France Detains Channel Migrants After Clashes With Police: Prosecutor

By AFP - 

Agence France Presse

May 26, 2023

The right-wing Conservative government under British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made a priority of stopping the small boat crossings

French security forces have detained 38 migrants seeking to cross the Channel on a small boat to Britain after they clashed with police, prosecutors said.

Three members of the gendarmerie were injured in Oye-Plage outside Calais on France's northern coast, prosecutors in the town of Saint Omer said late on Thursday.

They were patrolling the beach in all-terrain vehicles on Thursday morning when the migrants threw stones at them.

The windshield of one of the buggies shattered and then and swerved into soft sands "causing it to roll over", prosecutors told AFP.

The migrants continued their attack on the three gendarmes stuck in the buggy "before a rapid intervention by their colleagues to free them".

The three sustained wounds including to the head but have not been hospitalised.

London has repeatedly accused Paris of not doing enough to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. French officials insist they do seek to stop them on shore.

The right-wing Conservative government under British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made a priority of stopping the small boat crossings but people are continuing to undertake the journey on an almost daily basis.

In November 2021, 27 migrants died when their boat capsized in the Channel. On Thursday, French authorities charged five military personnel over failing to come to their aid.

The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation of the content above. This story was produced by AFP. For more information go to AFP.com.

France to launch bird flu vaccination programme after 'satisfactory' tests

NEWS WIRES
Fri, 26 May 2023 

© Gaika Iroz, AFP


France confirmed its aim to launch a vaccination programme against bird flu in the autumn after results from a series of tests on the vaccination of ducks showed "satisfactory effectiveness", the farm ministry said.

A severe strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged poultry production around the world, leading to the culling of over 200 million birds in the past 18 months.

France has been the worst-hit country in the European Union and is facing a strong resurgence of outbreaks since early this month in the southwestern part of the country, mainly among ducks.


It had already launched a pre-order of 80 million vaccines last month, which needed to be confirmed based on final tests carried out by French health safety agency ANSES.

"These favourable results provided sufficient guarantees to launch a vaccination campaign as early as autumn 2023," the farm ministry wrote on its website.

Governments, often shy to use vaccination due to the trade restrictions it can entail, have increasingly considered adopting them to stem the spread of the virus and avoid interhuman transmission.

(Reuters)

Minn. governor vetoes bill to extend minimum wage to rideshare drivers


Prior to Minnesota's veto of a law to set minimum pay for rideshare drivers, Uber issued a statement saying the company planned to end all operations outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area beginning Aug. 1, and would limit rideshares to "only offer premium products to match the premium prices required by the bill." 

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo


May 26 (UPI) -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has vetoed legislation that would have required a minimum wage for rideshare drivers as Uber threatened to pull service from outside the Twin Cities if the bill became law.

Waltz, a Democrat elected in 2018, issuing his first veto as governor, said in a statement, "Rideshare drivers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions," but added, "This is not the right bill to achieve these goals."

Coinciding with the veto, Waltz signed an executive order to launch a commission -- led by drivers, riders, rideshare companies, disability advocates and labor groups -- to make recommendations for rideshare legislation next year.

"I have spent my career fighting for workers, and I will continue to work with drivers, riders and rideshare companies to address the concerns that this bill sought to address," Waltz said.

RELATED Uber, Lyft drivers strike in New York City over blocked raises

Minnesota stood to become "one of the most expensive states in the country for rideshare" under the bill, he said.

Prior to Thursday's veto, Uber issued a statement saying the company planned to end all operations outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area beginning Aug. 1, and would limit rideshares to "only offer premium products to match the premium prices required by the bill," House File 2369.

"Following several months of unanswered requests to work with legislators on comprehensive legislation that provides flexibility and benefits to drivers without compromising service for riders, we are left with a bill that will make it impossible to continue serving most areas of the state," Uber spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said.

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The bill, which squeaked through both chambers of the Democrat-majority Legislature over the weekend before landing on the governor's desk, would have given drivers "minimum compensation" of at least $1.45 per mile and another 34 cents per minute on every rideshare in the Twin Cities area.

The bill also contained a provision for wages to increase each year to keep pace with the rate of inflation.

Rideshare drivers across the country have been rallying for better pay and benefits for several years as debate continues over whether drivers should be classified as employees or independent contractors.

