[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6262634,"mediaKeyId","3113018-ebd61f76516eef7eb559d9a865e433a6","parentId",3113018,"title","Senate committee unanimously backs Paige Mackey for veterinary medical board seat","audioSeconds",575,"startMs",1560000,"endMs",2135000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3113018-ebd61f76516eef7eb559d9a865e433a6&start=1560&end=2135","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3113018-ebd61f76516eef7eb559d9a865e433a6/thumbnail_1560000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6262634/South-Carolina/Senate-committee-unanimously-backs-Paige-Mackey-for-veterinary-medical-board-seat","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6262634-19750536d5a3aa2f1530111c48fcbaf6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770998073&Signature=fuWEze13uIZ-p4n9gaJErNj-7TST9JypH8-N-5Iv5tOtUbWBoBcBjKLHyJqzhDZgjWLAmUFoU81Xc46bWWu~~HL8kK6ZikujRD2UhfjSVadLdqzQCO2did42weo4jnFXTswyyKBGj7g42FrfA9~u2pS46W-lwcOhkqTjAFdf5yFEWgvOrMrC4gldDuaCTp-v84SFqrDEGxwGnB-sC9BKBpOnQKZ-48wfC7cP6kXugnuTzPmYTkcV2LYfDkpdzDlq2aneWY45~pm9ceHurextyar3DBaEE-k8xY1YycYWZBf1A3BSpktzrA5tbb9IgkJuN3nBDww0ElfRCGlXbWDw~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Carolina Legislature","date","2025-04-24T00:00:00Z","article","The South Carolina Senate committee voted unanimously to report Paige Mackey’s nomination favorably to the full Senate after a confirmation hearing in which Mackey described her background as an internal medicine veterinarian and answered questions about telemedicine, workforce and veterinary specialty capacity.

Paige Mackey, introduced herself as an internal‑medicine veterinarian who has worked in several states and said she has practiced in South Carolina for about eight years. \"I am an internal medicine veterinarian, specifically small animal, so dogs and cats only,\" Mackey told the committee during introductory remarks.

Committee members asked about teleconsulting and telemedicine; Mackey said teleconsulting generally involves peer‑to‑peer consultation where the clinician calling in already has a veterinarian‑client‑patient relationship (VCPR) with the animal. She said telemedicine will likely lag behind human medicine ‘‘but it’s going to be a really important topic of future progress.’’

Senators pressed Mackey on statewide needs for veterinary medicine. Mackey said South Carolina has strength in client communication and rapport but is limited in specialty capacity compared with larger states; she said the state has fewer specialty internists per capita than larger centers and encouraged growth in specialty services.

Senator from Lawrence moved for a favorable report; after a second, the committee recorded affirmative votes including senators Nutt, Kimbrell, Goldfinch, Johnson, Young and Chaplin and noted recorded proxies for Sutton (on behalf of Graham) and Stubbs. The chair said the vote constituted a unanimous committee recommendation and the nomination will proceed to the Senate floor.

