Teaming up for animal health
GD Magazine - April 2020 - No. 1
update
INTRODUCTION TO VIR-CHECK A clean house for a great start
INTERVIEW YANG YUNFENG
About his work for GD in China
KUKUA NA KUKU
Sharing our knowledge in Tanzania
AHEAD IN ANIMAL HEALTH
PTS IN 2020 Why participate? • Evaluate the performance of your laboratory
Cat. no.
• Maintain or achieve ISO 17025 accreditation
Round 6
• Identify inter-laboratory differences • Identify problems within your laboratory • Provide additional confidence to your customers
Proficiency testing scheme
VLDIA255
PTS aMPV antibody detection (TRT)
VLDIA277
PTS ARV antibody detection (REO)
VLDIA292
PTS ILT antibody detection
VLDIA329
PTS CAV antibody detection
VLDIA333
PTS IBR antibody detection (serum)
VLDIA334
PTS IBR antibody detection (milk)
VLDIA335
PTS IBR antibody detection (milk and serum)
Closing date Final submission report + test results certificate
Closing date registration
Shipment samples
August 14
Week 36
March 13
Week 51
September 4
Week 39
November 13
Week 3 2021
September 25
Week 42
November 20
Week 2 2021
Round 7 VLDIA232
PTS AI antibody detection
VLDIA327
PTS AI virus detection
VLDIA233
PTS Salmonella poultry antibody detection
VLDIA171
PTS Salmonella porcine antibody detection
VLDIA295
PTS SIV antibody detection
Round 8
View the entire schedule: www.gdanimalhealth.com/pts/timeschedule
VLDIA323
PTS Bacterial Identification cattle
VLDIA324
PTS Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains cattle
VLDIA323
PTS Bacterial Identification swine
VLDIA324
PTS Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains swine
foreword
WORKING TOGETHER IS WHAT MATTERS Worldwide, governments and companies are discussing methods to curb the coronavirus. Insight must come from science. Conducting virus tests is our daily job. That is why we are proud to contribute to a significant increase in the test capacity to COVID-19 in the Netherlands.
normal differences of opinion, and culture shifts to the background. An interesting phenomenon, and perhaps an opportunity. At the moment of writing, life as we know it is completely disrupted. Fighting corona is now all that counts.
COVID-19 is a virus that belongs in the same list as SARS and MERS. In other words, a tricky virus that adapts from time to time and therefore becomes contagious again for people who had already built up resistance to earlier variants. Our leaders must take responsibility, but at the same time it is undeniable that political pressure and major interests will influence their choices and the way in which they express themselves.
Our magazine has always been about connecting people from all over the world. In animal health, we have always recognised the importance of working together towards a better future. And the current situation is no different. We’d like to inform you about such collaborations in an interview with Yunfeng, our Chinese colleague, and our webinars (in collaboration with MS Schippers) about Salmonella and diarrhoea. We’d also like to take you with us to several projects, like the one we are currently working on with poultry veterinarians in Tanzania (‘Kukua na Kuka’).