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A bill similar to Minnesota's was passed last year in Washington, which requires rideshare pay of $1.50 per mile and 64 cents per minute in Seattle, and $1.27 per mile and 37 cents per minute outside the city limits. Drivers there can also get sick leave and workers' compensation benefits.

Five years ago, New York became the first city in the nation to establish a minimum wage for rideshare drivers -- who today receive $1.31 per mile and 56 cents per minute for trips inside New York City, and a higher rate for trips outside the city limits.

CANADA

Competition Bureau recommends changing

THC limits for edibles, easing pot packaging

The Canadian Press

Canada's competition watchdog is putting its weight behind some longtime cannabis industry asks including easing restrictions on cannabis packaging and adjusting limits on how much of pot’s psychoactive component can be in edible products.

In a submission to Health Canada and a panel reviewing cannabis legislation published Friday, the Competition Bureau positioned changing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) limits and giving pot companies more freedoms around packaging and marketing as a way to boost competition.

"The bureau believes that stronger competition in the cannabis industry would help foster innovation and benefit consumers by providing them with increased choice and quality," it wrote in its submission.

"Importantly, these benefits would serve to further displace illicit market activity and bolster the legal cannabis industry."

A 2022 survey from Health Canada found nearly half of the 10,048 respondents who used cannabis in the past year purchased the substance exclusively from legal sources, an increase from 43 per cent in 2021. 

Some believe the true share of the illicit market is higher because of the stigma around revealing cannabis use.

Pot producers and shops have long felt THC and packaging changes would chisel away at the market share illicit sellers have and help them reduce the hefty number of layoffs, facility closers and writedowns they've taken in recent years to keep their businesses afloat.

Their calls for change have grown in recent months after Ottawa launched a review last year of the Cannabis Act, which set purchase and possession limits and established safety requirements for growing, selling and transporting the substance.

When legalization legislation came into effect in 2018, it prevented cannabis products from being packaged in a way that is enticing to youths and limited THC in edibles to 10 mg per package. Illicit products often exceed the limit.

Stakeholders have told the bureau increasing the limit to 100 mg "could make edible cannabis products more appealing to consumers, especially those currently sourcing them from the illicit market."

The bureau suggested easing restrictions on cannabis promotion, packaging and labelling would also give producers more room to innovate and help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.

To comply with regulations, most pot companies package their products in staid, black or white containers devoid of eye-catching branding, which could help differentiate one product from another.

The bureau also took aim at the cannabis licensing process and compliance costs, suggesting they be made "minimally intrusive to competition, where possible."

The process currently requires cannabis producers to have facilities nearly completed — a process often costing millions — before they can receive licenses. Then, there are "lengthy and costly" security requirements and annual regulatory fees.

"By minimizing the regulatory burden of the licensing process and reducing compliance costs, where possible, decision-makers can reduce barriers to entry and expansion, as well as stimulate even more effective competition," said the Bureau.

Rounding out its recommendations was a suggestion regarding excise duties, an area outside of the panel reviewing the act's purview.

The duties are imposed on products when they're delivered to buyers. For dried and fresh cannabis, plants and seeds, they amount to the higher of $1 per gram or a 10 per cent per gram fee.

For edibles, extracts and topicals, it's a flat rate based on the number of milligrams of total THC in the product. There are additional duties in Alberta, Nunavut, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

The total amount of unpaid cannabis excise duties has risen since legalization, the bureau said. As of September 2022, 66 per cent of licensees required to remit excise duties had an outstanding debt with the Canada Revenue Agency, the bureau said.

"Many stakeholders interviewed by the bureau raised Canada’s excise duty framework — and excise duty rates specifically — as a major barrier to competition in the cannabis industry," the submission said.

"These stakeholders told the bureau that the current excise duty regime makes profitability and viability in the industry very challenging."

Canopy Growth Corp., a Smiths Falls, Ont. cannabis company, welcomed the Bureau's recommendations, chief executive David Klein said.

He found the suggestions mirror many of the industry's pleas. 

"Legal producers need to be able to deliver the range of formats and potency that consumers are looking for to compete with the illicit market and support a sustainable cannabis industry in Canada," he said in a statement. 

"It’s equally critical that restrictions on engagement with consumers be revised to facilitate informed purchasing decisions and we hope government will act swiftly on these recommendations as time is of the essence.’’

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2023.

WestJet pilots deal grants 24% pay raise over four years

6% PER YEAR

The Canadian Press

WestJet pilots are bound for a 24 per cent pay bump over four years under an agreement-in-principle between the company and the union.

