ADGA GOVERNMENT & INTERNATIONAL LIAISON
Linda S. Campbell, Chair
2974 Stonyman Road Luray VA 22835
540-743-4628 voice 540-743-7932 fax Linda@KhimairaFarm.com

2004 Year End Report - August 30, 2003

Members: Linda Campbell, Chair, Betsy Hultin, Annette Maze, Doug Thompson,

1. COMMITTEE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE YEAR

• Identify possible partnerships with other organizations
  
• Identify issues for government involvement

2. SUMMARY OF WORK DONE THUS FAR

(Chair's note: Most of these items are the chair's summary and the majority are also a result of other work outside of the G&I Liaison position, but I am including them for your information).

• Answered correspondence from and met with a variety of government agencies, in addition to attending a variety of hearings on subjects that could impact goat producers.
  
  
• Continued with participation with the U.S. Animal Identification Plan-serving on the Development Team and chairing the Goat Species Working Group. Was also named to Secretary Veneman's Advisory Committee on Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases Subcommittee on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The current status of goat identification with regard to NAIS will be provided to the Board at the annual meeting.
  
  
• Was invited to participate at the USAHA (U.S. Animal Health Association) meeting in October, but it conflicts with ADGA annual meeting. Will be submitting written comments.
  
  
• Attending hearings and provided comment for the Minor Use Minor Species (MUMS) discussions (Congress. The Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act (MUMSAH) was the result. A major step towards an alternative came in 1996 when Congress passed the Animal Drug Availability Act. This law directed the FDA to develop proposals that would encourage the approval of minor use and minor species drugs. FDA's proposals included a request for legislative change to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. APPMA supported this change among other proposals. In fact, many other professional and trade associations as well as producer groups supported FDA's proposals. Therefore, these organizations banded together to form the Minor Use/Minor Species Coalition (the MUMS Coalition). This coalition has worked to create language which incorporated FDA's proposals into a Congressional bill, now identified as the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act. This Act will give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to approve drugs for animals such goats, and other "minor animal species."
  
  This bill passed the Senate on March 8, 2004 and the House on July 20, 2004 and was then signed by the President. The text of the passed Bill can be accessed at
  http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/useftp.cgi?IPaddress= 162.140.64.88 &filename=s741es.txt&directory=/diskb/wais/data/108_cong_bills. After enactment of the MUMs Act, the Food and Drug Administration is required to propose implementing regulations. Among other things, the Act creates opportunity for drugs to be provisionally or conditionally approved for a short time during which efficacy data could be collected. The Act also creates an orphan drug-like program that would provide limited funding to companies to help support drug development for minor animal species or uses.
  
  
• Agreed to serve as International Liaison with the British Goat Society, per their request.
  
• Continuing to work with other segments (meat and fiber) of the goat industry to develop a "United States Goat Council".
  
  
• Working with the American Sheep Industry to identify mutual opportunities for assisting the goat industry.
  
  
• Serving as chair of the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center - representing the goat industry.
  
  
• Working with the ADDS (Agriculture Decision Database Support) Center to get the goat database on the web. The NSIIC awarded a $10,000 grant towards this project.
  
  
• Participating in review of the National Academies of Science's rewrite of Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants. The last editions of the National Research Council's Nutrient Requirements of Goats and Nutrient Requirements of Sheep were published in 1981 and 1985, respectively. The $50,000 grant from NSIIC will be combined with $200,000 from other sources to complete an updated Nutrient Requirements publication that will include all small ruminants.
  
  
• Coordinating with the meat goat industry to identify areas of mutual concern.
  
  
• Made presentation on goats as an invited speaker for the American Dairy Science Association, American Society of Animal Sciences joint meeting
  
  
• Continued work with NASS. The new census data has been released. As you might remember, this is something that we (including Dave Daubert, previous chair of G&I) worked with NASS to survey and include dairy goats, and we had invited the NASS representatives to attend our meeting in MD in 2002. I don't think the participation was as much as we hoped, but at least it's a start. They are also working on another survey specific to goat production.
  http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/volume1/us/index2.htm
  
  
• Member Betsy Hultin has worked with Tennessee state officials to participate in a variety of meetings and to communicate with fellow goat members regarding issues such as bioterrorism, disaster response and disease information.
  
  
• Member Doug Thompson has worked with buyers in Brazil to try to facilitate a change in protocol to allow resuming sales of goats to buyers there. Also, in response to chair's request on working to identify research needed for goats, suggested a focus group at convention to explore ideas.

3. FINANCIAL REPORT

• Expenses donated by chair. All travel expenses to meetings were covered by the chair or other organizations with which chair was involved.

4. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND WORK TO CONTINUE

• Continue to identify areas where goats can be included or represented.
  
• Seek input from members to help identify areas of potential needed research for goats, so we can help influence where research monies can best be utilized with regard to the goat industry.
  
• Work with Products committee to assist with Congressional Reception, if held.

5. DECISIONS REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

• None at this time.
  
  Linda S. Campbell, Chair     Linda S. Campbell
  
  

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