‘Working together’ is a great side effect of this crisis. We are learning, by force majeure, how similar we actually are and that we are for all intents powerless. We fraternise despite our
Jan Willem de Vries, Manager Business Development
content
04 Introducing the VIR-check
CONTACT INFORMATION ROYAL GD
If you want to know more about what GD can do for you, please contact one of our staff members, responsible for international sales:
Jan Willem de Vries Manager Business Development jw.devries@ gdanimalhealth.com
Eveline Peereboom Business manager e.peereboom@ gdanimalhealth.com
Mattheus Hekman Business developer m.hekman@ gdanimalhealth.com
Anita Morelisse
Coordinator GD Academy a.morelisse@ gdanimalhealth.com
Ruth Bouwstra
Rogier van Leeuwen Business developer r.vanleeuwen@ gdanimalhealth.com
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07 Working together and learning together in Tanzanian poultry project
Product manager GD Academy j.smit@ gdanimalhealth.com
08 Our Chinese business developer Yang
Yunfeng: “I am proud to be part of the team”
Annemiek Kolkman
Senior account manager a.kolkman@ gdanimalhealth.com
Frank Huis in ‘t Veld
Monique Kleinlugtenbeld
Ellen Koetsier
Sales support support@ gdanimalhealth.com
with our technical laboratory trainings
Jarno Smit
Fanny Nieuwenhuis
Senior account manager f.nieuwenhuis@ gdanimalhealth.com
06 Keeping your knowledge up to date
Manager Contract Research and Consulting r.bouwstra@ gdanimalhealth.com
10 Joining forces in webinars with MS
07
Schippers
Sales support f.huisintveld@ gdanimalhealth.com
11 News and communications
Sales support support@ gdanimalhealth.com
Phone In the Netherlands 0900-1770, Outside the Netherlands +31 (0)570-63 33 91 | E-mail info@gdanimalhealth.com | Website www.gdanimalhealth.com Mail address GD P.O. Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, the Netherlands | Delivery address for samples and post mortem material GD, CMD, Arnsbergstraat 7, 7418 EZ Deventer, the Netherlands.
12 GD specialist: Mattheus Hekman 10
Update, April 2020 - 3
INTRODUCTION TO VIR-CHECK
A clean house for a great start A good start for broiler flocks begins with healthy chicks in a clean house. Pathogenic microorganisms are a continuous threat for broilers’ health as they can cause illness, immunosuppression and poor performance. That’s why we developed a test to check whether broiler houses have a low viral load at the start of a new cycle. The number of cleaning and disinfection protocols is endless, the same for the chemicals used. A check of the efficacy is often missing, mainly because tools are lacking. Visual inspection doesn’t give information on the success of the disinfection. Bacterial sampling and ATP testing provides more information about the disinfection result regarding bacteria, but representativeness is questionable as only very small parts of the broiler house are sampled. Insights into the intestinal pathogen viral load Using the VIR-check, you are able to test the prevalence and viral load of five contagious and resistant intestinal viruses: rotavirus A and D, chicken astrovirus, avian nephritis virus 3 and reovirus. Broilers around the age of six to seven days with a high viral load in their intestines have likely been subjected to viruses at a very young age. A field study in Dutch poultry showed that approximately 100 percent of the flocks tested positive for these viruses at the end of the cycle, except for rotavirus D: only 50 percent of the flocks were positive. Easy sampling and clear results The VIR-check provides a good indication of the viral load in the house upon the arrival of the chicks. The results are transformed by a formula into the so-called VIR-check score. You will receive the results in a clear report with a brief explanation, the test results and a visual representation of the score.
4 - Update, April 2020
Sjaak de Wit, developer VIR-check “Disinfecting and cleaning broiler houses is time-consuming and there’s not always time. Poultry farmers sometimes need to make choices; what product should I use, how long will I clean and in what sequence? And even if the broiler house is clean, there’s always the question of how clean it actually is. Research has shown that at slaughter age, nearly one hundred percent of the broilers have suffered an infection with reovirus, chicken astrovirus, avian nephritis virus-3 and rotavirus A. Half of them have been exposed to rotavirus D. If the broiler house is not disinfected effectively, this means that viruses are already lying in wait for the fresh batch of chicks to arrive. This is not the good start that every poultry farmer aims to achieve. The newly developed test allows you to simply check for the presence of the above-mentioned five viruses. The results give an impression of how successfully the broiler house has been cleaned and disinfected. They have been designed based on the traffic lights format: green is good, red is bad and in the case of orange, we recommend a different cleaning and disinfecting method next time around. It’s not a cleaning protocol, but it does help make choices in keeping with the farm’s needs. A tool to give the chicks the best possible start in life. For poultry farmers, it provides insight into the success of their cleaning and disinfection work. They immediately know whether their efforts are truly paying off.”
product
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Take care of proper cleaning and disinfection in your houses.
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Check with bacteriological tests if cleaning and disinfection was performed properly.
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Decreasing the viral load supports a good start of the broilers in the next cycle.