Pilots will receive a 15.5 per cent hourly pay raise this year retroactive to Jan. 1 upon ratification of the deal, according to a copy of the tentative agreement summary obtained by The Canadian Press.

It also lays out a cumulative 8.5 per cent hike to their hourly wage over the remainder of the contract, from 2024 through 2026.

Bargaining came down to the wire last week, with WestJet cancelling more than 230 flights in preparation for job action before a deal was reached hours ahead of the strike deadline on May 19.

The agreement sets a new standard for labour gains in Canadian aviation, says expert Rick Erickson.

"You can bet that Air Canada's pilot union will be looking at this very, very closely," said Erickson, managing director of consulting firm R.P. Erickson and Associates.

Flight crews at the country's biggest carrier may soon be in bargaining themselves. In a letter to members this month, the Air Canada Pilots Association said workers must decide by May 29 whether to stick with their 10-year collective agreement inked in 2014 or opt to start full negotiations ahead of time this year.

The WestJet deal could also make it tougher for budget airline competitors Flair Airlines and Lynx Air to retain pilots, even as they gain an edge on labour costs.

"'Does it make sense for me to stay here where I am? Or should I move over to one of the majors where I'll get paid better for it but have completely different working circumstances?'" Erickson asked, paraphrasing pilots who would have higher compensation but lower seniority — and thus worse scheduling options — on arrival at a large airline.

Bernard Lewall, who heads the Air Line Pilots Association's WestJet contingent, said last Friday after reaching a deal that the union achieved its main goals of better pay, job security and work-life balance.

He said the union expects to hold a ratification vote on the tentative agreement starting next week, with WestJet and discount subsidiary Swoop's 1,800 pilots able to cast a ballot for up to 10 days.

As negotiations ground on last week, the Air Line Pilots Association also approved a merger with the Air Canada Pilots Association's 4,500 members, bringing the country's two biggest flight crew labour groups under one roof.

The move means 95 per cent of professional Canadian pilots are represented by a single union, according to Charlene Hudy, the Air Canada union's council chair.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2023.

 

Bunge-Viterra deal would create US$25B rival to Cargill

Isis Almeida, Tarso Veloso and Michael Hirtzer, Bloomberg News

Commodity markets are bracing for a long-awaited deal that would create a US$25 billion behemoth capable of competing with the world’s biggest agricultural players.

U.S. crop merchant Bunge Ltd. is in talks with commodities giant Glencore Plc over a potential tie-up with its Viterra grains business. Following years of on-off talks, this time Bunge’s deal-making boss Greg Heckman, who oversaw a sharp turnaround at the once troubled crop trader, has the upper hand.

Combining the two would create a trader big enough to take on the industry’s elite: Minneapolis-based Cargill Inc. and Chicago’s Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. It would also complete Bunge’s renaissance under Chief Executive Officer Heckman, who transformed the company into a cash-rich oilseeds champion from an unprofitable business when he took over some four years earlier.

“The merger makes a lot of sense,” said Jonathan Kingsman, a former commodity trader who wrote the book Out of the Shadows: The New Merchants of Grain.  “You combine the biggest oilseed crusher in the world with a top grain trader.”

For most of its existence — since its formation in Amsterdam more than two centuries ago — Bunge was primarily a grain merchant. Its expansion to the Americas saw it become the B in the storied ABCD quartet of trading houses that dominated agricultural markets. The other members are ADM, Cargill and Louis-Dreyfus Co.

But its reign wouldn’t last. During years of crop surpluses that curbed the volatility traders thrive on, Cargill and ADM pivoted to more profitable sectors such as meat and animal nutrition. By contrast, Bunge and Dreyfus — where billionaire owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus was focused on buying out other family members — struggled. 

From 2014 to 2018, the stock of St. Louis-based Bunge slumped about 35 per cent. After a wrong-way bet on soybean prices resulted in a surprise quarterly loss in 2018, activist investors at D.E. Shaw & Co. and Continental Grain Co. helped oust then CEO Soren Schroder. 

His replacement Heckman was carefully chosen for his trading and deal-making credentials, and for many years there was speculation the new chief was preparing Bunge for sale. At ConAgra Foods, Heckman oversaw the spinoff of the firm’s grain-trading unit into Gavilon in 2008, and later steered the $2.7 billion sale of Gavilon — now owned by Viterra — to Japanese giant Marubeni Corp. 

