Respiratory disease is the most common cause of death of feedlot cattle, and a great deal of the research has been focused on it at this stage of production.

However, BRD is also the most common cause of death for nursing beef calves older than three weeks, and much less is known about the syndrome in this age class.

However, like the disease we see in feedlot calves, we know that BRD in pre-weaned calves can occur because of exposure to a variety of viruses and bacteria as well as many risk factors such as immunity, insecurity issues and stress.

LISTEN: Preventing BRD on cow-calf operations

In the most recent edition of the Canadian Veterinary Journal, Dr. Nathan Erickson and colleagues published a clinical trial that focuses on one aspect of the neonatal vaccination question in beef calves — specifically, does vaccination with a bovine coronavirus vaccine prevent respiratory disease in a commercial cow-calf herd with a history of BRD treatments in young calves?

Bovine coronavirus has been suspected as a virus that may be involved in some of these BRD outbreaks, and this trial examines whether some of the current commercial vaccines can reduce the number of calves that need to be treated.

The trial

Erickson and his team performed the trial on 887 mixed-breed calves born from Feb 16 to May 28 at a commercial ranch in Alberta.

This ranch had a history of previous outbreaks of BRD in calves aged 10 to 50 days. The cow herd was routinely vaccinated annually with a modified live virus vaccine for IBR, BVD, BRSV and PI3 viruses, which is typical in many cow-calf operations.

At birth, calves were randomized into two groups for comparison.

The bovine coronavirus group (447 calves) received a three-millilitre intranasal dosage of a modified live bovine coronavirus/rotavirus vaccine (Calfguard, Zoetis Canada) within 12 to 24 hours after birth.

The control group (439 calves) did not receive the intranasal coronavirus vaccine at birth.

It should be noted that although this is a common commercially available vaccine, it has not been approved for intranasal use, although it has been used in this manner in other studies.

Both vaccinated and control calves received a modified live intranasal vaccination containing IBR, PI3 and BRSV shortly after birth, which was the routine vaccination strategy on this ranch.

At approximately 49 days of age, calves in both groups were given their routine pre-turnout vaccinations, which included a modified live viral vaccine for IBR, BVD, BRSV and PI3 virus along with mannheimia hemolytica bacterin and a clostridial vaccine that contained hemophilus somnus.

The bovine coronavirus vaccine calf group also received an intramuscular booster dose of the same vaccine they were given at birth intranasally.

The researchers monitored how many calves received treatments for respiratory disease.

Calves were treated if they had two of the following clinical signs: lethargy, drooping ears, cough, nasal discharge, respiratory distress or a rectal temperature greater than 39.9 C.

They also recorded which calves died, although post-mortems were not performed, and the ranch staff recorded calf weights at the time of weaning.

The verdict

Within the bovine coronavirus vaccine group, they had to treat 16 per cent of the calves for BRD, and within the control group they had to treat 22 per cent of the calves for BRD. This difference was statistically significant, which means that is probably not just due to chance.

The researchers also found a reduction in mortality in the coronavirus vaccine group but only within the calves born in the second cycle.

Finally, the calves in the coronavirus vaccine group were two kilograms heavier at weaning than the control group.

This is a great example of a clinical trial that is performed on a commercial herd situation that helps to answer a very specific question about vaccine strategy.

These types of studies in cow-calf herds are few and far between, and Erickson and his team should be congratulated for their hard work in producing this research.

This vaccination strategy with a coronavirus-rotavirus vaccine appears to have some efficacy in certain situations where neonatal respiratory disease is a problem.

It doesn’t eliminate the BRD problem, but it does lessen the number of calves needing treatment and seems to have some impact on death loss and weaning weights.

Coronavirus may have been one of the viruses that was a factor in this herd’s BRD outbreak.

As always, speak to your veterinarian about the best strategy for vaccinating your own herd.

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Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has killed or caused the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry globally in recent years, most of them laying hens, which sent egg prices rocketing in some countries.

Research in the laboratory of Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) early last year had already shown that two vaccines against bird flu, produced by France’s Ceva Animal Health and Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim, were effective against the virus but there had been no experiment on a farm.

“In September 2023, 1,800 day-old chicks were vaccinated against bird flu. The results show that the two tested vaccines are effective against infection with the virus eight weeks after vaccination,” the Dutch agriculture ministry said in a statement.

“The fact that the vaccines work in practice is a very important step towards the large-scale vaccination of poultry against the bird flu virus,” it said.