What is the viral load of the (cleaned) houses? VIR-check by GD measures five contagious and resistant viruses.
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The result: a clear report with a short explanation, the test result and a visual of the VIR-check score.
The VIR-check is an easy to perform test: take cloacal swabs of 6 broilers aged 6 or 7 days.
5 Push the six swabs on one spot of the FTA-card and send this to Royal GD. You will get a result per house.
MORE TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON WWW.VIR-CHECK.COM
Update, April 2020 - 5
GD Academy
Are your technical laboratory skills up to date? With around 5 million tests per year we operate one of the largest veterinary laboratories in the world. Our technical laboratory trainings offer you the possibility to visit our unique lab and learn from the R&D experts. Our laboratory meets high quality standards; we are certified for ISO 9001 and ISO 27001. A large number of laboratory tests are accredited ISO 17025:2005 (scope L120). Beside that GD Proficiency Testing Schemes are accredited ISO 17043:2010 (scope R016). The lab workers are well trained and use state of the art equipment. Whether it’s about a new robot to improve lead times or figuring out a complicated PCR test; the lab is ready for it. What to expect? Because we like to share our knowledge we often organise laboratory courses. This year we focus on the more technical aspect; you can participate in either the Serology (October 7 – 9) or PCR training (October 12 – 14). It’s also a possibility to follow both of them. We intend to get your knowledge up to date and we plan to do that by the following topics: • • • • • • • •
Technical aspects to consider; Which test system is suitable for your question; Hands-on training in ELISA, HI-test, RNA/DNA extraction, (RT-)PCR; How to calibrate and validate; Use of robots; How to prepare samples; What level of quality controls and systems would be useful for you; What might be interesting for you in the near future.
6 - Update, April 2020
GD Academy provides education and training related to animal health and animal diseases for farm managers, their staff and veterinarians, pharmaceutical companies, the feed industry and governments. Our training programmes focus on cattle, swine, poultry and small ruminants such as sheep and goats. Our animal health experts discuss current topics and issues and guide you in translating the theory into practice, enabling you to apply the acquired immediately. Our experts look forward to share their knowledge with you during these laboratory courses. The examples used during the lectures and the practical courses focus mainly on poultry diseases, however techniques discussed and practised during these courses are applicable in veterinary diagnostics as a whole. The training will be held in English. Target audience This entry-level training program is specifically developed for laboratory employees who are looking for a better understanding of technical and practical background of the tests, the consequences of their activities (mainly general laboratory guidelines, regulations, ELISA and PCR) and the use of a quality control system. Participants must at least have some practical experience in a laboratory. MORE ABOUT GD ACADEMY ON WWW.GDANIMALHEALTH.COM/ACADEMY
training
Tanzania
KUKUA NA KUKU
Together we are stronger Collaboration is important to us, both in the Netherlands and abroad. We therefore regularly head over the borders and enter into cooperations. Sharing know-how and expertise is key. Take the ‘Kukua na kuku’ project in Tanzania in which we are actively involved, for example. The aim of this three-year project is to enhance capacity building throughout the value chain in order to improve the efficiency and quality of production and to increase the demand for poultry products. In doing so, the cluster’s activities will co-create a thriving and competitive poultry sector in Tanzania. A demonstration and training farm has been established in Moshi. The personnel managing the farm have been trained by the participants in the cluster. Furthermore, training courses are offered to various target groups; from technology and farm management to food safety and animal health.
Joining forces At this training facility, we teach various vets from all over Tanzania. “In doing so, we’re providing them with the most important basic know-how,” explains poultry specialist Robert Jan Molenaar. “If they can then maintain that basic level, they’ll be above the national average. In the end, the idea is that they in turn share this know-how with any vets they know.” Robert Jan provided the first training course in December. “This initial course was aimed at animal diseases, symptoms and pathology. Together with fourteen Tanzanian poultry vets, I discussed very interesting cases. The plan is for me to provide a number of other training courses upcoming fall, in which we can go into the subjects in more depth.” The growing poultry sector in Tanzania makes this an extremely interesting and challenging market for GD in which to share our knowledge. This isn’t the first country in which we’ve established such a project, as we also joined forces with external parties in umbrella projects in Ethiopia and Ukraine. We can really make the most of these types of projects by tackling them together with a group of big knowledge partners. Robert Jan Molenaar: “If everyone does what he or she does best, you can really make progress together. And that’s what’s so great about collaboration.”
MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT WWW.DUTCHPOULTRYTANZANIA.COM
Update, April 2020 - 7
INTRODUCING OUR BUSINESS DEVELOPER FOR CHINA
“I am proud to be part of the team” At Royal GD, we always try to find ways to share our knowledge, despite the various language barriers we encounter. And that’s why we ask people to speak on our behalf. One of them is David (Yang, Yunfeng). We’re pleased to introduce him as our Chinese business developer. After studying English at the Tianjin Foreign Studies University, David worked for several government departments and in the private sector. In early 2004, he received an offer from the China Animal Agriculture Association (CAAA) to come work for them. “I hesitated for nearly two weeks, since I didn’t know what animal agriculture was about and what I could mean for the industry,” David tells us. “Luckily, one day I had a chance to visit my friend’s father, who ran a small feed mill and chicken farm. This changed my vision and gave me a clear picture of animal husbandry, and made me see how important food security is to us all.”
“Locals easily identify needs, concerns and challenges. They know what a country wants.” 8 - Update, April 2020
Always in for new challenges David served the animal agriculture sector, as well as the related scientific field, for a number of years, when he became the deputy secretary general of the Beijing Egg Industry Association in 2017. In this position, he is responsible for international communications, government affairs, market access and policies. A job in which he can fulfil a lot of his interests, but a new challenge every now and then is never a bad idea, he states. “So
Passport Name: Yang, Yunfeng From: Tianjin Occupation: Deputy secretary general at Beijing Egg Industry Association
China
interview
“我为成为 团队的一员 感到骄傲” 在荷兰皇家GD动物保健公司，尽管我们会遇到各种语言障碍，我 们总是寻找各种方式分享我们的知识。这就是为什么我会邀请一 些同事谈谈他们的工作。其中之一就是David （杨蕴峰），作为负 责中国业务开发的代表，我们很高兴对他做一介绍。
when my former colleague at CAAA sent me a message from Jarno Smit in which he provided a position vacancy for Chinese business development, I knew that was a challenge I would like to seize with both hands,” he explains. GD is well known in China for its lab capacity and capabilities. “It was without any doubt that I sent my CV and applied for the position.” When he was selected to fulfil this position, Jan Willem de Vries contacted him and they talked a lot over WeChat and email. “We spoke about my background and he gave me all the information I needed to know about GD and my role as business developer in China.” David is now the project coordinator for GD in China. “I’m currently searching for business partners and telling Chinese customers about the GD vision. Besides that, I also try to collaborate in training programmes both in China and in the Netherlands.” Using each other’s knowledge Working with foreign representatives is very valuable for GD. No one knows a country better than its inhabitants. David agrees with this. “It’s always a great idea to join forces. I have a broader understanding of Chinese politics, culture, laws and business practices. Chinese locals easily identify what the Chinese need and what their concerns and challenges are. And I’m proud to be part of the team.” If you would like to contact David, please email Jan Willem de Vries, Business Development manager, at JW.deVries@gdanimalhealth.com.