BUNGE TURNAROUND

At Bunge, Heckman spent years cutting costs, selling under-performing businesses and focusing on risk management. He focused on making Bunge an oilseeds giant, processing everything from soybeans to canola and sunflower seeds to make frying oil and animal feed. 

But instead of selling the trader, Heckman put Bunge back in the game: Its market value has gained about 80 per cent and the company is now sitting on a pile of cash. 

To be sure, the CEO has also been helped by forces outside his control. Bunge benefitted from both the boom in renewable diesel and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which allowed trading houses to profit from the turmoil and volatility in commodity markets. That backdrop also favors deals, Heckman said in an interview earlier this year.

“We’ve got the dry powder, we’ve got the firepower to do all those things,” the CEO said in February. “We’ve got the firepower to do a bigger deal if it makes sense, but things have got to make sense.”

While Heckman’s predecessor rebuffed Glencore’s approach to buy Bunge in 2017, this time the US trader is leading the charge. One option being discussed is a stock deal where Bunge shareholders would own a majority of the combined group, said people familiar with the talks.

Glencore, which has for years been reviewing ways to unlock value from Viterra, is open to deal with a competitor, CEO Gary Nagle said earlier this year. Other options for the non-core business — which has limited synergies with its wider metals, mining and trading operations — could include selling a stake to a new investor or pursuing the backup plan of an IPO, Nagle said in February.

GLENCORE VALUE

A merger offers Glencore the potential to monetize its 49.9 per cent Viterra stake, said Dominic O’Kane, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co., who values that holding at $6.1 billion. The bank assumes Glencore would retain a minority shareholding in the combined entity, which could attract an equity value of about $25 billion. 

A deal would have to clear antitrust concerns. Bunge operates in more than 40 countries with over 300 facilities, while Viterra is present in 37 nations and has over 320 facilities. Most of their assets are complementary, but there is heavy overlap in places like South America and Canada.

While divestments would reduce potential synergies, the key test of any deal would only come when the boon of commodity market volatility dissipates, according to Chris Robinson, managing director of agriculture and commodities at TJM Institutional Services in Chicago. 

“The test of this merger won’t be if prices stay high,” he said. “The test will be if we have any deflationary pressures.” 

--With assistance from Thomas Biesheuvel, Ruth David and Dinesh Nair.

Heatwave hit Europe’s Arctic coast

Record temperature for May at Mehamn airport on Norway’s coast to the Barents Sea.

Reindeer cooling off on a beach to the Barents Sea. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

By Thomas Nilsen    

May 24, 2023

Few places in Europe were warmer than the Finnmark region on Tuesday. Nyrud in the Pasvik valley measured a peak at 25,3 degrees Celsius, actually higher than the Mediterranean coast of Spain and Italy.

The normal chilly winds along the coast of Finnmark in Norway and Kola Peninsula in Russia were replaced by very warm air. Mehamn airport measured 20,7, nearly one degree warmer than the previous record from 2013, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute informs. Nearby Slettnes Lighthouse had 22,5°C at maximum.

Tuesday was first time ever with a May temperature above 20°C.

Kirkenes airport had 23,7 degrees. Downtown, trees in the park outside the office of Barents Observer are more than a week earlier green than normal.

In Teriberka north of Murmansk, the temperature reached 25,1°C, beating the 69-year-old May record for the Russian Barents Sea coast, local news-online Severpost reported. A 47-year-old record for the city of Murmansk was broken as the thermometer showed 24,9°C in the evening.

Green and warm Kirkenes Wednesday morning. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Barren habitat for sows leaves imprint on piglets’ brains

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UPPSALA UNIVERSITY

In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden, together with colleagues from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, have investigated the impact that a barren living environment for sows leaves on the next generation. The pigs in the study were bred in Brazil and kept according to breeding standards in that country. The sows’ uncomfortable and unstimulating environment brought with it several different types of changes in the epigenome of their offspring.

In many parts of the world, sows are kept confined in concrete stalls while they are pregnant. This is a bad environment for the pigs, both in terms of comfort and stimulation. As the environment induces stress in the animal, many pigs develop repetitive, or stereotyped, behaviour.

Repetitive behaviours are common in domestic animals that lack sufficiently beneficial living conditions (for example horses, chickens and dogs), but they also occur in humans. In humans, for example, a repetitive behaviour may involve biting nails, pulling out hair or excessively picking or tearing at the skin.

