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.

Welfare of Animals in Transport Still a Concern
ANALYSIS - Concern is growing again over the way livestock is being transported both for slaughter and as live exports, writes ThePigSite Editor in Chief, Chris Harris.

Failures in ASF Action Plan in Moscow Region
RUSSIA - In 2011, the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office with specialists from the Rosselkhoznadzor veterinary service visited 15 pig farms and two military farms in the region to verify compliance of veterinary...

Egg Issue Prompts Raising of Pig Industry Concerns
SCOTLAND, UK - NFU Scotland will be in Brussels next week urging Commission officials to learn lessons from the debacle surrounding implementation of the laying cage ban.

Ministry Intensifies Fight Against ASF in Belarus
BELARUS - Because of the rapid deterioration of the epizootic situation of African swine fever (ASF) in Russia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs of Belarus calls on regional authorities to take...

Animals Unlikely Source of Antimicrobial Resistance
UK - Scientists at the University of Glasgow, Scotland are urging policymakers to reconsider priorities in efforts to understand and control antimicrobial resistance.

Farmers: RSPCA Logo Misleading; RSPCA Responds
AUSTRALIA - Free-range farmers are urging the consumer watchdog to investigate the RSPCA's standards for pork sold in supermarkets, warning the RSPCA logo dupes consumers into thinking that they are buying...

Sainsbury's Outlines Commitment to British Farming
UK - In a first for a major retailer, Sainsbury's this week hosted a fringe event for delegates at the Oxford Farming Conference.

Banff Pork Seminar to Examine Swine Research
CANADA - Pork Producers attending the 2012 Banff Pork Centre will have the opportunity to learn more about some of the work being coordinated by the Canadian Swine Research and Development Cluster, writes...

Less Bedding Can Benefit In-Transit Market Pigs
US - In a new study, funded by the Pork Checkoff, researchers at Texas Tech and Iowa State universities found that the pork industry can generally use less bedding year-round that it currently does while...

Sow Stall Ban Improves NZ Pig Farmers' Image
NEW ZEALAND - The sow stall controversy could be influencing shoppers to choose New Zealand products over imported meat, as pork consumption rises.

Minister Awards Funding to Animal Welfare Groups
IRELAND - The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, yesterday announced payments totalling €1.235m to organisations involved in animal care and welfare services. The payments...

Surveillance Works, Says Finland's Food Safety Body
ANALYSIS - The Finnish Food Safety Authority, Evira, says that its surveillance system for animal welfare works, following an investigation prompted by the release of secret filming by animal rights activists...

Reminder: Don't Feed Swill to Pigs
AUSTRALIA - As we enter the festive season with its focus on food and travel, pig owners are reminded that food scraps (also known as swill) must not be fed to pigs.

Call for Federal Action on Antibiotic Use
US – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter has called for swift action to end the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock production.

Surveillance Works for Welfare, Says Evira
FINLAND - The country's food safety authority, Evira, has found some evidence of poor welfare after inspecting pig farms that were the subject of secret filming by camera-wielding animal rights activists,...

Report on Education, Communication & Knowledge Application
UK - The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), an expert group providing independent advice on the welfare of farmed animals, has released its Report which reviews transmission of knowledge about animal...

Senators Concerned over FMD Virus
AUSTRALIA - A Senate inquiry has voiced "serious concerns" about Australia's ability to respond quickly to an outbreak of the highly contagious livestock virus, foot-and-mouth disease.

WSPA Aims to Get Welfare on UN Conference Agenda
GLOBAL - The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has launched a campaign to place humane treatment of farm animals on the agenda for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development...

Ag Council Discusses Welfare and MRLs
EU - The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting last week covered animal welfare during transport – a key area for the incoming Danish presidency - bluetongue vaccination, maximum residues limits...

NZ Pork Does Not Guarantee Good Welfare
NEW ZEALAND - Despite consumer pressure, many pig farmers are still using inhumane rearing methods with up to 45 per cent of sows confined in sow stalls and farrowing crates for much of their lives, says...

Opportunity to Boost Productivity and Profitability
CANADA - A professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine says by minimizing pain, livestock producers have an opportunity to improve the productivity and profitability of their animals, Bruce...

Sensors, CCTV & Chips Find Way into Pig Houses
DENMARK - Pigs of all ages will find it much harder in the future to keep their secrets secret. If they go to the wrong end of the pig sty to do their business, if they start to bite the tails of their...

NFU: Grants for Livestock Health Projects
UK - The Moredun Foundation has launched new scholarships to help individuals broaden their education and experience in areas relating to livestock health and welfare.

Research Conducted Could Benefit Pork Producers
CANADA - Research being conducted on behalf of the Canadian Swine Research and Development Cluster as part of Swine Innovation is expected to be of benefit to pork producers across Canada, writes Bruce...