FMD - initial test results

First tests on samples from the suspected FMD case have proved negative.

Foot and Mouth suspicion in the UK

A suspected case of foot and mouth disease has been reported at the Cheale Meats abbatoir in Essex in the UK.

Samples are currently being tested at the Pirbright laboratory. Results possibly later today.

Cheale Meats was the site of the discovery of the first cases of FMD during the UK's 2001 epidemic.

The feedback that we've received so far has been so positive that it's quite surprised us.

So I'm going to take one more opportunity here to thank everyone who entered, all of our judges, everyone who attended on the evening and the Informa team who contributed to making it such a success, but particularly events manager Charlotte Garratt without whom it simply wouldn't have happened.

Thanks Charlie.

Animal Health Company of the Year?

Pfizer!

Merial's Vaxxitek HVT +IBD took the Best New Veterinary Product for Livestock award. And Caroline Pfeffer, global project manager, was our only female recipient all evening. Presenting the award is IfTA's Michael Hemprich.

Michael used the occasion to make a point about livestock product development. "It is very encouraging for us to see that so many companies are still willing to put a great scientific and financial effort in the development of animal health products for livestock," he noted, "as this becomes more and more a "neglected" area of our industry - for reasons which may be understandable, such as higher regulatory requirements for example."

"Coming up here today, we didn't know if we were going to win this award. But we REALLY, REALLY wanted to!"

Howard Wilder of Genitrix was so delighted by winning the award for Achievement by a Small or Medium Enterprise that he thanked "everyone who has ever had anything to do with Genitrix".

The company's innovative introduction of an ivermectin-based antiparasitic for rabbits in 2006, a product which seems to have sold out in seconds flat after its launch, was just one reason for its success.

A beaming Dr Herman Joseph Baaken of Bayer receives the award for Best New Veterinary Product, Companion Animals, from an equally beaming Dr Klaus Hellmann of sponsor company Klifovet.

The winning product was Bayer's feline spot-on anthelmintic Profender.

So that you can appreciate the aesthetics of the set-up and indeed the venue - not easy once the business of the evening gets underway, to be honest.

First, an apology. Neglecting one's blog for several days is a cardinal sin, obviously, and one that I'll be trying not to repeat in a hurry.

Secondly, in response to a request (My first request - how exciting!) pictures of the Animal Pharm Industry Excellence Awards follow...

(Not an exhaustive collection, but a handful of edited highlights...)