Residue Testing in Ireland Revealed Very Few Positives
In 2009, just 0.3 per cent of samples from Irish animals and products were positive for residues, according to the the National Residue Control Plan for 2009. Carry-over was detected in three porcine samples relating to the dioxin incident in 2008; the...

Global Challenge of Food Security
Food security is one of the key global challenges today, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

EU Welfare Legislation on Pigs
Wageningen UR Livestock Research has published a useful review of the animal welfare legislation relating to pigs in the European Union.

Agriculture and Food Chain Need Collaborative Approach
The meat and livestock industries will need to collaborate along the chain if they are to pull themselves out of the current recession caused by the banking crisis last year, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

China's Growth Influences Global Meat Sector
The growth in the Chinese economy and its gross domestic product could have a major impact in the meat industry worldwide, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

Developing Nations Lead Way Out of Recession
The growth of biofuels and their importance on food prices will be one of the major factors as the world emerges from the effects of the banking crisis and recession, writes ThePigSite editor Chris Harris.

Costs of Future Welfare, Environmental Regulations to Dutch Pig Farmers
New regulations on animal welfare and ammonia emissions due to come into effect in the Netherlands in 2013 will cost €240 per fattening pig place and €500 per sow, according to a new report from the Agricultural Economics group of Wageningen University...

Impacts of Increasing Meat Consumption
Continuing along the existing global trajectory of increasing meat and dairy consumption is likely to lead to further agricultural intensification of both crop yields and farm animal production systems plus, in the case of the ‘Western high-meat’...

Future of the CAP Beyond 2013
With talks on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in full swing, Charlotte Johnston, ThePigSite junior editor, spoke to Tom Hind, Head of Economics and International Affairs for the National Farmers' Union (NFU) to find out what CAP holds...

Handling and Transport of Pigs - A Report to the Industry
Penny Lawlis, Humane Standards Officer at Ontario Ministry of agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), provides tips on improvement of transport of pigs from the producers' perspective as well as that of the pig's.

Key to Low Carbon Emission Pig Meat Production
A healthy diet and reduced consumption would reduce carbon emissions, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

AgriLive: The Red Meat Debate
Climate change dominated a debate led by a panel of red meat industry experts at AgriLive in the UK, as issues such as declining livestock numbers, cheaper imports and profitability were pushed aside, reports ThePigSite junior editor, Charlotte Johns...

The GM Debate and the Irish Pig Meat Sector
Peadar Lawlor and Maria Walsh, Principal Research Officer and Research Officer in the Pig Development Unit based at Moorepark Research Centre, explore the viability of the Irish pig industry in the presence of a GM feed ban.

Food Safety in Pork Production and Processing
Pork production has safety implications for both producers and consumers, Dr Brian Evans, the executive vice president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency told the recent World Pork Conference in Qingdao China. By ThePigSite Senior Editor Chris H...

EU Pig Meat Industry Contracting
Pig meat production across Europe has been contracting over the last three years, with the new member states seeing a reduction of five per cent in two years, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

GM Feed in the EU: Policies and Principles
As the price of non-genetically modified (non-GM) feed soars, the European meat industry - bound by strict regulations - struggles to compete both in global and domestic markets, writes Adam Anson for ThePigSite.

New French Farm-to-Plate Pricing Analysis
The French trading standards agency DGCCRF* and France Agrimer* have jointly published a price analysis of the farm to plate supply chain for loin roasts, pork chops and ham, writes Peter Crosskey for ThePigSite. Other product categories may follow, but...

Dioxin Discovery Leads Ireland's Residue Plan Results
The discovery of dioxin in samples of pig fat is the major feature in the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) results of testing carried out under the National Residue Control Plan for 2008, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris...

Support for On-farm Renewable Energy Schemes
The US has set some tough targets for renewable fuels and energy over the coming years, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

UK Pig Disease Quarterly Surveillance Report: January - March 2009
The latest report from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) highlights that swine dysentery continues to cause concern, while the incidence of pneumonia has declined. There have been no outbreaks of Notifiable Diseases or zoonoses associated with...

Animal Antibiotics, Resistance and Human Health
Antibiotics are a vital component to rearing healthy livestock, but many researchers argue that mismanaged use is having a detrimental effect on the industry, writes Adam Anson for ThePigSite.

Understanding Consumer Support for a Gestation Crate Ban
A survey of consumers was conducted aimed to give the pig industry a greater understanding of their opinions on a possible future ban on gestation crates for sows. Dr Glynn Tonsor of the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan...

Meat Intake and Mortality
A controversial new report has linked the consumption of red and processed meat with causes of death - in particular cancer, writes ThePigSite senior editor Chris Harris.