Public Resistance Ousts GM Crops From EU
EUROPE - Public resistance to genetically modified crops has ensured that the area grown in Europe in 2011 remained at 0.1 per cent of all arable land, shows figures released yesterday by Friends of the...

NSW Protection of the Environment Legislation
AUSTRALIA - Australian Pork Limited (APL) recently wrote a letter to the NSW Minister for the Environment Robyn Parker MP, the NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson and the Chief Executive...

Further Discussion on Forthcoming EU Ban on Stalls
UK - Working together was the key message to come out of a meeting between BPEX and the NPA with Defra Minister Jim Paice.

EU Sets New MRL for Altrenogest
EU - A new maximum residue limit (MRL) for altrenogest in pig tissues has been set.

Bill for Grocery Adjudicator Needed Urgently
UK - The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has called on the Government to bring forward a Bill to establish a Groceries Code Adjudicator as a matter of urgency.

New Report Reveals Use of Irradiation in EU Foods
ANALYSIS - A new report published by the European Commission (EC) recently reveals that more than 9,000 tonnes of food were irradiated in the European Union in 2010. The main findings are summarised by...

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.

Call for Stepped-Up Biosecurity
CANADA - Outbreaks of swine vesicular disease in Italy have prompted the Canadian Swine Health Board to advise Canadian pork producers to step up their focus on biosecurity, writes Bruce Cochrane.

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...

Parental Exemption of Child Labour in Ag Rule
US - The US Department of Labour's Wage and Hour Division has announced that it will re-propose the portion of its regulation on child labour in agriculture interpreting the "parental exemption." The decision...

Qatar Cooking Up a Storm Over Pork Sales
QATAR - The decision by Doha’s only off-licence to start selling pork products in December has resulted in online controversy, with expatriates and locals split on the surprise move by the retailer.

CME: Job Growth Has Returned
US - Friday’s employment reports from the Bureau of Labour Statistics indicate that job growth has returned, write Steve Meyer and Len Steiner.

Mexico Contributes to CSF Control in Guatemala
MEXICO - The SENASICA participated in the Coordination Meetingclassical swine fever control programme in Central America, Belize, Panama and the Dominican Republic, where countries sought advice and training...

Views Sought on How EU Can Produce Sustainably
EU - By 2050 the global population is set to reach 9 billion people and worldwide demand for food, feed and fibre is forecast to increase by 70 per cent. To thrive in that context, economies will need...

Russia Suspends Feed Additive Shipment from China
RUSSIA - The Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in sea border checkpoint "Baltiysky" suspended import of feed additive (60 per cent choline chloride) in the amount...

China Vows Enhanced Agricultural Investment
CHINA - China's central authorities on Wednesday said the nation will continue to step up investment and subsidies for agriculture this year in order to stabilize grain production.

Botswana Halts Imports of Pig Products from SA
BOTSWANA - The government has halted the importation of pigs and their products as well as pig feeds from South Africa as the Mpumalanga Province in that country has been hit with African swine fever that...

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.

Impacts of Ethanol Policies on Livestock Industry
CANADA - A study from the George Morris Centre demonstrates that the growth of ethanol production in Canada has had negative economic consequences for the livestock industry.

Belize Under Classical Swine Fever Threat
BELIZE - Agriculture officials say they are implementing emergency measures aimed at preventing the introduction and spread of the deadly classical swine fever, following an outbreak of the virus in neighbouring...

Salmonella Cases Reduced by Almost One-half
EU - Salmonella – a bacterium causing salmonellosis in humans – was until 2005 the most common food-borne disease in European Union (EU) with almost 200.000 reported human cases that year. It is estimated...

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.

AFBF Files for Judgment in Chesapeake Bay Case
US - The Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) regulation for the Chesapeake Bay watershed establishes new controls on land use that trespass into territory Congress legally...

Canadian Hog Producer Optimism on the Rise
CANADA - Optimism among hog producers is on the rise. In 2011 three quarters of hog producers (75 per cent) agree that their farm or business will be better off five years from now, according to a...

EFSA Guidance for Food & Feed from GM Animals
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published guidance for the risk assessment of food and feed derived from GM animals and on related animal health and welfare aspects.