Walmart Names New China CEO, President
CHINA - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday it has named Walmart executive Greg Foran as the president and chief executive of Walmart China, capping a series of leadership changes at the China unit tainted...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Pfizer Ends Residue Violation Worries
US - Pork producers now have a worry-free solution to help them continue their track record of producing safe, wholesome pork. The Pfizer Pork Residue Free Guarantee is an innovative solution that ensures...

How Strong are Links between Meat and Cancer?
ANALYSIS - A new study published in the British Journal of Cancer and produced by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm in Sweden has concluded that eating processed meats increases the...

Helping British Pig Exports Succeed
UK - A call has been put out to support the British pig industry and to back quality British pig meat after a UK pig meat processing company was blocked from exporting to China, writes Lucy Towers, ThePigSite...

Processed Meat May Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk
SWEDEN - Eating too much processed meat may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Dioxin Scandal Company Files for Bankruptcy
GERMANY - The company at the center of the scandal over dioxin-contaminated animal feed has filed for bankruptcy. It is facing criminal investigations and could face civil claims from farms which have...

Meat Safety Boosted for Spring Festival
CHINA - The government will redouble its efforts to weed out illegal meat processing in the coming months, especially during the Spring Festival, in the interest of food safety, officials said on Friday....

Food Safety Check Ahead of Spring Festival
CHINA - China will make "all-out efforts" to step up safety overhauls of food necessities in the production and logistics chains to prevent mishaps during the upcoming Spring Festival shopping season.

China's Food Safety Suffers 'Feeble Foundation'
CHINA - A senior Chinese official admitted Tuesday that the nation's food safety still suffered from a "feeble foundation."

Antibiotic Rule - a Small Step and a Sad Indictment
ANALYSIS - The US Food and Drug Administration's decision to ban 'extra-label' or unapproved uses for certain antibiotics is a small step in the direction towards reducing the potential risk of antibiotic...

AVMA Responds to Order Limiting Use of Antibiotics
US - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced Friday that the FDA's order prohibiting certain uses of cephalosporins in food animals appears consistent with the current AVMA position...

FDA Issues Order Restricting Cephalosporin Use
US - The FDA has issued an order to restrict the use of cephalosporin antibiotics, which are given to some cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys before slaughter.

ASF: Govt Bans Movement of Pigs in Entebbe
UGANDA - The government has instituted a ban on movement of pigs in Wakiso District following an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) that has claimed many pigs.

HK & Macao Assured of Safe Produce
CHINA & HONG KONG - China's central government has pledged to provide enough safe agricultural products to Hong Kong and Macao during the Spring Festival.

Russia Bans Import of German Pork Consignment
RUSSIA - Specialists of the Rosselkhoznadzor Administration detected law violations at temporary storage warehouse "Sirius" during border veterinary control.

Pork Price Manipulation; Six Jailed for Tainted Pork
CHINA - A Chongqing Municipality court Wednesday sentenced a gangster death for killing a person in an attempt to manipulate pork price in the city markets.

China Urges Efforts to Ensure Food Safety
CHINA - China's food safety authority issued a circular on Thursday requiring food safety watchdogs across the country to beef up supervision amid the approaching New Year's holiday and China's Spring...

Ag Council Discusses Welfare and MRLs
EU - The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting last week covered animal welfare during transport – a key area for the incoming Danish presidency - bluetongue vaccination, maximum residues limits...

Talks Held in Warsaw over Veterinary Issues
RUSSIA & EU - Three-day talks between the representatives of veterinary services of the European Commission and individual countries of the European Union and representatives of veterinary services...

IBM to Build Food-Safety System for Pork
CHINA - International Business Machines (IBM) Corp., the world’s largest computer-services company, won a contract to build a food-monitoring system in China as the nation toughens supervision of food...

ASF: Residents Defy Ban on Pork in Uganda
UGANDA - Residents of Adjumani District in Uganda have ignored health warnings about the risks associated with eating pork from pigs killed by African swine fever.

Call for Tougher Measures on Food Safety
CHINA - Vice-Premier Li Keqiang has called for "more forceful measures" to deal with food safety problems and crack down on food safety crimes.

Romania Pig Meat Now Authorised for Trade in EU
ROMANIA and EU - At the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health in Brussels, the Member States have unanimously given their go ahead to a draft Decision tabled by the Commission that will...

Ag Minister Outlines Main Features of 2012 Estimates
IRELAND - Announcing his expenditure estimates for 2012 yesterday, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD said that despite the on-going serious difficulties in the public...

US and EU on Collision Course over Antibiotics?
OPINION - The debate over the use of antibiotics on animals and their potential to produce antibiotic resistance in humans has been stepped up in recent weeks.

Korea Reviews Animal Drug Residue Levels
SOUTH KOREA - The Korean Food & Drug Administration (KFDA), which sets maximum residue limits (MRL) for veterinary drugs (as well as pesticides) in livestock products including meat, dairy products, fish...