Animal Health News & Notes for June 23, 2006

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for June 23, 2006
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
 
Editor: Lynn Fondon, DVM, MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
 
earnings news
Del  Monte
 
other news
Biogenesis
Boehringer Ingelheim
Butler
H.J. Baker & Bro.
IVESCO
San Jorge Bago
 
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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES
 
> Del Monte reported results for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2006.  Revenues for the Pet Products division were $856 million, an increase of 2% compared to fiscal year 2005. (company website) 
 
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AnimalHealthJobs.com
51 Jobs posted
 
Visit our website and see if the next step in your career is awaiting you!
 
www.AnimalHealthJobs.com
 
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
 
> Butler Animal Health Supply confirmed that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire IVESCO. The two companies are currently engaged in due diligence. Butler stated it will have no further comment on this matter until a decision has been reached. (PRNewswire) 
 
> H.J. Baker & Bro. Inc. is recalling three livestock feed ingredients after a sample tested by the FDA tested positive for cattle meat and bone meal. Two ingredients being recalled are Pro-Lak and Pro-Amino II, which are given to dairy cows, made by H.J. Baker between August 2005 and June 2006. Pro-Pak with Porcine Meat and Bone, the third recalled ingredient, was mislabeled. (Meating Place)  
 
> AUSTRALIA   Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health GmbH, announced that the Australian regulatory authorities have granted market authorization for the porcine live vaccine Enterisol Ileitis for the active immunization of pigs against the bacteria Lawsonia intracellularis as an aid to prevent and control porcine proliferative enteropathy. Enterisol Ileitis is the first live porcine vaccine in Australia. (Webwire)
 
> ARGENTINA   Biogenesis and San Jorge Bago, the two biggest Argentine animal health companies, are joining forces to form Biogenesis-Bago. The announcement follows a joint venture, named Vetia, launched by the two firms last year to distribute their products outside of Argentina and compete more effectively with international businesses. The merged firm is set to control around 15% of the large animal market in Argentina, including 45% of biologicals and 25% of ivermectin-based products. This implies total domestic sales of around $25 million. (Animal Pharm)
 
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CONSULTANT PROFILE
Christine Merle DVM, MBA, CVPM
Brakke Veterinary Practice Management Group Consultant
 
Dr. Merle always knew she would become a veterinarian despite the fact that it took her several years to convince her family that a dog was a necessary member of their family.  Upon graduation from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996, she joined one of the first corporate veterinary practice groups in Chicago, Illinois as a small animal practitioner.  She pursued a Master in Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing at DePaul University Kellsted Graduate School of Business while continuing to practice part time and provide relief veterinary services in the Chicagoland area. 
 
In July 2000, shortly after receiving her MBA, she returned to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine to develop and teach several veterinary student courses in life skills and practice management, coordinate continuing education programs, explore opportunities for the college and serve as a small animal and practice management resource for the constituents of Illinois. While at Illinois she successfully obtained her Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management from Veterinary Hospital Management Association. She last served as the Assistant Dean for Public Engagement at the University.
 
Dr. Merle joined the Brakke Consulting, Inc. in June 2005 as a member of the Veterinary Practice Management Group.  She has been instrumental in the development of both the divisions new website, www.brakkevpmg.com, and their marketing material. She has a particular interest in communications, organizational behavior and integration of marketing into private practice by focusing on staff and client education. As a consultant she provides on-site consultations, customized in-house seminar programs, marketing assistance and speaks at national meetings including CVC Central in August and NAVC in January.  She is also an active member of several veterinary organizations and is currently serving as president-elect for the Association of Veterinary Practice Management Consultants and Advisors (AVPMCA).
 
A resident of Zionsville, Indiana, Dr. Merle shares her life with her husband Steven Habeck, a CPA, and their pets, Sable, a 14 year old shepherd-lab mix; Mystic, a 12 year old domestic short hair and Happy Medium, an 18 year old Throughbred gelding.
           
What does Christine see as the future in veterinary medicine?
 
We have only just begun to see what the human-animal bond means to people and the impact that animals have on our lives.  From providing food for our table to captivating an entire country on a fateful Preakness day to simply claiming the bed as their own, animals are a part of everyone’s lives and the unique relationships that we have with them cannot simply be explained in a few words or actions. Similarly, veterinary practices need to understand what makes them unique and how they can differentiate themselves from their colleagues down the street.  Veterinary practices can’t be everything for everyone nor should they even try.
 
I also see veterinary medicine at a crossroads with many opportunities for the profession to play an important role in the future of public health and prevention of bio-terrorism.  We cannot forget that veterinarians are trained medical professionals with comprehensive knowledge in comparative medicine.  We belong on the forefront of not only animal but also human disease research and prevention.  I encourage everyone in the animal health industry to promote veterinary medicine beyond the typical image of veterinary practices – the profession has so much more to offer.  
 
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
 
> CANADA – LOW PATHOGENICITY AVIAN INFLUENZA   The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that testing at its avian influenza reference laboratory found no additional evidence of influenza virus in birds from a small backyard flock in western Prince Edward Island. The fact that the H5 virus was not detected, along with the absence of clinical signs of disease in the depopulated birds, indicates that only a very small amount of low-pathogenicity virus may have been present in the index bird. (Feedstuffs online)
 
>  US – POULTRY INDUSTRY TESTING FOR AI   The “vast, vast majority” of commercial broiler, turkey and egg operations currently are testing for avian influenza under voluntary, industry-sponsored surveillance programs, customer specifications or state programs, a poultry industry source reported. However, the proposed USDA program is “extremely important to the industry because it will create a structure for consistent testing and surveillance and indemnities, and it will give certainty to our international trading partners.”  (Feedstuffs online)
 
> CANADA – BSE INVESTIGATION COMPLETED   The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed its investigation of BSE in a cow from British Columbia. This was Canada’s third case of BSE since the disease was first confirmed in that country back in May 2003. CFIA investigators identified a feed ingredient supplier common to this case and Canada’s fourth BSE-infected animal, confirmed on January 22, 2006. This potential link suggests that all of Canada’s BSE cases fall within the same geographic cluster, which is reflective of feed sourcing, production, and distribution patterns. (Wattnet Meatnews)
 
> JAPAN – US BEEF IMPORTS TO RESUME   The Japanese government announced an agreement to resume imports of US beef. The agreement comes, however, with numerous conditions and it remains unclear just when shipments will resume. Japan will send three groups of officials to the United States over the next month to inspect the 35 packing plants certified for exporting beef to Japan. Only beef from animals 20 months of age or younger will qualify for export, and all specified risk materials must be removed. (Drovers Alert)
 
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
 
Quiet week in animal health news! Hope that means that the first days of summer are treating everyone well.  Enjoy the quiet while it lasts.
 
Christine Merle
 
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