past 18 months aggregating more than 100 aerial analysis algorithms from leading research partners in North America and Europe," said Dr. Ally Ferguson, PrecisionHawk Director of Geospatial. "While several are deployed now, we are testing many of our internal and partner solutions in real world environments throughout the summer of 2015."

The patent pending marketplace is a part of DataMapper.com, PrecisionHawk's drone data platform (Video: https://youtu.be/zLeUU3_Dr5E)

"As we deploy additional automation and verification tools over the next few months, users can expect many of the analysis algorithms to process in as little as a few minutes, empowering a wide variety of industries," said Andrew Slater, PrecisionHawk VP of Software. "Automation benefits companies who not only need answers quickly, but also those who need to control costs when they need to analyze large volumes of aerial data."

The market is open to companies, universities and students to post and monetize their analysis tools at no cost. A share of the revenue generated from every algorithm sale goes back to the partner. In addition, the algorithm tools can be set to private so companies can extract information without sharing IP.

"The Algorithm Marketplace opens up the remote sensing community and allows institutions, like Texas A&M, to see its research solve tangible real world problems for non-technical users," said Michael Bishop, founding director of the Center for Geospatial Sciences, Applications and Technology at Texas A&M University.

Algorithms are being developed to help companies better evaluate change in conditions over time. To support these tools, PrecisionHawk recently acquired TerraServer (www.terraserver.com), a leading online satellite imagery provider. The 18-year old business has 1.6 million visitors annually.

"We kept finding that we needed satellite data to create software solutions for the drone industry," said Stefan Lataille, PrecisionHawk GIS Scientist. "Drone platforms need to understand their environment and TerraServer, with its access to historical and current satellite data, provides the building blocks to create better analysis tools for drone users to identify how the world changes over time."

TODAY: Fast Track Opposition to Release Over 2 Million Signatures Urging Administration and Congress to Put the Brakes on Fast Track

WASHINGTON, DC—Members of Congress and advocacy groups opposed to fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership will hold a press conferencetoday at noon to release over two million signatures of Americans urging Congress to put the brakes on fast track.

WHO:        Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

                    Senator Bernie Sanders

                    Congressman David Cicilline

                    Congressman Keith Ellison

                    Congressman Ruben Gallego

                    Congressman Alan Grayson

                    Congressman Raúl Grijalva

                    Congresswoman Barbara Lee

                    Congressman Mark Pocan

                    Congressman Tim Ryan

                    Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez

                    Congressman Brad Sherman

                    Congresswoman Louise Slaughter

                    Congresswoman Nydia Velázaquez

                    AFL-CIO

                    Alliance for Retired Americans

CREDO

DailyKos

Demand Progress

Democracy for America

Friends of the Earth

MoveOn.org Civic Action

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

PCCC

Public Citizen

Sierra Club

Social Security Works

SumOfUs

350.org

                   

WHAT:      Press Conference Unveiling Over Two Million Signatures Urging Administration and Congress to Put the Brakes on Fast Track

WHEN:      Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at Noon

WHERE:   House Triangle

                    East Front of the U.S. Capitol

Red Lobster, The Cheesecake Factory, Sonic Top 2015 Xtreme Eating Awards

One Red Lobster Meal, Plus Cocktail, Hits 3,600 Calories

WASHINGTON—Imagine chowing down on an eight-piece bucket of KFC Original Recipe fried chicken, four sides of mashed potatoes with gravy, four pieces of corn on the cob, and eight packets of buttery spread—all by yourself.

It takes a lot to shock the nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest who compile the annual Xtreme Eating Awards.  But this year they found a single restaurant meal that’s the nutritional equivalent of that KFC binge.  Red Lobster’s “Create Your Own Combination” delivers 2,710 calories, and four days’ worth of sodium (6,530 milligrams), if you choose the Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp, Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, and Shrimp Linguine Alfredo to go with the Caesar salad, French fries, and one Cheddar Bay Biscuit.  But wait, there’s more!

 
For our Create Your Own Combination at Red Lobster, we picked three shrimp dishes (Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut, Walt’s Favorite, and Linguine Alfredo). With french fries as our side, Caesar as our salad, and just one Cheddar Bay Biscuit, our total came to 2,710 calories and 6,530 mg (a four-day supply) of sodium.
Wash down that combo with the Lobsterita—the chain’s trademarked 890-calorie, 24-ounce margarita—and the meal reaches 3,600 calories, enough calories for today and most of tomorrow.  It’s the highest-calorie meal among the 2015 Xtreme Eating “dishonorees,” as CSPI calls them.

“This nutritional shipwreck from Red Lobster exemplifies the kind of gargantuan restaurant meal that promotes obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases,” said CSPI registered dietitian Paige Einstein.  “If this meal were unusual, that would be one thing, but America’s chain restaurants are serving up 2,000-calorie breakfasts, 2,000-calorie lunches, 2,000-calorie dinners, and 2,000-calorie desserts left and right.  Abnormal is the new normal.”

