Call for Stronger Animal Disease Traceability System
US - In response to a statement by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on 5 February, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is reaffirming its call for a strong, national animal disease traceability...

Pork Commentary: Better but Not Good Enough
CANADA - This week's North American Pork Commentary from Jim Long.

Ag Ministers Focus on Global Market Opportunities
CANADA - Federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture met on Friday (5 February) on a range of issues critical to the long term success of farmers and the agricultural and agri-food sector...

More Than Four in Ten Canadians Choose Bacon
CANADA - Maple Leaf celebrates the launch of a new reclosable packaging with a For the Love of Bacon survey. According to a recent national survey, Canadians are passionate about bacon.

NPB Still in Support of Premises Identification System
US - The announcement last week by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) eliminating the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) does not change the objective pursued by the National Pork Board,...

State Environmental Regulations Compiled
US – Environmental regulations can be confusing and challenging for poultry and livestock producers. In some cases, merely keeping track of all the different regulations can be a daunting task.

Market Preview: Rehashing Hog Pricing Categories
US - Weekly US Market Preview provided by Steve R. Meyer, Ph.D., Paragon Economics, Inc.

EU Pig Prices: Quotations Rising Throughout Europe
EU - The slaughter pig market presents increasing prices again throughout Europe this week.

Weekly Outlook: South American Production Prospect
US - The month long decline in corn and soybean prices has slowed and signs of a near term low have emerged, writes Darrel Good, agricultural economist at the University of Illinois.

High Health Remains Pork Industry's Main Advantage
CANADA - An independent swine industry consultant suggests the high health of Canada's swine herd remains one of its pork industry's biggest advantages when it comes to world trade, writes Bruce Cochr...

China's Animal Unit to Buy Pig Vaccine Company
CHINA - China Animal Healthcare Ltd said its subsidiary, Shenzhou Pagina-kang Technology Co Ltd has agreed to buy Jianxiang Hemu from its four shareholders for a total of RMB210 million (S$43.44 milli...

Improvac Approved as Safe and Effective in Japan
JAPAN - Pfizer Animal Health today announced it will begin to expand Japanese veterinary experience with Improvac®, Pfizer’s successful pork production technology embraced by pig farmers in other countries...

Tyson Turns a Corner
US - US meat and food processing giant Tyson Foods has seen all its operating segments show a profit in the first quarter of the current financial year.

Five-Year Project with University of Leeds Extended
UK - Leading piglet starter feed company, Primary Diets, has signed a contract with the University of Leeds to undertake a further five years of research on piglet nutrition.

VLA: Influenza Outbreaks Press On in December
UK - One further outbreak of swine influenza caused by H1N1 (2009) is among the cases reported in the VLA Monthly Scanning Surveillance Report for December 2009.

New Melamine Test for Feed
US - A new method for the rapid screening of wheat gluten, egg powder, poultry meat and feeds for melamine has been introduced by Bioo Scientific.

Abattoir Closure Leaves Pork Producers in the Lurch
AUSTRALIA - Pork producers in south-west New South Wales (NSW) are scrambling to find new abattoirs to slaughter their pigs following the closure of Young's meatworks.

CME: Corn and Soybean Markets Under Pressure
US - All eyes will be on USDA’s monthly Crop Report and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) when they are released at 8:30 EST on Monday, write Steve Meyer and Len Steiner.

Still Suffering from Imports...
UK - Demand for pigs today has proved to be rather like the weather… changeable, according to Peter Crichton in this week's Traffic Lights commentary.

Hog Slaughter This Week Lower Than a Year Ago
US - The dollar has been strengthening lately, especially against the Euro, according to Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain in their weekly review of the US hog industry.

EU Farmers' Group Welcomes Debate on Welfare
EU - European Farmers organisation, Copa-Cogeca, has welcomed the public hearing on Animal Welfare organised by European Parliament, and emphasised the need to ensure that EU legislation is based...

Pork Producers Forced to Cut Product Costs
CANADA - The Chair of Manitoba Pork Council says tightening margins over the past 25 years have forced pork producers to cut production costs in every way they can, writes Bruce Cochrane.

Bachoco Reports Strong Pork Sales
MEXICO - Industrias Bachoco has announced its fourth quarter and 2009 full year results. Chicken sales volume reached a record, while sales for the egg and pig sectors were strong.

Delegates to Discuss Challenges at Annual Meeting
US - Pork Act Delegates will discuss some of the key issues, challenges and opportunities facing the pork industry during the annual business meeting of the US pork industry on 4 to 6 March in Kansas City,...

Latest Pig Prices from China
CHINA - The latest prices for live pigs, corn and soybean meal have just been published.