自从天津外国语大学英文专业毕业后，David 分别在政府及私营部 门工作。2004年初，他收到了来自中国畜牧业协会(CAAA)的工作邀 请，“我犹豫了差不多两周的时间，因为我一点也不了解畜牧 业，也不懂得畜牧业意味着什么，” David告诉我们说。“幸运的 是，有一天和朋友一起去拜访他父亲，他的父亲经营着一家小饲 料厂和养鸡场。这次拜访改变了我的认知，对畜牧业有了非常清 晰的认识，同时也让我认识到粮食安全对我们所有百姓是多么的 重要。“ 随时准备迎接挑战 David在2017年任职北京禽蛋协会副秘书长之前，多年一直在畜牧 行业工作，他现在主要负责国际交流、政府事务、市场准入、政 策。一个充满了很多乐趣的工作，但偶尔迎接一些新的挑战也是 一个不错的主意。他说：“中国畜牧业协会的原同事转发给我一 个来自Jarno Smit关于中国业务开发的一个职位的招聘信息后，我 意识到，这是个新的挑战，但我会满怀信心去抓住它，他解释 说，GD的实验室的能力建设和水平在中国有着很高的知名度，没 有任何迟疑，就把我的简历发过去了，申请了该职位 。” 当他被筛选担任这个职务的时候，Jan Willem de Vries 和他通过微 信和邮件交流了很多。“我分享了我的工作经历，他提供给了我 很多GD一些资料，以及作为负责中国业务开发未来需要做的一些 工作。”“目前我正在寻找业务伙伴并和中国客户分享GD的愿 景。接下来，我将分别就一些在中国及荷兰的培训项目与中国客 户进行合作。” 充分发挥各自的优势 对GD来说，和国外的代表合作非常具有价值。没有任何人比自己 更了解自己的国家。David完全赞同。“优势互补绝对是一个很棒 的做法，我对中国的政治、文化、法律和商业模式有着广泛的认 知。本地的中国人更容易识别中国的所需、他们所关心的问题及 面临的挑战，我很骄傲我是团队的一份子。” 如果您想和David联系，请发邮件给商务开发经理Jan Willem de Vries，邮件地址是: JW.deVries@gdanimalhealth.com.
Update, April 2020 - 9
training
WEBINARS WITH MS SCHIPPERS
Joining forces The need to share knowledge sometimes not only goes beyond national borders, but occasionally makes company borders pale as well. This results in special collaborations. And that’s exactly what happened when we joined forces with MS Schippers by giving webinars about crucial health issues in livestock farming. Where GD supports customers worldwide with a state-of-the-art veterinary, research facilities and veterinary knowledge, MS Schippers focuses on a more concrete aspect of animal health. With their HyCare method, they created a knowledge platform and tools about hygiene in professional livestock farms. Where our companies find each other is in their constant urge to teach and train our clients. The focus should always be on preventing problems: GD supports clients with monitoring programs, MS Schippers gives concrete advise on how to keep farms free from pathogens with HyCare.. By joining forces to start a series of webinars, we hope to contribute to a better health and better production results in livestock farming. About the webinars At the moment we have broadcast three webinars, al focussing on different subjects: • ‘Post-weaning diarrhea in a new era!’ Why this webinar? With the right knowledge, good analysis and methodes post weaning diarrhea can be prevented. So it pays to dig into this theme.
10 - Update, April 2020
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‘How to prevent Salmonella problems in broilers’ In this webinar we give you management and hygiene solutions to prevent Salmonella problems in broilers. ‘Coccidiosis in broilers’ (available on May 13th)
Are you interested in our webinars? Visit the website below to watch them. Did you miss the live session, but do you still have an answer for our experts? Then fill in the contact page at the website.
WATCH THE WEBINARS ON WWW.ANIMALHEALTHWEBINARS.WORDPRESS.COM
news & communications
Royal GD contributes to increasing testing capacity for COVID-19 The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has announced that GD will also be testing human samples for the presence of the corona virus SARS-CoV-2. The test for the COVID-19 study has been validated in our own laboratory in Deventer. Knowledge and experience For the COVID-19 study, nose and / or throat swabs are collected from the patient. We examine these samples using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests. This method allows the genetic material of the virus to be detected. We have a large diagnostic laboratory with a PCR department, where tens of thousands of samples are tested annually. Our employees have extensive experience in PCR research into viral infections and infections with other pathogens. Ynte Schukken, CEO of Royal GD: “The corona crisis affects us all. It is an uncertain time in which our adaptability is being heavily relied upon. Solutions are needed to get through this crisis as best as possible. It is nice that GD can now contribute by making test capacity available for research into the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in patients.“ For the COVID-19 diagnostics, we expect to be able to perform up to 2000 tests per day. In our laboratory we are set up for large numbers.
