LOCAL

Nitrogen rule possibly delayed

The Minnesota House Agriculture Committee has threatened to delay the Dayton administration’s planned ban on fall fertilizer application to farm fields, if the governor does not sign another unrelated omnibus agriculture bill.

The committee is using little-known state law which allows standing committees in the House and Senate, “with jurisdiction over the subject matter of a proposed rule” to prohibit an agency from adopting a rule “until the legislature adjourns the annual legislative session that began after the vote of the committee.” This law has never been used before.

The intent of the nitrogen rule now being delayed is to regulate areas of the state that have the greatest risk for nitrate contamination and public drinking areas that already exceed the health standard. A map of the planned restriction areas can be found here.

Other rules have also been passed in resent years to ensure drinking water safety, including rules that require plant buffers between cropland and water. 

Minnesota House of Representatives
Twin Cities Pioneer Press

NATIONAL

Virulent Newcastle found in US

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed virulent Newcastle disease. It was found from a small flock of backyard exhibition chickens in Los Angeles County, California. This is the 1st case of virulent Newcastle disease in the U.S. since 2003. Previously it has been referred to exotic Newcastle disease.

Virulent Newcastle disease is a contagious and fatal viral disease. It can have almost 100% mortality. Clinical signs include sudden death, respiratory signs, greenish, watery diarrhea, decreased activity and neurological signs. People working closely with affected poultry may become infected. Symptoms in humans are usually very mild and limited to conjunctivitis and/or influenza-like symptoms. The virus is not a food safety concern.

Good biosecurity practices are essential to stop disease spread in California. Poultry owners should wash hands and scrub boots before and after entry to a poultry area, clean and disinfect tires and equipment before moving them off the property and isolate any birds returning from shows for 30 days. All bird owners should also report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials.

USDA APHIS

GLOBAL

Mass fungi poisoning

At least 800 people have been poisoned and 11 people died in Iran after eating toxic mushrooms. People from several provinces are affected and it is still unclear what type of mushrooms the victims have eaten. The outbreak may be linked to abundant rain, which has resulted in an excessive growth of wild mushrooms in western Iran.

Authorities are warning citizens not to pick wild mushrooms, even if they resemble edible species. Wild mushroom collection is popular in Iran, but mushroom poisoning on such a large scale are rare. 

Mushroom poisoning occurs after the ingestion of mushrooms that contain toxins. In more than 95% of cases, poisoning occurs as a result of misidentification of the mushroom by an amateur mushroom hunter. There are thousands of species of mushrooms. Only 15-20 mushroom species are potentially lethal and around 100 cause symptoms when ingested. Boiling, cooking, freezing, or processing may or may not alter the toxicity of poisonous mushrooms. Symptoms vary from gastrointestinal effects to hallucinations and coma.

No simple rule exists for distinguishing edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms. The National Capital Poison Center reminds that there are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters. Some safety tips for wild mushrooms include having an local expert identify the mushrooms and ensuring that you know in what specific way the collected mushroom type needs to be prepared to be safe to eat.

The Guardian
National Capitol Poisoning Center