The full list of “winners” was published today in the June issue of CSPI’s flagship publication, Nutrition Action Healthletter.  Some of them include:

IHOP’s Chorizo Fiesta Omelette.  On its own, the omelette, “loaded with spicy chorizo sausage, roasted peppers, onions & pepper jack cheese, then topped with a citrus chili sauce & sour cream and served with a fresh grilled serrano pepper,” has 1,300 calories.  But it comes with three buttermilk pancakes (or hash browns, toast, or fruit).  With pancakes and four tablespoons of syrup, this breakfast has a day’s worth of calories (1,990) and two days’ worth of saturated fat (42 grams).
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit’s 3 Meat Plate.  CSPI chose Polish sausage, pork ribs, and beef brisket and sides of fried Onion Tanglers and mac and cheese, plus the free roll, pickles, onions, and a 32-ounce (the only size offered) sweet tea.  This chain invites diners to consume as much free soft-serve ice cream as they want.  With just one half-cup of ice cream in a cone, this 2,500-calorie meal has 49 grams of saturated fat, 4,700 mg of sodium (two and a half to three days’ worth of each), plus 29 teaspoons of sugar.  CSPI says it’s like eating three Big Macs with five Vanilla Cones.
Louisiana Chicken Pasta from The Cheesecake Factory is “parmesan crusted chicken served over pasta with mushrooms, peppers, and onions in a spicy New Orleans sauce.”  At 1½ pounds, this plate from the Xtreme Eating mainstay has 2,370 calories (more than a day’s worth), 80 grams of saturated fat (a four-day supply), and 2,370 mg of sodium.  It’s the equivalent of two orders of Fettuccine Alfredo plus two breadsticks at Olive Garden.
A large Pineapple Upside Down Master Blast from Sonic is a 32-ounce cup filled with vanilla ice cream, pineapple, and “salted caramel & pie crust pieces” and topped with several inches of whipped cream.  It has 2,020 calories, 61 grams of saturated fat (three days’ worth), 4½ grams of trans fat (over two days’ worth), and about 29 teaspoons of added sugar.  It has the calories of roughly four Dairy Queen Banana Splits.
Steak ‘n Shake’s 7x7 Steakburger ‘n Fries is only available from midnight to 6:00 a.m. on the chain’s “Up All Night” menu.  The burger’s seven beef patties and seven slices of cheese, plus a side of fries, totals 1,570 calories and  more than two days’ worth of saturated fat.  With a 960-calorie Chocolate Fudge Brownie Milkshake, the grand total comes to 2,530 calories, 68 grams of saturated fat, more than 5,000 mg of sodium, and 26 teaspoons of added sugar.  It’s like sitting down to four 9-ounce Outback Steakhouse sirloin steaks, each topped with two half-cup scoops of Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream.
“It’s not enough to have one or two patties on a burger, or one or two slices of cheese; now we’re seeing seven patties and seven slices of cheese on a burger,” said Einstein.  “With our burgers getting bigger and bigger, it’s no surprise that many of our waistlines are, too.”

Rules finalized by the Food and Drug Administration requiring calories to be listed on chain-restaurant menus are scheduled to take effect in December.  Until then, CSPI suggests avoiding extreme entrées by ordering from “light” menus, where available, such as the Simple & Fit menu at IHOP or the SkinnyLicious menu at The Cheesecake Factory.  With about 600 calories, those meals aren’t exactly Lean Cuisine, but they are far better than what you’d find on the rest of the menu.  To cut calories, CSPI recommends ordering a thin crust pizza over hand-tossed or pan; a small filet or sirloin over a New York Strip, ribeye, or sirloin; broiled, steamed, baked, or grilled seafood over fried seafood.

Nutrition Action Healthletter is published 10 times a year.  Print and digital subscriptions, as well as a free daily tips email, are available at NutritionAction.com.

CHIPOTLE TESTS CHORIZO IN ALL KANSAS CITY RESTAURANTS

Kansas City residents get first taste of new offering from Chipotle

DENVER, June 2, 2015 – Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced that it is testing Chorizo in all of its Kansas City restaurants. Chipotle’s Chorizo is madewith a blend of chicken and pork and is seasoned with paprika, toasted cumin and chipotle peppers, and then charred to perfection on the grill before it is served tocustomers in their choice of a burrito, bowl, salad or tacos.

“Since we opened the first Chipotle restaurant 22 years ago, our menu has changed very little, and our focus has been on constantly improving the quality of everyingredient we use,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. “While we have never been opposed to adding to our menu, we will only do so when wethink there’s an opportunity to add something that is really unique within our overall menu, and where we can find ingredients that meet our high standards.”

