AFBF Outlines Steps to Ease Regulatory Nightmare
US - Congress must help alleviate the burden of an ever-increasing array of federal environmental regulations on agriculture, according to Arizona Farm Bureau President Kevin Rogers, who testified today...

Industry Groups Unhappy over Ethanol Deal
US - Livestock and poultry groups have commented on what they describe as a compromise over ethanol taxes.

AFB Comment on Memorandum on Mexican Trucks
US - The American Farm Bureau is pleased that a memorandum between Mexico and the United States was signed yesterday, bringing an end to the long-running dispute over Mexican truck access north of the...

NPB Begins Building 2012 Plan and Budget
US - Working to maintain strong pork demand in the face of rising retail meat prices and continuing challenges to producer profitability, the National Pork Board begins work next week on its 2012 plan...

Livestock Rule Exceeds $100M Threshold
US - USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber was peppered with questions and frustrated comments from the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee during a hearing yesterday on the state of the US livestock...

NPPC Wants FTAs Approved Before August
US - Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Senate Finance Committee Thursday will hold a "mock" markup of three pending free trade agreements, the National Pork Producers Council urged lawmakers...

California Non-Ambulatory Appeal to Supreme Court
US - The US Supreme Court is to review a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a National Meat Association (NMA)-American Meat Institute (AMI) lawsuit challenging a California...

NFU Member: Livestock Market is Broken
US - National Farmers Union (NFU) member Dennis Jones testified before the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry this week over the current state of the livestock industry in the...

US Compliance with International Trade Obligations
US - According to Bruce Cochrane, the National Pork Producers Council says, if the WTO rules against the United States on Mandatory COOL, it will urge the US government to come into compliance with its...

Senators Urge Lifting of Russian Trade Block
US – Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, with Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska and 26 other senators, is urging the top US trade official to work to lift Russian trade barriers to US pork products.

Senate Vote Brings Some Relief
US - The Senate vote last week to end the tax credit for blending ethanol with gasoline and the tariff on importing ethanol has the potential to give the livestock industry some relief from record high...

GIPSA Rule on Hold
US - Livestock and poultry organisations have praised House lawmakers for approving an agriculture funding bill that prevents the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) from finalising its proposed regulation...

Companies Recall Pet Treats on Salmonella Risk
US - A number of companies have recalled pig ears in recent months for possible Salmonella contamination.

Proposed Ban on Antibiotics in Feed Opposed
US - The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is expressing its opposition to a proposed bill that would ban the use of antibiotics as growth promotants in livestock, writes Bruce Cochrane.

WPX 2011: Renewed Call for Rethink on GIPSA Rule
US - If the new Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rules in the US farm bill come into force, they could see the pig industry shrink by two per cent.

WPX 2011: Asia Offers Opportunities for US Pork
US - Viet Nam is potentially a highly lucrative opportunity for US pork exports, the National Pork Producers Council said during the World Pork Expo.

WPX 2011: US Urged to Accept WTO COOL Decision
US - The US government should accept rulings within the World Trade organisation to prevent potential damage to the US pig meat trade.

WPX 2011: Fresh Call to Implement FTAs
US - The National Pork Producers Council has renewed its call for free trade agreements (FTA) with South Korea, Panama and Colombia to be ratified immediately, writes ThePigSite editor in chief, Chris...

Food Safety Annual Report Targets Salmonella
US - No progress has been made in Salmonella control over the past 15 years, according to the latest annual report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

NPPC Declines Further Involvement in M-COOL Debate
US - The US-based National Pork Producers Council says it plans to stay out of the debate over Mandatory US Country of Origin Labelling as the issue moves through the World Trade Organization dispute settlement...

NPB Comment on USDA's 'My Plate' Food Icon
US - The National Pork Board appreciates the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) unveiling of a new food guide icon designed to help make following current dietary recommendations easie...

Farmers and Ranchers Back House Spending Bill
US - The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF) on Tuesday, 31 May, praised House lawmakers for including language...

APHIS Amends Health Testing Rules for Export Swine
US - Breeding pigs for export are no longer required to be tested for tuberculosis and brucellosis (unless the receiving country requires such a test).

Call for Prohibition of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella
US - Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is calling on the USDA to prohibit antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in ground meat and poultry on the grounds that dangerous strains make foodborne...

Approve Trade Agreements Now, NPPC Urges
US - In a press conference on Tuesday, 24 May, on Capitol Hill, the National Pork Producers Council urged the Obama administration to send to Congress implementing legislation for and lawmakers to approve...

CME: Importance of Pork Cooking Temperature
US - In the culmination to a years-long campaign by pork producers and processors, the latest major push of which began in 2006, USDA announced that it is reducing its recommended cooking temperature...

Lower Pork Cooking Temperature Recommended
US - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating its recommendation for safely cooking pork, steaks, roasts, and chops. USDA recommends cooking all whole cuts of meat to 145° F as measured with...

APHIS Seeks Comments on Vaccine Labelling
US - The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced it is hosting a public meeting to discuss a draft guideline concerning effectiveness indications...

NFU to Congress: GIPSA Rule Should Go Forward
US - National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson sent a letter to all 435 members of the US House of Representatives this week, urging them to allow US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary...

Lawmakers Say Scrap Proposed GIPSA Rule
US - The National Pork Producers Council praised the 147 House lawmakers who yesterday urged US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to withdraw a proposed rule on buying and selling livestock and poultry...