Bird flu is raising mounting concerns as the disease is increasingly spreading to mammals, with the first-ever outbreaks detected in dairy cows in the United States raising concerns about it spreading to humans through the nation’s milk supply.

The tests were carried out at two laying farms by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Royal GD (Animal Health Service) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University, the ministry said.

More transmission trials will be conducted over the next year and a half to assess the vaccines’ effectiveness during the entire laying period, the Dutch ministry said.

Australia last week reported its first case of avian influenza in a child who had become infected in India, while a different highly infectious strain was found on an egg farm.

“The government intends to make large-scale vaccination possible responsibly, taking into account animal and public health, as well as animal welfare. Also to minimize any unfavorable effects of the vaccination on trade. That is why a step-by-step approach was chosen,” it said.

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France has been among the countries worst affected by an unprecedented global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza that has disrupted supply of poultry and eggs and sent prices rocketing in many parts of the world in the past years.

To fight the spread of the disease it started vaccinating 64 million ducks early this month, making it the first poultry exporter to do so and raising hope among foie gras producers that it would put an end to the crisis.

Producer group Cifog forecast foie gras output will rise 20 per cent in 2023 to 9,855 metric tonnes after a drop of 35 per cent in 2022, but still 26 per cent below the average of the five previous years and half the volume produced 10 years earlier.

Higher production costs, including part of vaccination, will lead to another rise in foie gras prices, pegged at five per cent this year, it said.

On the export front, France’s bird flu vaccination campaign prompted several countries to impose a ban on French poultry imports, including Japan, France’s main foie gras export market outside Europe with a share of 10 per cent in value.

Canada and the U.S. also imposed bans, Cifog added.

Although more and more governments have been looking at vaccination as a way to contain the virus, most of the world’s biggest poultry producers have resisted vaccination due to concerns it could mask the spread of bird flu and prompt trade bans.

— Sybille de La Hamaide is a Reuters commodities correspondent in Paris.

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However, no decision to vaccinate has yet been made, Rosemary Sifford, who is also deputy administrator of the veterinary services program at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), told Reuters at the general session of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) in Paris.

The conference has been focusing on highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu.

The severity of the current outbreak of bird flu has led some governments to reconsider vaccinating poultry, but others such as the United States have been remain reluctant, citing trade curbs this would entail.

“Any vaccination strategy would need to be a very focused strategy… I would certainly not expect to do a widespread vaccination if we were to choose that path,” Sifford said.

“We would be looking at a very specific targeted potentially geographic- and species-oriented that maybe focus on certain turkeys in a certain area. These are the country scenarios that we have been talking through,” she added.

Regionalization and compartmentalization per farms or species are allowed under WOAH rules and often reduce the risk of having country-wide trade barriers.

Turkey meat is expected to account for about 10 per cent of total U.S. poultry production in 2023 and exports are expected to account for about seven per cent of total turkey production, USDA data showed. In contrast, exports of chicken meat are estimated at about 16 per cent.

Sifford sees “no positive impact” in vaccinating chickens since they have a short lifespan.

“For us, turkeys have been the species most affected in terms of facilities,” she said.

The National Turkey Federation, which represents U.S. farmers and processors, supports the development of a vaccine, its president said.

USDA said in November that more than 70 per cent of commercial poultry farms affected in the 2022 outbreak were turkey farms.

USDA told Reuters on Friday that it continued to research vaccine options against bird flu to “protect poultry from this persistent threat” but still considers biosecurity measures to be the most effective tool for mitigating the virus.

— Sybille de La Hamaide is a Reuters commodities correspondent in Paris; additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago.

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The severity of the current outbreak of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, and the economic and personal damage it has caused, has led governments to reconsider vaccinating poultry. However, some, like the United States, remain reluctant mainly because of the trade curbs this would entail.

“We are coming out of a COVID crisis where every country realized the hypothesis of a pandemic was real,” WOAH director general Monique Eloit told Reuters in an interview.

“Since almost every country that does international trade has now been infected, maybe it’s time to discuss vaccination, in addition to systematic culling which remains the main tool (to control the disease),” she said.

The Paris-based WOAH is holding a five-day general session from Sunday, and will focus on global control of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.

A WOAH survey showed only 25 per cent of its member states would accept imports of products from poultry vaccinated against HPAI.

The European Union’s 27 member states agreed last year to implement a bird flu vaccine strategy.

France, which spent about one billion euros (C$1.46 billion) in 2021-22 to compensate the poultry industry for massive cullings, is set to be the first EU country to begin a vaccination programme, starting with ducks.

