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NI vets praised for rapid response to ASF traces
ASF outbreaks have been confirmed in countries such as Belgium, Bulgaria and China.
DNA fragments found in seized passenger luggage 

BVA president Simon Doherty has praised vets and inspectors in Northern Ireland for rapidly detecting traces of African swine fever (ASF) in passenger luggage at airports.

DAERA announced last week that more than 300kg of illegal meat and dairy products were seized at Northern Ireland airports in June. A sample of these were tested at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, revealing fragments of ASF DNA.

ASF can be easily transmitted in infected pork products and outbreaks have been confirmed in countries such as Belgium, Bulgaria and China. Northern Ireland has strict controls banning personal imports of meat and dairy products from most countries outside the EU.

Mr Doherty commented: “It’s very encouraging to see that government vets and inspectors are united in their vigilance to prevent the incursion of this deadly disease. We are fortunate in Northern Ireland to have a surveillance facility like AFBI that can carry out quick and effective testing and continuous monitoring for disease risks.

“African Swine Fever poses a significant and growing threat to animal welfare and agriculture throughout all regions of the UK, so we need to continue to make every effort to curb its spread and raise public awareness of the risks of bringing animal products that may be carrying the disease into the country.

“The seizure of 300 kg of illegally imported products in June alone really underlines the scale of this important task ahead.”

DAERA said that the discovery of ASF fragments in imported products does not pose a significant threat to Northern Ireland’s animal health status. However, it underlines the importance of controls placed on personal imports of meat and dairy products.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.