Bulk milk investigation to improve claw health In Western countries lameness is a serious problem in dairy herds. Most problems result in decreased milk production, premature culling, affection of animal welfare and finally less job satisfaction by the dairy farmers. Diagnosis necessary to get insight in the underlying causes is based on visual interpretation by the claw trimmers, who in the best circumstances are making some recordings. Since 2018 structural support to monitor and improve claw health is made possible by Royal GD by bulkmilk investigation. Over 800 Dutch dairy farmers are already monitoring claw health on their farm in this way. MORE INFORMATION
Introducing Frank Huis in ‘t Veld Within GD we are constantly developing. From new tests to expanding our teams with new employees with extensive knowledge. Linking to that we would like to introduce you to Frank Huis in ‘t Veld, who has been working at our Support Team of Business Development and Contract Research & Consulting since December 2019. Before Frank joined GD he worked for several international orientated production and whole sale companies in the Netherlands. His main focus was on inside sales and customer services. “The combination of the great awareness of environmental issues, and the important role that animal health plays in this, together with the wide variety of international customers really appeal to me at the work at GD,” he says. According to him, customers can contact GD with all their questions. “We offer great services and see what is needed, also internationally. In addition, we are always there to inform our customers about the progress of your requests and orders. I am happy that I can now fulfill this role and be of service to you.”
WWW.GDANIMALHEALTH.COM/CLAW
Services remain available The COVID-19 outbreak also affects the Netherlands and measures are being taken to reduce spread of the virus. However, Royal GD is fully committed to continue all her services regarding laboratory diagnostics and (animal health) projects. In the GD laboratory, the testing of submitted samples continues as normal. The customer service and your account manager are still available and we do our very best to keep our services at the level you are used to. We shall of course keep you posted of any developments. Should you have any general questions, please contact support@gdanimalhealth.com.
Update, April 2020 - 11
GD specialist: Mattheus Hekman The GD specialists focus their daily work on gathering and sharing their extensive knowledge of animal diseases. Mattheus Hekman, Business Developer and new to GD, is mainly focused on infectious diseases in cattle, and on establishment of international training courses and support in the field of animal health. With his background as a veterinary practitioner and experience at large dairy cattle integrations in Saudi Arabia, among other places, Mattheus certainly knows the ins and outs of the cattle sector. He sees the farms growing both in the Netherlands and abroad. “That’s a good thing,” he explains. “But it’s important that the entire organisation is included in that growth.” According to him, one of the most important aspects is to keep a grip on the day-to-day management. “All day-to-day processes are interconnected, and manifest themselves in the production and animal health. The better the visibility and control, the better the animal health, and the easier and more efficiently a farm can be run.” Working according to protocol He believes communication to be extremely important, when looking to improve animal health and your operating results. “If employees understand the principles of infection transfer for example, the hygiene measures become very logical to them, and they are more likely to apply them correctly. Especially if their direct superior also shows them to have effect.” At certain farms, it can sometimes be tricky to explain the vision to everyone or to enter into a dialogue with all employees. “In my experience, training personnel in working according to protocols can be very useful. If you can train your personnel in the management of animal health and can work with fixed systems, everyone knows exactly what they are expected to do,” he explains. Mattheus believes this link between working in an organised manner and animal health to be extremely important, both at farms in the Netherlands and at large integrations abroad. Monitoring remains important For GD, Mattheus is now looking for ways to support farms abroad. From finding local partners for laboratory testing to the establishment of the training courses described earlier. “We’re seeing more and more farms with a great deal of in-house know-how, who can treat the animals themselves. This effective management already controls many problems, though the monitoring process remains important. I often apply a phased plan: Is everything working well or are problems recurring? If so, identify the problem and draw up a plan of approach. If everything’s working well, you simply keep monitoring. Following phased plans and working systematically gives you much more insight into the health of your herd.”
Royal GD, P.O. Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, the Netherlands, T. +31 570 633 391 www.gdanimalhealth.com, info@gdanimalhealth.com