“It is our responsibility to use other tools that are now available such as vaccination. And this, for animal health, for public health but also to respond to societal challenges,” French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau said at the launch of the WOAH General Session.

Eloit said the EU move toward vaccination could prompt others to follow.

“If a bloc like the EU, which is a large exporter, starts moving in that direction, it will have a ricochet impact,” Eloit said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told Reuters on Friday that “in the interest of leaving no stone unturned in the fight against HPAI, USDA continues to research vaccine options that can protect poultry from this persistent threat”.

However, it still considers biosecurity measures to be the most effective tool for mitigating the virus in commercial flocks, it said in emailed answers.

The risk to humans from bird flu remains low but countries must prepare for any change in the status quo, the World Health Organization has said.

Eloit said vaccination should focus on free-range poultry, mainly ducks, since bird flu is transmitted by infected migrating wild birds. Vaccinating broilers, which account for about 60 per cent of global poultry output, makes less sense, she said.

The H5N1 strain that has been prevalent in the current HPAI outbreak has been detected in a larger number of mammals and killed thousands of them, including sea lions, foxes, otters and cats.

— Reporting for Reuters by Sybille de La Hamaide; additional reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington.

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The trials, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, are the first step in a lengthy process toward the possible first use of vaccines to protect U.S. poultry from the lethal virus.

Bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the world, raising interest in vaccines. The virus is largely spread by wild birds that transmit it to poultry.

USDA is testing one vaccine from Zoetis, one from Merck Animal Health and two developed by the department’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Zoetis said it previously supplied its vaccine to a USDA stockpile in 2016, following a massive 2015 outbreak, but it was never used.

Initial data from a study using a single dose of a vaccine are expected in May, while results from studies on two-dose vaccine regimens are expected in June, USDA said.

If the trials are successful and USDA decides to continue development, it would take at least 18-24 months for a vaccine that matches the current virus to be commercially available, the agency said.

The government needs to ensure vaccinations would not disrupt trading with major buyers, said Greg Tyler, president of the industry group USA Poultry + Egg Export Council.

Governments have previously focused on culling infected flocks to control the virus due to concerns importers would block shipments of vaccinated poultry to avoid the risk of infections.

USDA said on Friday its “current strategy of stamping out and eradicating HPAI… continues to be the most effective strategy because it works.”

Outbreaks in U.S. commercial and backyard poultry flocks have led to the deaths or culls of an estimated 58.65 million birds across 47 states since the high-path virus’ current run through the U.S. began in early 2022.

In Canada, as of Tuesday, an estimated 7.3 million commercial and backyard birds have been similarly impacted by the virus since late 2021.

France said last week it was launching an order for 80 million doses of vaccines to use in ducks in the autumn if final trial results are positive, the first EU member to start such a plan.

— Tom Polansek reports on agriculture and ag commodities for Reuters from Chicago. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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The requirements were first adopted in November as part of reopening the United States to land crossings by foreign tourists after the borders had been closed to most visitors since March 2020. The vaccination requirements had been set to expire on Thursday unless they were extended.

International air travelers over the age of two, regardless of citizenship, must provide a negative test for the virus before arriving and non-U.S. citizens must also show proof of vaccination. People traveling at land or ferry crossings do not need to provide a negative test.

There are some limited exceptions to the rules, including for those who have recently recovered from COVID-19.

The Homeland Security Department (DHS) said the decision was made after consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says vaccines are the most effective public health measure to protect people from severe COVID-19 related illness or death.

In January, DHS extended vaccination requirements to include previously exempt foreign essential workers such as truck drivers and nurses crossing U.S. land borders.

Michigan Agri-Business Association president Chuck Lippstreu criticized the DHS for “failure to provide common-sense exemptions to this policy for agricultural truck drivers,” and said it “flies in the face of reality on the ground here in Michigan, where our agriculture sector continues facing supply disruptions, increases in cross-border trucking costs and an ongoing driver shortage.”

Major airlines want the government to end COVID-19 pre-departure testing requirements for vaccinated international passengers traveling to the U.S.

They argue testing requirements are unnecessary and deter Americans from traveling abroad because of testing costs and risks they could be stranded abroad if they test positive.

Britain, France, Canada, Italy and many other countries have dropped pre-departure testing requirements for fully vaccinated visitors.

— David Shepardson reports on the U.S. transportation and aviation sectors for Reuters from Washington, D.C.