For years Chipotle has been a leader in providing what the company calls Food With Integrity: fresh ingredients grown and raised with respect for famers, animals andthe environment, all brought together using classic cooking techniques. Through this quest, Chipotle has achieved a number of milestones, including its use ofResponsibly Raised meat, local and organically grown produce, pasture-raised dairy, and non-GMO ingredients for all of its food.

Chorizo is available in all Kansas City Chipotle restaurants starting Tuesday, June 2. The company has no immediate plans for expanding the test to other cities, but willconsider expansion based on customer response to this new offering.

For more information about Chorizo, please visit Chipotle.com/chorizo.

Grants Foster ‘Our Food Link’ Activities

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 3, 2015 – Four county Farm Bureaus were selected from a competitive pool of applicants to each receive a $1,500 grant from the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee to help fund “Our Food Link” activities.

Grant-winning programs demonstrate a strong connection between the food system and agriculture, while creatively engaging consumers in a way that encourages them to learn more about food and agricultural products.

“It is extremely important to share agriculture’s message with the general public, since many Americans are several generations removed from the family farm,” said Sherry Saylor, an Arizona row crop farmer who chairs the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee. “These grants will be used to help consumers learn about agriculture.”

The Farm Bureaus selected to receive the grants are highlighted below.

McLean County (Illinois) plans to develop “Our Food Link” learning kits to encourage agricultural literacy among grade-school students in the county.

McLean County (North Dakota) will host a “Harvest Hike” 5K run and walk. At various stations along the run/walk route participants and other attendees will learn about the major crops and livestock produced in North Dakota.

Tuscarawas County (Ohio) is developing an interactive video lesson plan that will allow students and teachers to virtually visit a farm and learn about agriculture.

York County (South Carolina) is set to host a 5K “Run for Agriculture.” Farmers in the county will speak with participants about common misunderstandings related to agriculture.

Our Food Link is a year-round program that county and state Farm Bureaus can use to effectively reach consumers of all ages and backgrounds with information about today’s agriculture. This outreach is more important than ever because the average American is now at least three generations removed from the farm.

Program activities are flexible and creative, including not only the grant-winning projects but also outreach at supermarkets or farmers’ markets, interactive booths at community events, speaking with lawmakers and neighbors about food, visiting classrooms to help students understand agricultural topics and much more.

“Our Food Link” activities may also include the collection of food and monetary donations for Ronald McDonald House Charities or other charities.

The launch of the program was spearheaded in 2014 by the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee, although all Farm Bureau members are encouraged to participate in “Our Food Link” activities.

Assessment Recommends Improvements to National Beginning Farmer & Rancher Grants Program

Popular federal program serves public, beginning farmers
Contact: Megan Buckingham, Land Stewardship Project, 612-722-6377; Ferd Hoefner, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 202-547-5754

Minneapolis, Minn., June 3, 2015 — The nation’s leading public training program for assisting beginning farmers and ranchers is more popular than ever, and with some key adjustments could better fulfill Congress’s intent to target public funding to community-based organizations that conduct beginning farmer education and training.  Those are two conclusions of an assessment of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), which was released today by the Land Stewardship Project (LSP).

The assessment, published by LSP in collaboration with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), is intended to help policy makers and public officials better understand how BFRDP funding, provided through the federal farm bill, is distributed and to evaluate its administrative and programmatic strengths and weaknesses.  LSP’s 2014 BFRDP Progress Report analyzes the most recent round of project grants in the context of trends in recent years. LSP and NSAC have collaborated on an assessment of BFRDP each year that the program has awarded grants.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, BFRDP is a competitive grants program that funds community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, state cooperative extension, and producer groups to provide training and support to beginning farmers and ranchers.

Since the program was launched in 2009, BFRDP has awarded more than $90 million to 184 projects across the nation, and is a key publicly supported effort to ensure the success of the next generation of American family farmers.

In 2014, USDA awarded $18.9 million in BFRDP grants to 39 projects across 28 states. Interest in the program increased in this most recent funding round, in which 157 applicants competed for funding, compared with 109 in 2012, the last year the grants were offered.

As in other years, the 2014 report pays particular attention to the Congressional intent to prioritize community-based organizations when it comes to BFRDP funding, and to set aside funding for projects that serve socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.  In 2014, for the first time since 2009, less than 50 percent of the funding was awarded to projects led by community-based or nonprofit organizations. Instead, the majority of the funding was directed to projects led by land grant universities and other academic institutions.

LSP, NSAC and the groups’ allies are urging USDA to assure that the majority of BFRDP funding is allocated to projects led by community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations over the next four years, as it had been in the three previous funding cycles.

Overall, eight recommendations are made in the report, including one to continue to award no less than 25 percent of BFRDP funding to projects that primarily target socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

The full report and recommendations are available on LSP’s website at: http://landstewardshipproject.org/repository/1/1543/bfrdp_report_2014.pdf.