As the agriculture community came together during the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Trade Talk to share the latest information on their industry, the team behind Merck Animal Health was excited to discuss one of the hottest topics in animal agriculture: Antibiotic Stewardship.

The first expert we heard from was Dr. Rick Sibbel, DVM, who currently heads up the department of Veterinary Technical Services at Merck. He discusses the current state of antibiotic use in animal agriculture, debunks some common myths, offers perspective on the controversy of antibiotic use on farms, and gives his thoughts on the future of food animal pharmaceuticals.
Interview with Dr. Rick Sibbel, Merck Animal Health

Dr. Justin Welsh was also on hand to speak; his focus was on CreatingConnections, the stocksmanship-based, web-accessible series of educational training modules for producers and their employees. The modules target the beef industry, and will feature topics on cattle welfare and health issues, such as safe methods of transportation and chute safety. Interview with Dr. Justin Welsh, Merck Creating Connections

Merck is definitely at the forefront of new technology in the wake of the growing stigma on antibiotic usage, and the recent announcement that the company has acquired Harrisvaccines, an innovative, privately-held company known for veterinary vaccine development, only further shows the company’s dedication to innovative health solutions.

Harrisvaccines offers an important portfolio of vaccines, with a focus on production animals, featuring a unique RNA Particle technology that serves as a breakthrough in modern vaccine development. The company also boasts a highly versatile production platform, one that is able to target a wide range of both viruses and bacteria. This system has been instrumental in producing the first conditionally-licensed vaccine to help control Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv), which has killed more than eight million piglets since its 2013 emergence in the U.S.

In September 2015, Harrisvaccines received a conditional approval for a Eurasian H5 subtype avian influenza vaccine and was subsequently awarded a contract by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) to produce the vaccine.

View and download photos from the event here: NAFB Convention Photo Album