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“It depends on whether employees that aren’t vaccinated will get vaccinated, or would they leave their jobs,” Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) said in an interview Thursday. “In that case do we end up in a deficit of human resources to keep the grain supply chain functioning?”

The Canadian government will “make vaccination mandatory in federally regulated workplaces,” including grain elevators, through regulations under Part II of the Canada Labour Code, it announced in a news release Tuesday.

“The government will consult with key stakeholders, including representatives of small and medium-sized employers, as it works expeditiously to finalize the new regulations, which would come into force in early 2022,” the release says.

Why it matters: Vaccination rates are generally lower in rural areas where most grain elevators are. When new federal regulations require all elevator employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or lose their jobs it’s possible some facilities will be short-staffed.

The WGEA wants more details about Ottawa’s new vaccine mandate, but as of Thursday Sobkowich said he understood ongoing COVID testing would not be allowed in lieu of vaccination.

That’s Hugh Wagner’s interpretation too. The general secretary of the Grain and General Services Union also believes, based on legal opinions, if enacted with a clear, consistent policy and allowing workers time to get vaccinated, employers can demand workers be vaccinated.

“(I)f an employer goes about it the right way, following those steps that I have just laid out, then they likely can implement a mandatory vaccination policy and the employees will have to adhere to it if they want to continue to their job,” Wagner, whose union represents about 800 workers, mainly in Saskatchewan working at some Viterra and Richardson facilities, said in an interview Thursday.

“We have also advised union members that there may be situations… be they medical or reasons of religion, where an individual can raise a question or a challenge as to an exemption, but that is a very high bar to overcome.

“I’ve told people very explicitly that you might say it’s against your religion but actually with all the major religions on board with vaccinations, what you’re really saying is it’s your interpretation of your religion. That won’t get you a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Asked if he thought grain companies can implement the vaccine mandate with a minimum of disruption, Sobkowich replied: “I hope so. It depends on the region. It depends on how employees react. It’s difficult to predict at this point.”

There are a number of elevators in Manitoba’s Southern Health District where the following six municipalities have the lowest vaccination rates in Manitoba:

(Source: Manitoba Health)

As of Dec. 8 more than half of the COVID-infected patients in Manitoba intensive care units (ICU) were from Southern Health, which accounts for just 15 per cent of Manitoba’s population. Of those infected patients 92 per cent were either not vaccinated or had just one dose.

Meanwhile, the number of ICU cases continues to grow forcing Manitoba Health to cancel more surgeries and diagnostic procedures. Doctors Manitoba puts the backlog of 152,000.

“The (WGEA) member companies are fully supportive of as many Canadians receiving the vaccine as possible,” Sobkowich said.

“The grain companies continue to promote vaccinations among workers. It’s a sensitive issue and one that needs to be approached considering the perspectives of all the stakeholders. There are a number of questions that really need more fleshing out. In the midst of getting on board with the government’s mandate there are a number of questions that need to be answered.”

Some of them include rules around employers asking employees about their vaccination status, he said.

Vaccination is the best line of defence against COVID-19, the government release says.

“It not only protects those who are vaccinated, but it protects vulnerable populations like young children who aren’t yet able to get vaccinated,” the release says. “To finish the fight against COVID-19, protect workers and their families, and ensure businesses can get back up to speed, we need to do everything we can to keep public spaces safe, particularly as we continue to face new variants.”

Mandatory vaccination is already required for employees working in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors, and travellers using these modes of transportation.

There are about 18,500 employers in federally regulated industries, including federal Crown corporations, which together employ 955,000 people. That’s about six per cent of all Canadian employees.

The majority (87 per cent) work in companies with 100 or more employees, the release says.
These figures exclude the federal public service.

Including the federal public service, there are approximately 19,000 employers and 1.3 million employees, which represents about 8.5 per cent of all employees in Canada.

All federal public servants in the Core Public Administration, including RCMP members and reservists, must be vaccinated against COVID-19.

This requirement applies whether employees are teleworking, working remotely or working on-site. More than 95 per cent of employees have attested to being fully vaccinated and approximately 98 per cent have had at least one dose.

“Employers who do not comply with their obligations under the Canada Labour Code may be subject to compliance and enforcement measures, including administrative monetary penalties,” the release says.

“In recognition of Indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination and self-government, Indigenous governing bodies and First Nation band councils will be exempted from the new requirements. The government of Canada will work with Indigenous partners to provide information on the new measures should they wish to follow the same approach, however, doing so will be at their discretion. This is also in line with the Government’s commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

A copy of the consultation paper on the new vaccination mandate may be requested from the Labour Program by email.