In the new study, the researchers investigated how a pregnant sow's environment affects the brain of her offspring. They also investigated whether the stereotyped behaviour of a stressed sow affects the brain of their piglets.

The study was conducted in Brazil and involved 30 sows, all of which were housed in concrete stalls (according to conventional breeding standards in that country). 90 days into their pregnancy, half of the sows were moved to an enriched environment with their hay changed daily. The rest of the sows had to stay in the same concrete stall where they lived directly on the floor. Some, but not all, of these sows developed stereotyped behaviour. Afterwards, epigenetic analyses were carried out on 18 of the piglets.

An epigenetic change is a change in the genome that does not change the genetic code. Epigenetic modifications, on the other hand, are about which genes are turned on and off and when. The epigenome is influenced by the external environment, such as food, lifestyle and environmental factors.

The researchers were able to see epigenetic changes in the brains of the piglets whose mothers had to stay in the most barren environment during the entire gestation period. Changes were found in the parts of the brain that relate to emotion, learning, memory and stress response, such as the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The results showed that while the epigenome in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex was mainly influenced by the mother's environment, the amygdala epigenome was most closely linked to the stereotypical behaviour of the sow.
 
The molecular pathways and mechanisms related to epigenetic changes triggered by the maternal environment or stereotyped behaviour in the piglet brain were also different:
i) The maternal environment has a relation to effects on neural crest development in the frontal cortex of piglets. The neural crest is an important signalling centre for brain development.
ii) Both maternal environment and maternal stereotypical behaviour have a relation to effects on ethanol metabolism and lipid-mediated signalling in the piglet hippocampus.
iii) The maternal environment has a relation to effects on microtubule poly/depolymerisation in the piglet amygdala. Microtubule poly/depolymerisation affects fundamental processes in neuroplasticity, such as memory formation and learning, especially in dendritic spines.

“This article shows how different conditions during pregnancy in pigs, in this case a poor environment or stereotypical behaviour, can have variable effects on different brain regions during development of the offspring. Interestingly, these effects seem to be mediated by epigenetic programming,” explains Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University.

The study is the first to investigate the neuro-epigenetic effects of maternal inheritance in pig offspring and the first to investigate the neuro-epigenetic effects of maternal stereotypical behaviour in any mammal.

“In terms of animal welfare, this is a call of attention to migrate to better systems worldwide. We show that even a small improvement can have discernible effects,” notes Guerrero-Bosagna.

 

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JOURNAL

Epigenetics

DOI

10.1080/15592294.2023.2196656 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

An enriched maternal environment and stereotypes of sows differentially affect the neuro-epigenome of brain regions related to emotionality in their piglets

Quantum sensor for a future navigation system tested aboard Royal Navy ship

Business Announcement

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

 

IMAGE: THE QUANTUM SENSOR WAS TESTED WITHIN A SHIPPING CONTAINER ON THE XV PATRICK BLACKETT view more 

CREDIT: THOMAS ANGUS, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

A prototype quantum sensor with potential applications in GPS-free navigation, developed at Imperial College London, has been tested in collaboration with the Royal Navy.

The test marks an important step in bringing new quantum technologies out of the lab and into real-world settings.

Many navigation systems today rely on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), such as GPS, which uses signals from satellites orbiting the Earth. However, GPS navigation is not always accessible, obstacles like tall buildings can easily block the satellite signals, and they are also susceptible to jamming, imitation, or denial, thereby preventing accurate navigation. It has been estimated that a single day of satellite service denial would incur a cost of £1 billion to the UK.

Self-contained satellite-free navigation systems do exist; however, current technologies drift over time, meaning they lose accuracy unless regularly calibrated with satellites. The quantum sensor has the potential to remove this drift, significantly improving the accuracy over long timescales.

The Imperial College London team unveiled their first ‘quantum compass’ prototype in 2018, and have since been refining the technology to the point where it can now be tested in the field.

Real-world environments

The latest Imperial quantum sensor was integrated into a Qinetiq NavyPOD – an interchangeable rapid prototyping platform, before setting sail to London aboard a new Royal Navy research ship the XV Patrick Blackett.

The experiment is the first step towards understanding the application and exploitation of quantum-enabled navigation, which could provide significant navigational advantages when operating in satellite-denied areas.

Dr Joseph Cotter, lead scientist on the quantum sensor from the Department of Physics at Imperial, said: “Access to the Patrick Blackett provides us with a unique opportunity to take quantum sensors out of the lab and into the real-world environments, where they are needed.”

