News

Aproximately 400 samples of milk is this autumn processed for Q-fever. None of the samples are positive. The programme is a joint effort between the National Veterinary Institute and producer-organizations.

The monthly report on Pancreas Disease (PD) from the National Veterinary Institute shows no new outbreaks of PD in Atlantic salmon in Norway in October.

The first-ever European Antibiotic Awareness Day will take place across Europe on 18 November 2008. European Antibiotic Awareness Day will be an annually recurring event that will raise awareness about the risks associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics and how to take antibiotics responsibly. In 2008, European Antibiotic Awareness Day will set focus specifically on the need for everybody to stop any unnecessary use of antibiotics.

Quality managers from Marine Harvest got deeper insight into risk analysis, as well as updated information about chemical and microbial risk factors being relevant in ensuring safe seafood at a workshop hosted by the National Veterinary Instiute recently.

[BBC] Norway tackles salmon killer

Yesterday german veterinary authorities reported a possible outbreak of highly patogenic bird flu in Saxony, south-east in Germany. The risk of introduction of bird flu through wild birds in Norway is low. There has been no transport of live animals from the affected german farm the last 30 days.

Yesterday the fiscal budget for 2009 was presented by the goverment. The funding of the National Veterinary Institute is increased by 2,6% which is lower than the expected rise in salaries and prices in general. The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food want the Institute to continue its core activities.

The parliment has decided that the National Veterinary Institute and the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science are going to move to Ås outside Oslo where the University of Life Sciences today is situated. The fiscal budget included 11 million for the planning of this process.

Six cases of Bluetongue has been reported in Sweden this week. In Denmark the number of new cases is three. At the moment the risk of the disease spreading to Norway is low due to weather conditions and low number of new cases in neighbouring countries. In some other countries in Europe the situation is more severe.

A dead hare found at Dovre in the beginning of September was diagnosed with Tularemia. This is the fifth case of Tularemia found in the eastern part of Norway this year. The testresults following the autopsy of another hare at Rakkestad in Østfold county, also found dead, is not yeat ready.