Champaign IL – The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) is pleased to announce that, Deputy Under Secretary Gary Woodward; Dr. Lynn McMullen, Dr. Steve Larsen and Bill Hewat will be the featured speakers in the AMSA 68th Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) Hot Topic Symposium. This sessions is sponsored by Texas Tech University Center for Food Industry Excellence and will take place on Wednesday, June 17. Presentations from these speakers will focus on the below topics.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Programs and Their Link to Science: USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) facilitates domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products and ensures the health and care of animals and plants, and are active participants in setting national and international standards. Mr. Woodward, Deputy Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, United States Department of Agriculture, will highlight key marketing and regulatory programs related to meat science, and the linkage between those programs and science.
Heat Resistant Escherichia coli: Why They Don't Die! Heat resistant Enterobacteriaceae have been isolated from meat products and recently the genetic determinants for heat resistance have recently been discovered. The presence of a genomic island, referred to as the “locus of heat resistance” correlated perfectly to heat resistance in strains of E. coli. Dr. McMullen, Professor, Food Microbiology, Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, will discuss the implications of heat resistant organisms for the meat industry.
PEDv in Swine – Status and Impact: U.S. pork producers have been dealing with PEDv. Checkoff has funded millions of dollars in PEDv research and have worked with veterinarians, producers and packers to help control PEDv. In this presentation Dr. Steve Larsen, Director of Pork Safety with the National Pork Board, will include a review of Checkoff funded PEDv research and the lessons learned from dealing with PEDv.
Overview of the 2015 Avian Influenza Outbreak: The U.S. has suffered the largest Avian Influenza epornitic in recent history. The highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza has infected more than 150 commercial poultry farms, mainly in the Upper Midwest, and has resulted in the culling of more than 38 million commercial poultry. In this presentation Bill Hewat, Director of International Live Production and Veterinary Service with Tyson Foods, Inc., will review the HPAI H5N2 virus, the impact on the industry and the steps that are being taken to eradicate the disease.
The AMSA 68th Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) will be held June 14-17, 2015 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in Lincoln, Nebraska. For more information regarding the AMSA 68th RMC please visit: http://www.meatscience.org/rmc or contact Deidrea Mabry 1-800-517-AMSA ext. 12.
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AMSA fosters community and professional development among individuals who create and apply science to efficiently provide safe and high quality meat (defined as red meat (beef, pork and lamb), poultry, fish/seafood and meat from other managed species).
Source: The American Meat Science Association (AMSA)