Commander Michael Hutchinson, Commanding Officer of XV Patrick Blackett, said: “Working with Imperial College London on this project has been an exciting and interesting opportunity for all of us. So far, the testing has gone well but the technology is still in its very early stages. It’s great to be a part of Royal Navy history.”

An earlier prototype of the technology in the lab at Imperial College London

CREDIT

Thomas Angus, Imperial College London

Exploiting ultracold atoms

The Imperial quantum sensor is a new type of accelerometer. Accelerometers measure how an object’s velocity changes over time. By combining this information with rotation measurements and the initial position of the object, the current location can be calculated.

Conventional accelerometers are used in many different devices such as mobile phones and laptops. However, these sensors cannot maintain their accuracy over longer periods of time without an external reference.

The quantum accelerometer uses ultracold atoms to make highly accurate measurements. When cooled to extremely low temperatures the atoms start to display their ‘quantum’ nature, resulting in wave-like properties. As the atoms move through the sensor, an ‘optical ruler’ is formed by using a series of laser pulses. This allows the acceleration of the atoms to be precisely measured.

Quantum legacy

These new tests build on a legacy of quantum research at Imperial. Imperial has formed the Centre for Centre for Quantum Engineering, Science and Technology (QuEST) to translate discoveries in quantum science into transformative quantum technologies.

Professor Peter Haynes, Director of QuEST at Imperial, says: “The quantum accelerometer is a pioneering technology at the forefront of quantum innovation. It has the potential to transform navigation by making it more accurate and secure.

"This work represents the latest advance in Imperial's long track record of world-leading research in quantum science and technology. With deep expertise in basic science, engineering and translation, we are focussed on making quantum technologies - and the benefits they hold - a reality."

The XV Patrick Blackett ship also has another Imperial connection. The 1948 Nobel Prize winner Professor Lord Blackett was head of the Imperial College Department of Physics from 1953 to 1963 and the main building on the South Kensington campus still bears his name.

TRANQ

First death in the UK associated with Xylazine

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KING'S COLLEGE LONDON

The death of a 43-year-old male is the first in the UK to be associated with Xylazine and marks the entry of the drug into the UK drug supply.

New research published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine from King’s College London details the death of the man in May 2022 from the effects of Xylazine alongside heroin, fentanyl and cocaine.

Xylazine is a non-opioid sedative, painkiller and muscle relaxant used in veterinary medicine as a tranquiliser for large animals. The drug – known as ‘tranq’ or ‘tranq dope’ when cut with heroin and fentanyl – is causing widespread problems in North America, as it can dangerously lower breathing and heart rate. If injected directly into the user’s bloodstream this reduces the need to re-dose, but this can cause large open skin ulcers to form and has led to it being dubbed a ‘zombie’ drug.

The case report details the death of the 43-year-old male, who was shown to have had a history of illicit drug use, mainly heroin and ‘crack’ cocaine. He had been referred to addiction services on multiple occasions but did not engage.

A full external and internal post-mortem examination found no evidence of disease but did identify puncture wounds to the groin. In post-mortem toxicology, eight drugs were found in both the blood and urine, and an additional three in the urine. Of these detected drugs, all but paracetamol have psychoactive properties. The coroner determined the cause of death was acute aspiration pneumonitis, a condition often caused by inhaling toxins. Xylazine was also listed on the deceased death certificate as contributing to his death. 

Senior author Dr Caroline Copeland, from King’s College London and Director of the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths said: “This is a really concerning drug that hasn’t been detected in the UK before. This person was likely to have bought heroin and not known it was laced with xylazine and fentanyl. The drug is not included in standard drug screens in the UK, so we don’t know how widespread the xylazine problem is.”

Lead author, Kirsten Rock from King’s College London said: “This is the first evidence of the drug outside North America. The Birmingham toxicology lab who performed the drug screen noticed a strange peak in the test results that they were able to identify as xylazine. Indeed, it is only down to the vigilance of the toxicologist to notice and report on this strange peak that this was noticed at all.”

On the 8th of November 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement alerting healthcare professionals to the increasing prevalence of xylazine in illicit drug overdoses occurring around the country, with a prevalence of 7% of total overdose deaths in the United States and in some states prevalence as high as 26%.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine

ARTICLE TITLE

The first drug-related death associated with xylazine use in the UK and Europe