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FAZD Center workshop on mass animal mortality attracts 70 participants to Austin

More than 70 scientists, policymakers, regulators and industry representatives gathered on Nov. 13-14 in Austin, Texas, for a FAZD Center workshop that focused on the potential problems caused by mass animal mortality in the event of a regional catastrophe.

The event was designed to build upon a similar FAZD Center workshop held in California in 2005.


Poultry groupThe Austin workshop dealt with the science, policy and environmental impact of proper mass mortality disposal caused by natural, accidental, or man-made disasters affecting the beef, dairy, swine, sheep, equine, goat, and poultry industry. It brought together federal and state regulatory and environmental authorities, county and state emergency management professionals, university and private scientific communities, livestock and poultry producers, feeding industry representatives, and commodity organizations in evaluating, improving, and preparing for an animal related crisis of mass mortality.

Dr. Andy Vestal, professor and extension specialist with Texas Cooperative Extension at Texas A&M University, and a principal investigator at the FAZD Center, managed organization of the event.

Participants were presented with two objectives:

  • Review current science and policy and identify future best practices for proper meta-disposal of mass animal mortality.
  • Develop plans and initiatives that will enable them to confidently dispose of mass animal mortality in the event of a natural, accidental, or man-made disaster.
Their work will soon result in three deliverables:

  1. A comprehensive list of interacting policies of the different agencies at federal, state and local levels that contribute to uncertainty, confusion or pose insurmountable obstacles to carcass disposal.
  2. An emergency action plan, including a deicision tree, to guide producers on where to go for answers on handling of disposal in specific circumstances and to identify options for disposal that are available and the consequences of each option based on production sector and size.
  3. A guide to communicating with the public about mass animal mortality.

Speakers included:

  • Dr. Neville P. Clarke, director of the FAZD Center.
  • Dr. Dee Elllis, assistant state veterinarian with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
  • Dr. Bruce McCarl, regents professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University, and a principal investigator with the FAZD Center.
  • Dr Saqib Mukhtar, associate professor and extention agricultural engineer with Texas Cooperative Extension and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
  • Dr. Tom Glanville, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University.
  • Ronnie Jordan, vice president, Phillips & Jordan Inc.
  • Eddy Vance, air and water section manager for Region 1 (Amarillo) with TCEQ.
  • Dr. Tom Sidwa, manager of the zoonosis control branch and state public health veterinarian with Texas Department of State Health Services.
  • Dr. Ed Maldonado, assistant coordinator, Disaster Mental Health Services at DSHS.
  • Dr. Bethany O'Brien, senior staff veterinarian for the National Center for Animal Health Emergency Management, USDA/APHIS.
  • Kelly W. Cook, homeland security coordinator, TCEQ.