Welfare Laws Fail Pigs Miserably
NEW ZEALAND - An official MAF report reveals current pig welfare legislation is strongly at odds with the views of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture and the majority of the New Zealand public...

Ag Guide Open for Comment
US - The draft Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Teaching and Research (Ag Guide) is available for comment.

Livestock Transport Standards Being Developed
US - American Humane Certified is to develop humane livestock transport standards.

Pig Assurance Scheme Endorsed by Welfare Charity
SCOTLAND, UK - Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has endorsed the Scottish Pig Assurance Scheme.

SPCA in Endorsement of Pig Assurance Scheme
SCOTLAND, UK - History will be made within the Scottish meat industry this year with the launch of the UK’s first ever farm assurance and food labelling scheme independently approved by a national animal...

EU Ministers Agree To New Slaughterhouse Rules
EU - Conditions for animals at the time of killing will improve considerably from 1 January 2013, when a regulation, agreed by the European Council and providing for a series of practical measures to ensure...

BPEX Campaign Scoops Cannes Lions Award
UK - The prestigious Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival has announced the winners of its inaugural awards for public relations work.

Improved Welfare Measures Brings Praise from PETA
US - Welfare campaign group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has praised restaurant chain, Ruby Tuesday, for favouring poultry suppliers that use what PETA describes as 'controlled atmosphere...

AMI, NCC Challenge 'Food, Inc.' Claims
US - Spokespersons from the American Meat Institute (AMI) and National Chicken Council (NCC) have commented in a television interview to the film, 'Food Inc.'.

McDonalds Launches Flagship Farms Programme
EU - Fast food restaurant chain McDonald's Europe has launched a new Flagship Farms programme, designed to promote and share the benefits of sustainable agricultural practices via real case studies from...

Producers to Ensure Animal Welfare and Food Safety
MINNESOTA, US - Pork producers do an excellent job producing a safe, nutritious, and economic product. However, today’s consumers want assurances that the products that they eat have been produced in an...

Boar Taint Prevention Vaccine Launched in Europe
EUROPE - A vaccine that could spell the end of boar taint in pork was launched in Europe this week by pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

Demand for Free-range Pork Soars After TV Expose
NEW ZEALAND - Demand for free range-pork is rocketing with consumer concern for the welfare of pigs, say producers.

No Food Scraps to Pigs Campaign
AUSTRALIA - A new campaign is underway to raise awareness of the risks of feeding food scraps that have had contact with any form of meat to pigs.

Pig Welfare Campaigners Target Pork Conference
NEW ZEALAND - Pig welfare has become a serious concern for the New Zealand public however animal advocates say the pig industry remains ‘pigheaded’ and is not taking the welfare of the animals serious...

Proposition 2 Grows New Offshoots
CALIFORNIA, US - The seed planted by the Humane Society of the United States in California last November is growing several new offshoots.

Antibiotics Bill Defeated in California Senate
CALIFORNIA, US - The Western United Dairymen reported on Wednesday that proposed California legislation that would have limited the use of antibiotics by licensed veterinarians to prevent and control disease...

Top Pig Herds Can Still Compete
UK - While the average performance of finishing pigs on farms in Britain does not match EU competitors, the top herds can take on the best 10 per cent of units in Denmark, John Richardson of Intervet/Schering...

Walk the Pens Virtually with a New Simulator
US -Pfizer Animal Health is launching a new on-line educational simulation that can be played from any standard computer, "Virtual Walking the Pens," to help demonstrate the importance of Individual Pig...

WPE REPORT: Certification in PQA Plus Called for
US - The US National Pork Board is calling on pork producers to become certified in the in the Pork Quality Assurance Plus programme, writes ThePigSite senior editor Chris Harris.

Role of Pork Checkoff in Today's Industry
US - The Pork Checkoff is helping US pork producers as they work to earn the trust of their customers by demonstrating accountability and social responsibility in all they do.

Expertise Provided to Chinese Swine Managers
US - The US Grains Council's Chinese Swine Management Team traveled to Kansas State University (KSU) on Monday and yesterday for a two-day course on swine health and disease management as well as US pork...

Castration and Age of Pig
US - Although castration of pigs is stressful, the stress associated with handling appears to increase with the age of the pig.

85th OIE Anniversary Marked with New Transparency
GLOBAL - The Delegates of OIE Members marked the 85th anniversary of the creation of the OIE by renewing and strengthening their commitments, especially as regards transparency.

Pig Campaign Wins Major International Awards
UK - The Pigs Are Worth It! campaign has come out with a top award in the European PR Oscars.