UK to Challenge Cross-border Trade in Illegal Pork
UK - Farms minister Jim Paice pledged yesterday to press the European Commission on how it intends to police the 2013 partial stalls ban.

FMD NEWS: Cases Discovered in Pigs in Kinmen
The latest news on Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreaks around the world.

Revised Pig Code of Practice Expected by Mid-2013
CANADA - The National Farm Animal Care Council’s Pig Code Development Committee expects a new Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs to be ready for publication by mid-2013, writes Bruce...

Only Seven Countries Ready for Sow Stalls Ban
EU - Only three member countries — United Kingdom, Sweden and Luxembourg — are already compliant with Europe's partial stalls ban due to enter into force in January 2013, according to the European...

Pork Conference Celebrates 50 Years
CANADA - South Western Ontario Pork Conference (SWOPC) will be celebrating its 50th year on 22 February 2012 at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus.

HSUS to Question Tyson on Sow Stalls
US - At the annual shareholder meeting of Tyson Foods, today, Friday, a representative of The Humane Society of the United States will question company executives about why it has no plans to end the extreme...

Slap-Dash Slap-Marking
UK - ACMC says it still sees numerous farm reports where slap-markings are recorded by the abattoir or by BPHS (British Pig Health Scheme) vets as illegible.

Addressing Land-Based Systems & Price Outlook
US - Information about the latest trends and research focused on staying competitive in the swine industry will take center stage at Kansas State University's 2012 Swine Profitability Conference on Tuesday, 28...

Hormel to End Sow Stalls by 2017
US – Multinational marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, Hormel Foods Corporation, is to phase out gestation stalls at its farms by 2017.

US Companies Hit Back at Cruelty Allegations
US - US pig meat processor Seaboard Foodsha hit back at allegations contained a Humane Society of the United States video alleging abuse of animals.

Why Should Spain Call for Moratorium of EC Rules?
ANALYSIS - This week the Spanish farmers issued a plea to their ministry of agriculture to intercede on their behalf to gain time with the European Commission over the introduction of enriched cages for...

Spanish Farmers Call for Time to Convert Farms
SPAIN - Spanish poultry and pig farmers have called on the government for loans and more time to convert their farms to meet new EU welfare legislation.

BPEX 2TS: Focus on Weaning - Diary Dates
UK - At the 2TS Focus on Weaning event, local producers will speak about how they help get their weaned piglets off to a good start and industry experts will discuss appropriate use of antimicrobials,...

Final Members Join Animal Health & Welfare Board
UK - The final two members of the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) have been appointed.

Applying New Technology to Track FMD Vaccine
US - A highly contagious infection, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) threatens the health and economic value of livestock in many countries. The disease hasn't occurred in the United States since 1929, but...

Guidelines for Risk Assessment of Animal Welfare
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published pioneering guidelines laying out, for the first time, a standardised methodology for the risk assessment of animal welfare.

Sampling Detects More ASF in Ulyanovsk Region
RUSSIA - In its operation to combat African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Ulyanovsk region, the veterinary office conducted sampling of pigs and wild boars across the region.

Animal Responses Effective for Evaluating Welfare
EU - Animal-based measures to assess the welfare of dairy cows and pigs are effective and should be used wherever possible, according to recent scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority...

Congress Urged to Reject Antibiotic Restrictions
US - The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging congressional members to oppose legislation that would restrict the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry. In letters to Senate and House members,...

Pig Welfare Standards Now Compulsory in Victoria
AUSTRALIA - Pig welfare standards have been made compulsory in Victoria.

A New Outbreak of ASF in the Kuban
RUSSIA - Samples from pigs that died on a farm in the Krupskaya Krasnoarmeiskii district of the Krasnodar region, have been identified as African Swine Fever (ASF).

NPPC Opposes Federal 'Farm Takeover Bill'
US - The National Pork Producers Council criticized congressional legislation introduced today that would prescribe cage sizes for egg-laying hens, saying it would set a "dangerous precedent" for allowing...

Court Ruling Benefits Consumers & Ag Industry
US - National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased with the US Supreme Court’s recent unanimous decision in National Meat Association v. Harris in which the court ruled that hogs suffering from fatigued hog...

Boar Corpse Identified as ASF in Tver Region
RUSSIA - Tver Interregional Veterinary Laboratory has investigated samples of pathological material taken from a wild boar, found on the territory belonging to Torzhokskiy society of hunters and fishermen,...

Does the Animal Welfare Strategy Go Far Enough?
ANALYSIS - Today, the European Commission has adopted a new four-year strategy that aims to further improve the welfare of animals in the European Union, writes Charlotte Johnston, editor of ThePigSite....

Report Predicts Decrease in Piglet Mortality
DENMARK - A working group has just delivered a progress report on breeding of pigs in Denmark. The report focuses on high piglet mortality in Danish pig herds, where a decline is expected in the coming...

Pigs Found Starved to Death in Styria
AUSTRIA - An act of animal cruelty has left 35 pigs dead and seven other animals dangerously malnourished on a farm in Werndorf bei Graz in Austria. The skeletal corpses of the animals were discovered...

EU Must Learn from Cage Ban, Say Pig Producers
EU - NFU Scotland has met EU Commission animal welfare staff asking that lessons be learned from the debacle that surrounded recent laying hen legislation ahead of the deadline for implementation of similar...

UK Implementing Higher Animal Welfare Too Soon?
UK - Compassion in World Farming was disappointed to hear David Cameron’s lack of support for the UK bringing in higher welfare systems, ahead of the legal obligatory time and subsequently leading the...

Review: The Pig Journal, Volume 66
UK - The latest edition of the Pig Journal, published by the UK Pig Veterinary Society is now available.