— Allan Dawson is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator.

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The latest 30-day extension by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came after Canada announced Monday it will start allowing in fully vaccinated U.S. visitors on Aug. 9 for non-essential travel, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a 16-month ban that many businesses have called crippling.

DHS said on Wednesday it “is in constant contact with Canadian and Mexican counterparts to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably.”

One difficult question for President Joe Biden’s administration is whether to follow Canada’s lead and require all visitors to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before entering the U.S., sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.

The White House plans a new round of high-level meetings this week to discuss the travel restrictions and the potential of mandating COVID-19 vaccines for visitors, but no decisions have been made, the sources said.

The review comes amid increasing concern among U.S. officials about the Delta variant. U.S. health officials have reported sizable increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates.

The White House last month launched interagency working groups with the European Union, Britain, Canada and Mexico to look at how to eventually to lift travel and border restrictions.

Businesses in Canada and the U.S., particularly the travel and airline industries, have pushed for an end to restrictions on non-essential travel between the two countries, which were imposed in March 2020 early in the pandemic.

Since then, the land border has remained closed to all non-essential travel. The United States has allowed Canadians to fly in, though they must first receive a negative COVID-19 test, as do nearly all U.S.-bound international air travelers. Canada has not allowed Americans to do the same.

Unlike international air passengers, travelers crossing U.S. land borders do not need negative COVID-19 tests.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, a business group, criticized the latest U.S. extension. The chamber’s president and CEO, Perrin Beatty, said the U.S. move “flies in the face of both science and the most recent public health data.”

“It’s hard to see how allowing fully vaccinated Canadians to enter the U.S. poses a public health threat when travel within the U.S. is unrestricted,” Beatty added.

The U.S. has continued to extend the restrictions on Canada and Mexico on a monthly basis since March 2020.

Airlines and others have urged Biden’s administration to lift restrictions covering most non-U.S. citizens who have recently been in Britain, the 26 nations in Europe without border controls as well as Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil.

The U.S. land border restrictions do not bar U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States. As in prior extensions, DHS said it could still seek to amend or rescind the restrictions before Aug. 21.

— Reporting for Reuters by David Shepardson; additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa.

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Inoculated visitors from countries other than the United States will be permitted to enter beginning on Sept. 7. The relaxation depends on Canada’s COVID-19 rates remaining favourable, officials said.

“Thanks to the rising vaccination rates and declining COVID-19 cases, we are able to move forward with adjusted border measures,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference at Brampton, Ont.

Some 50 per cent of Canadian residents are fully vaccinated, and 75 per cent have had one shot, government officials said.

Businesses in Canada and the U.S., particularly the travel and airline industries, pushed for an end to restrictions on non-essential travel between the two countries, which were imposed in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.

Since then, the land border has been closed to all non-essential travel. However, the U.S. has allowed Canadians to fly in, while Canada has not allowed Americans to do the same.

“As Canada moves from recovery into growth, having workable border measures for fully vaccinated travelers is critical for Canadian businesses,” said Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Until now, the U.S. and Canada had extended the border restrictions month-by-month.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said U.S. officials told him it was likely Washington would extend its land border restrictions, which expire on Thursday, for an additional month.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to say whether the U.S. would follow Canada’s lead.

“We are continuing to review our travel decisions and we’ll be guided by our public health and medical experts… I wouldn’t look at it through a reciprocal intention,” she told a briefing when asked about Canada’s decision.

People eligible to enter Canada must have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days beforehand. Children under 12 who are not vaccinated will not be required to quarantine if traveling with their fully inoculated parents.

The government repeated that Canadians should still avoid non-essential travel abroad.

The news should be a boost for Canada’s hard-hit airlines which have recovered more slowly from the pandemic than their U.S. counterparts. Ottawa is also lifting the requirement that all travelers arriving by air must spend three nights in a hotel.

Canada’s second-largest carrier, WestJet, said it was operating at 40 per cent capacity in July compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Mike McNaney, CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada, whose members include Air Canada and WestJet, welcomed the announcement but said, “we have almost lost the summer travel season.”

In a statement, Air Canada said the loosening of the border restrictions was “an important step” and added that it had announced a new summer schedule with up to 220 daily flights between the U.S. and Canada.

— Reporting for Reuters by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer; additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Allison Lampert in Montreal.

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