Antibiotic Ban in the News
US - A bill that would have ended the routine use of antibiotics in animal feeds in the state has been defeated in the California senate, and Animal Agriculture Alliance has objected to an ad campaign...

New FDA Guidelines on Veterinary Feed Directive
US - The USDA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its guidance on in-feed drug orders by veterinarians.

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...

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.

WPE REPORT: Industry's 'We Care' Initiative Endorsed
US - A program that formalizes and verifies pork industry efforts to operate responsibly has been publicly endorsed by Tyson Foods, Inc., one of the nation’s leading pork processors. The company made...

WPE REPORT: Cuts Expected in US Pig Herd, Producers
US - The US pig herd is expected to be reduced by between three and five per cent in the coming months because of the difficult economic times in the industry, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris,...

WPE REPORT: Rising Costs Hitting Pig Industry
US - Despite respectable market prices for pigs in the US, costs are crippling the US pig producer, writes ThePigSite senior editor Chris Harris.

WPE REPORT: Flu Fears Hit US Exports
US - Illegitimate bans on US pork because of concerns over H1N1 influenza are continuing, despite pork being declared safe, writes ThePigSite Senior Editor Chris Harris reporting from the World Pork Expo...

NFU Renews Call for Support of COOL
US - National Farmers Union yesterday strongly urged the US Trade Representative (USTR) to defend mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) against a World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge. The Canadian...

Kirk to USMEF: Trading Partners Must Play by Rules
US - In his first address to an agricultural trade association as a member of President Obama’s Cabinet, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk told members of the US Meat Export Federation on Friday that he...

NPPC Urges Passage of Panama Trade Agreements
US - A US trade agreement with Panama will provide new market opportunities for a wide range of American agricultural products, the National Pork Producers Council told a Senate committee, and it will...

Pork Producers Support Animal ID System
US - The US pork industry strongly supports a mandatory national animal identification system, said David Kempen, a pork producer from Poteet, Texas, at a US Department of Agriculture listening session...

Novel Flu Strain Not from Mexican Hog Farm
US - Mexico’s agriculture department today said the influenza strain that now has infected almost 4,300 people in 33 countries did not originate from hogs at a Smithfield Foods operation that had been...

AFBF Seeks Section 32 Funding for Pork Purchases
US - The Agriculture Department should allocate additional purchases of pork using the Section 32 program to help provide stability to the pork industry which is suffering from lost markets due to the...

NPPC Asks USDA to Help US Pork Producers
US - The National Pork Producers Council in a letter sent on Tuesday urged the US Department of Agriculture to help the US pork industry deal with the negative effects of what initially was misnamed “swine”...

NPPC Calls For Accurate Reporting On Influenza
US - Noting that the US pork industry is nearing the brink of financial disaster, the National Pork Producers Council on 1 May called for accurate reporting on the recent influenza outbreak.

NPB Reinforcing 'Pork is Safe' Message
US - To assure consumers that pork is safe, and will continue to be safe to eat, the National Pork Board on Thursday, 30 April, approved funding for a national media advertising program. The advertising,...

NPPC Expects Export Restrictions to be Temporary
US - The National Pork Producers Council said it expects the restrictions placed on US pork exports by certain nations due to concerns about the H1N1 virus to be temporary.

NPB Joins USDA and Others, Calling Flu H1N1
US - The National Pork Board is now calling the influenza outbreak the H1N1 flu, aligning with the US Department of Agriculture and other government agencies that begun referring to the virus by its viral...

AFBF Allays North American Influenza Concerns
US - President of the American Farm Bureau Federation yesterday assured the public that pork is safe for consumption and will continue to be safe to eat.

Ag Secretary Comments on Swine Flu Outreach Efforts
US - Agricultural Secretary Vilsack yesterday made the following statement on the USDA's outreach efforts regarding swine influenza.

Smithfield Says No Sign of Swine Flu at Mexican JVs
US - Smithfield Foods, Inc. yesterday stated that it has found no clinical signs or symptoms of the presence of swine influenza in the company's swine herd or its employees at its joint ventures in Mexico....

Dwindling Research Funds Jeopardise Livestock
US – Dwindling federal funding jeopardizes important animal and biomedical research, together with the institutional research programs that focus on them, a group of Michigan State University scientists...

Congress Informed of Food Safety Progress Made
US - The meat and poultry industry is continuously working to improve the food safety profile of its products and has made great progress in recent years, according to AMI President and CEO J. Patrick...

Influenza-Like Illness in the United States and Mexico
US - The United States Government has reported seven confirmed human cases of Swine Influenza A/H1N1 in the USA (five in California and two in Texas) and nine suspect cases.