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Speakers Announced for NIAA’s 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium in Atlanta

Farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, allied industry professionals, human health specialists and environmental experts will explore collaboration opportunities to derive One Health solutions for antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.

 

Kansas City, Mo. (October 5, 2023) — The National Institute for Animal Agriculture will host the 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia from November 7-9, 2023. This year’s theme for Symposium is Thriving in a Changing Landscape.

 

NIAA serves as a contractor to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Antibiotics Symposium is made possible in part by the Beef Checkoff. This year’s Symposium program comes on the heels of NIAA’s Kentucky Farm Tour collaboration with Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, Kentucky Pork Producers Association, Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that served to bridge the gap between animal agriculture, human, and environmental health. This program is also made possible by Beef Farmers and Ranchers.

 

Symposium topics will include an industry report on the current state of antibiotic stewardship from producer to processor to grocer, information on the latest antimicrobial stewardship and resistance research, the multi-dimensional aspects of antibiotic stewardship and AMR, regulatory updates, One Health collaborations, and more. Confirmed speakers include:

  • Ken Opengart – Tyson Foods,
  • Alex Rinkus – Health for Animals,
  • Chris Gambino – The Breakthrough Institute,
  • Terry Lehenbauer – University of California Davis,
  • Collette Kaster – Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization
  • Andy Bishop – Cattlemen’s Beef Board,
  • Chelsey Shivley – USDA APHIS,
  • Catherine Rockwell – USDA FSIS,
  • Susan Jennings – EPA,
  • Karen Smith – Association of State & Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO),
  • Cameron Bess, PhD – Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA),

and more. See the full list of speakers here.

 

In addition to the Symposium program, NIAA will be leading a tour on Tuesday, November 7 before the opening reception. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a tour limited to 30 people. More details will be released at a later date.

 

To register for the 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium and book your hotel stay in Atlanta, please visit www.AnimalAgriculture.org. Hotel room block and early bird rates for registration are active until October 15, 2022. For assistance, please contact Morgan Young, Director of Communications and Outreach for the National Institute for Animal Agriculture at morgan.young@animalagriculture.org.

 

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About NIAA
NIAA is the leading resource for the animal agriculture industry and provides value to all stakeholders involved in providing safe and healthy food for the world. NIAA is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing programs to work towards providing solutions for disease, while promoting a safe and wholesome food supply and the best practices of environmental stewardship, animal health and well-being.

 

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

NIAA Provides mRNA Resources to the Animal Agriculture Industry

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) hosted a webinar on July 21 with industry professionals and stakeholders to provide resources communicating about the use of mRNA technology in animal agriculture.

Misinformation has been shared on social media claiming humans can become vaccinated against COVID-19 by consuming animal protein from livestock treated with mRNA vaccines. The emerging issue was presented at NIAA’s Annual Conference in April 2023 during the Animal Health Emergency Management Council meeting. To compound the misinformation, mRNA vaccines have recently been the target of some state legislative bills.

NIAA quickly assembled a working group of experts from across animal agriculture to develop communication support materials regarding the use of mRNA technology in animal agriculture. Working group leaders include:

  • American Association of Swine Veterinarians
  • American Farm Bureau Federation
  • American Veterinary Medical Association
  • Animal Agriculture Alliance
  • Livestock Marketing Association
  • Merck Animal Health
  • Missouri Farm Bureau
  • National Institute for Animal Agriculture
  • National Pork Board
  • National Pork Producers Council
  • North American Meat Institute
  • Zoetis

The webinar hosted nearly 100 interested stakeholders and presented an information brief and infographic that is now available for animal agriculture stakeholders to use.

“NIAA works to serve animal agriculture stakeholders by convening leaders across the supply chain and connecting them with resources,” said J.J. Jones, NIAA executive director. “With this latest emerging issue, it’s important to know the facts about a complex topic and then communicate it simply and clearly. Our leaders are hopeful our animal agriculture stakeholders find this resource valuable.”

To access the mRNA information brief and infographic, please visit the resources page at the NIAA website. To learn more about becoming more involved in NIAA through membership or partnership, contact NIAA’s executive director J.J. Jones.

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NIAA is the leading resource for the animal agriculture industry and provides value to all stakeholders involved in providing safe and healthy food for the world. NIAA is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing programs to work towards providing solutions for disease, while promoting a safe and wholesome food supply and the best practices of environmental stewardship, animal health and well-being.