Mackey thanked the committee; she will face floor consideration according to Senate scheduling. The committee did not take any additional action during the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee -- Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Thursday, April 24, 2025 10:00 am ","oneSentenceSummary","The South Carolina Senate committee voted unanimously to give a favorable report for Paige Mackey’s nomination to the state Veterinary Medical Board after a brief confirmation hearing in which Mackey described her background and discussed telemedicine and workforce issues.","taxTitle","Agriculture and Natural Resources, Standing, Senate, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina","taxId",17491,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6262639,"State presenters tell senators avian influenza is persistent, will delay flock restocking and affect egg supplies",1296,0,1296000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3113018-ebd61f76516eef7eb559d9a865e433a6&start=0&end=1296","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3113018-ebd61f76516eef7eb559d9a865e433a6/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6262639/South-Carolina/State-presenters-tell-senators-avian-influenza-is-persistent-will-delay-flock-restocking-and-affect-egg-supplies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6262639-27cd2a0584353d545c99047221a256e8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770998073&Signature=cBjIVCmaBhjIquISH1u~SeUtYAZd4vohfK4U~xSRykYMi30bpzaIz~W3s74E3vSLXL6-fCPduHIXYxThzRyhha8EJ88xpQWaETuajLbYFw0VgWDaFVVKppVwboGlv9mn71ww9W7HhxuqWeU0kUbNE2hbLfxE5eplfNYTixeEOLhxoUd0ES2auei9WYUTdA98a8P3Uaid2h4sAuKHiIVrCHz2VyvHpY79y6gf1HXT9Tzs-d6uQKYnhkMfKUo~npci3ge4ssXnYetrNj~pr51FEjmyp-7KQBuXlWVx3IhL1s1bNdsaTpePGmSByzRjpmWspwkdTxjjbPV-hdkSlLkKdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A presenter for state agriculture officials told a South Carolina Senate committee that recent high‑path avian influenza outbreaks have required depopulation of infected flocks and will create months-to-years delays before affected egg-laying operations can resume full production.

The presenter said repopulation of egg‑layer facilities can be lengthy: \"90 days,\" he said when asked about the minimum lag to begin reducing retail prices, and later explained that some facilities may take up to three years to fully restock. The presenter noted the scale of commercial operations — \"1 to 6,000,000 birds\" in some complexes — as a factor that lengthens downtime for cleaning, disinfection and restocking.

The committee was told the virus has become geographically widespread and persistent. The presenter said the current strain has circulated in Europe and Asia for several years and is now endemic in wildlife, with migratory birds bringing new variations into North America via Canada and Alaska. \"Wild birds ... keep picking up the viruses,\" the presenter said, adding that scientists in Europe warned this fall and spring could be severe.

On transmission, the presenter described multiple routes: respiratory and fecal‑oral spread among birds, and contamination of feed and water. In response to a senator’s question about risk to backyard flocks, the presenter said biosecurity measures — keeping birds separated from wild ducks and geese, cleaning boots and equipment, and protecting feed from rodents — reduce risk. He told senators that in South Carolina most positive detections to date were in backyard flocks; the state has recorded five cases, four in backyard flocks and one in a small commercial flock.

The briefing also covered dairy surveillance. The presenter said a USDA‑funded sampling program collected bulk milk‑tank samples weekly from about 25 dairies; the first three weekly rounds and a follow‑up monthly round returned negative results. He said the state plans to request that USDA allow moving to quarterly testing and to seek designation for South Carolina as free of high‑path avian influenza in dairy operations for trade purposes. The presenter also noted pasteurization kills the virus and said that, when dairy cattle are affected, milk production drops in infected animals.

Committee members asked about protective equipment for workers. The presenter said N95 respirators are appropriate for depopulation work; surgical or cloth masks provide less protection. Senators also pressed presenters on staffing and federal support; the presenter warned USDA veterinary services workforce reductions could leave states to cover more of the response and said the state plans to request additional regulatory personnel.

The session closed with presenters urging support for public‑health and veterinary workforce capacity and saying vaccine strategies remain under evaluation because vaccines can complicate surveillance and trade. The presenters did not announce any new regulatory action from the committee during the briefing.

The committee discussion included technical questions from multiple senators and practical advice for small flock owners living near waterfowl habitat: keep birds contained, maintain cleaning protocols and seek guidance if they suspect infection.","State agriculture presenters briefed a South Carolina Senate committee on ongoing high‑path avian influenza outbreaks, describing long repopulation timelines for commercial egg operations, biosecurity steps for backyard flocks, and a dairy testing program that has so far returned negative results for participating farms.","actionData","errors"]

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Senate committee unanimously backs Paige Mackey for veterinary medical board seat

State presenters tell senators avian influenza is persistent, will delay flock restocking and affect egg supplies