Paradigm Shift in Food Safety Will Increase Focus on Birds

Given the increased reporting of tainted food (peanut butter), contaminations (Chinese melamine) and recalls (California spinach), new food safety regulations are only a matter of time.   A new food safety agency will likely be consolidated under the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).  This new agency will have vastly expanded inspection and enforcement powers, also to recall tainted food.  Watch for these new rules to change the world of pest control and especially bird control.   

From Food Safety Magazine – April/May 2010 Read the rest of this entry »

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OvoControl Now Available “Without a Prescription”

HSUS Praises EPA for the Reclassification of OvoControl P to “General-Use”

WASHINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States praised the recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to remove the “restricted-use” classification for OvoControl P, a promising birth control agent for use in pigeons.

“We are extremely pleased with the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to ease restrictions on OvoControl P,” said John Hadidian, director of Urban Wildlife Programs for The HSUS. “General-use approval will make OvoControl P more readily available to communities and businesses that want to control pigeon populations humanely and effectively.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Integrated Pest Management for Pigeons (“IPM”)

The ubiquitous pigeon infests, to a greater or lesser extent, nearly all industrial and urban areas across the United States and the world.  In the US, pigeons are non-native and considered an invasive pest species. 

Just like rodents, pigeons are considered a public health pest and are not just an aesthetic issue.  Pigeons cause economic damage estimated in excess of $1 billion, annually in the US alone (USDA Environmental Assessment 2000).  Pigeons are also considered vectors for zoonotic diseases and ectoparasites. 

While the devices are periodically updated, conventional pigeon control is fundamentally represented by just two basic strategies, a) exclusion, and, b) removal.  A third strategy focused on controlling the underlying reproduction of the birds is represented by contraception. 

Although all of these tools have their place, pigeons are very adaptable and require an integrated program of pest management (“IPM”). Read the rest of this entry »

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Innolytics Receives Gates Foundation Grant

Rancho Santa Fe, CA – Innolytics, LLC announced today that it has received a US$100,000 “Grand Challenges Explorations” grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Dr. Alexander MacDonald, Chief Science Officer titled “Contraception based on inhibition of the sperm receptor”.

Dr. MacDonald’s project is one of 78 grants announced by the Gates Foundation in the fourth funding round of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to help scientists around the world explore bold and largely unproven ways to improve health in developing countries.  The grants were provided to scientists in 18 countries on six continents.

To receive funding, MacDonald showed in a two-page application how his idea falls outside current scientific paradigms and might lead to significant advances in global health.  The initiative is highly competitive, receiving almost 2,700 proposals in this round. Read the rest of this entry »

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USDA Publishes Review of Reproductive Inhibitors

Dr. Kathy Fagerstone along with Lowell Miller, Gary Killian (Almquist Research Center, Pennsylvania State University) and Christi Yoder from the USDA National Wildlife Research Center recently published a paper in Integrative Zoology (2010; 1: 15-30) entitled,

“Review of issues concerning the use of reproductive inhibitors, with particular emphasis on resolving human-wildlife conflicts in North America”

The manuscript provides an overview of past wildlife contraception efforts and discusses the current state of research.  Among other things, it addresses the recent registrations of Gonacon by USDA and OvoControl by Innolytics.  Fagerstone and her colleagues report on past, present and future research in wildlife contraception.  Read the rest of this entry »

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CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Pacelle, Writes About Wildlife Contraception and OvoControl

Magic Pill for Managing Animal Populations?

Posted: 2010-05-04 16:26:30 UTC-04:00

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Bird Barrier Now Distributing OvoControl®

Bird Barrier, Inc. has been named a new distributor for OvoControl P, the birth control product for pigeons.  The company already offers a broad array of bird exclusion and harassment devices.  The addition of OvoControl to their range of products will enhance the ability of the company to deliver a more complete, pest bird solutions portfolio to their customers.  With offices in Carson, CA and Secaucus, NJ, Bird Barrier services customers nationwide.  Contact Bird Barrier at 1.800.503.5444.

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