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.

NFU Will Not Support Legislative Changes to COOL
US - National Farmers Union (NFU) has urged US Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk to pursue a robust appeals process on the recent decision of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that ruled against the...

Farm Income Forecasts a Mixed Bag
UK - New government figures confirming a strong year for the farming industry are welcome, but the continued rise in input costs and the crisis in the eurozone means that there’s no room for complacency,...

Govt Looks to Increase Food Exports
UK - A Government-backed drive to boost exports of British food and drink to high growth markets like India and China will be an engine for economic growth, Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said today.

NFU Livestock Board Chairman Steps Down
UK - Outgoing National Farmers Union (NFU) livestock board chairman Alistair Mackintosh believes the industry is more optimistic now than when he was elected in 2008.

Sampling Detects More ASF in Ulyanovsk Region
RUSSIA - In its operation to combat African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Ulyanovsk region, the veterinary office conducted sampling of pigs and wild boars across the region.

Groups Support US-EU Trade Agreement
US - A coalition of food and agricultural organisations led by the National Pork Producers Council expressed in a letter sent to the Office of the US Trade Representative its support for a free trade agreement...

Animal Responses Effective for Evaluating Welfare
EU - Animal-based measures to assess the welfare of dairy cows and pigs are effective and should be used wherever possible, according to recent scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority...

New Agreement on Organic Fertiliser Control
IRELAND - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have, following discussions with representatives of the pig and poultry industry, agreed...

Congress Urged to Reject Antibiotic Restrictions
US - The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging congressional members to oppose legislation that would restrict the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry. In letters to Senate and House members,...

Europe Dampens NZ Farmer Confidence
NEW ZEALAND - Federated Farmers mid-season Farm Confidence Survey, conducted in January 2012, reveals farmer confidence in the general economy has turned negative for the first time since July 2009. Europe...

Concerns Raised over Pork Products Labelled Halal
SOUTH AFRICA - Concerns have been mounting in South Africa that pork has been labelled as being halal.

Success in Strengthening Canada-US Relations
US & CANADA - The Chair of Manitoba Pork Council reports efforts to strengthen relations among Canadian and US pork producers have been highly successful, Bruce Cochrane writes.

Pig Welfare Standards Now Compulsory in Victoria
AUSTRALIA - Pig welfare standards have been made compulsory in Victoria.

A New Outbreak of ASF in the Kuban
RUSSIA - Samples from pigs that died on a farm in the Krupskaya Krasnoarmeiskii district of the Krasnodar region, have been identified as African Swine Fever (ASF).

CAP Celebrates 50th Birthday
ANALYSIS - This year, the Common Agricultural Policy celebrates its 50th birthday.

NPPC Opposes Federal 'Farm Takeover Bill'
US - The National Pork Producers Council criticized congressional legislation introduced today that would prescribe cage sizes for egg-laying hens, saying it would set a "dangerous precedent" for allowing...

Court Ruling Benefits Consumers & Ag Industry
US - National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased with the US Supreme Court’s recent unanimous decision in National Meat Association v. Harris in which the court ruled that hogs suffering from fatigued hog...

Chloramphenicol Detected in Pig Urine Samples
GERMANY - During routine inspections under the National Residue Control Plan, the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety has detected chloramphenicol in urine samples from pigs. The chloramphenicol...

Measures to Manage Markets Needs Strengthening
EU - In the wake of increased market volatility, Copa-Cogeca welcomed yesterdays EU Farm Ministers debate on measures needed to manage agricultural markets, and called for them to be strengthened. In particular,...

Launch of 50th Anniversary of CAP Campaign
EU – The European Commission has launched the CAP@50 communication campaign to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Common Agricultural Policy, a cornerstone of European integration, that has provided...

High MRSA Bacteria Levels in Retail Pork Products
US - Retail pork products in the United States have a higher prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA) than previously identified, according to new research by the University...

Boar Corpse Identified as ASF in Tver Region
RUSSIA - Tver Interregional Veterinary Laboratory has investigated samples of pathological material taken from a wild boar, found on the territory belonging to Torzhokskiy society of hunters and fishermen,...

Last Restrictions on Pork Import from Lithuania
LITHUANIA - Lithuanian State Food and Veterinary Service said that Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance lifted interim restriction on pork export from Kaunas region as...

NFU Urges EPA to Use Existing Data for CAFOs
US - National Farmers Union (NFU) submitted commented yesterday to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Concentrated Animal Feeding...

Broadening Feedstocks Eligible for RFS
US - US Representative Pete Olson (Texas) is introducing bipartisan legislation to increase competition, stabilise food prices and enhance American energy security and global competitiveness.