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...

This Week's Pig News Round–Up
ANALYSIS - One of the largest pig meat producers in the EU has announced its plans to raise pig welfare standards at home, which will push up pork prices, and to seek expansion possibilities in China,...

NCBA Cattlefax: Hope for Strong 2012 Corn Harvest
ANALYSIS - There is a strong need for a successful 2012 corn harvest, as the US competes on global markets. Meanwhile global demand for ethanol is pushing US corn usage up, said the CattleFax team at the...

Expert Presents 2012 Global Weather Outlook
ANALYSIS - Drew Lerner, president and senior agricultural meteorologist of World Weather, recently presented global weather expectations for 2012 to US grain farmers and livestock producers at the Allendale...

Tönnies Focus: Better Welfare & China Expansion
ANALYSIS - One of the largest pig processing company in Germany, Tönnies, has announced plans to expand in China and at home in Europe, it aims to raise pig welfare standards, writes Jackie Linden, senior...

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...

North America: Where's the Snow?
ANALYSIS - There has been virtually no snow up in Canada, no snow in the northern US Plains, and the Upper Midwest has seen only two snow events this winter and neither was hugely significant, so we wonder...

This Week’s Pig News Round-Up
ANALYSIS – Several reports in the news in the last week highlight recent advances in pig production, writes senior editor, Jackie Linden. Topics range from vaccine efficacy and feeding GM maize to the...

Research into AI Semen Age and Fertility
UK - Research carried out by pig breeding company PIC in the UK into the effect of semen age on reproductive performance in AI has seen a surprising result - that fresh is not necessarily best, writes...

Improving AI to Improve Commercial Pig Herd
UK - Fresh work on the study of porcine semen production could go a long way to improving the commercial pig herd in the UK, writes ThePigSite editor in chief, Chris Harris.

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

Drought and Floods Hitting Agricultural Production
GLOBAL - A strange mixture of drought and foods appears to be affecting agricultural and livestock production across the Americas - both North and South.

Does the Animal Welfare Strategy Go Far Enough?
ANALYSIS - Today, the European Commission has adopted a new four-year strategy that aims to further improve the welfare of animals in the European Union, writes Charlotte Johnston, editor of ThePigSite....

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...

This Week's Pig News Round-Up
ANALYSIS - With new outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) announced recently in Russia and South Africa, the disease is becoming a global threat, writes Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite. Also...

New ASF Outbreaks in Russia and Africa
ANALYSIS - Recently announced outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in three regions of Russia have put Belarus on alert for the disease, according to Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite. There...

Welfare of Animals in Transport Still a Concern
ANALYSIS - Concern is growing again over the way livestock is being transported both for slaughter and as live exports, writes ThePigSite Editor in Chief, Chris Harris.

CME Economist Upgrades 2012 US Outlook
ANALYSIS - According to the CME Group's Chief Economist, Blu Putnam, US economic improvements in 2012 will start with real GDP forecast to grow around 3.5 per cent to 4.0 per cent, writes Sarah Mikesell,...

This Week's Pig News Round-Up
ANALYSIS - FDA has announced it is to tighten the use of antimicrobials in farm animals, prohibiting the cephalosporins except in exceptional cases, writes Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite. This...

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...

OFC - Reduce Waste to Meet Food Demand
GLOBAL - In the next 25 to 50 years, food production will have to double to keep up with growing populations and growing consumption, writes ThePigSite editor in chief, Chris Harris.

EU Extends Organic Diet Derogation
ANALYSIS - In a unique case, the EU has decided to extend the derogation allowing five per cent non-organic feed ingredients within organic pig and poultry diets, writes Charlotte Johnston, editor of ...

OFC - CAP Reform to Meet Increasing Food Demand
UK - An increasing demand for food requires a Common Agricultural Policy that encourages efficiency and does not stifle it, writes Chris Harris.

OFC - UK Punching Above its Farming Weight
UK - A new report prepared for the Oxford Farming Conference shows that there has been a shift in power worldwide in agriculture as a result of globalisation of markets and the growth of multinational...

Pig News Round-Up
ANALYSIS - The pig market in the US finished 2011 in a strong position, based on the latest USDA inventories and recent pig meat export figures, writes Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite. With...

End of Ethanol Tax Credits Affects Feed Market
ANALYSIS - The US ethanol tax credit, which is worth roughly $6 billion, is due to end at the turn of the year, writes ThePigSite Editor in Chief, Chris Harris.

Agricultural Incomes - Not as Bright as They First Appear
ANALYSIS - The figures released by Eurostat this week on farm workers incomes and farm production in the EU on the surface appear to make happy reading, writes ThePigSite Editor in Chief, Chris Harris...

Chinese Meat Industry & Economy Continue to Grow
ANALYSIS - Is the Chinese bubble about to burst? For some time now out of the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - China's growth rate has been not only one of the most rapid, but it has...

Surveillance Works, Says Finland's Food Safety Body
ANALYSIS - The Finnish Food Safety Authority, Evira, says that its surveillance system for animal welfare works, following an investigation prompted by the release of secret filming by animal rights activists...

This Week's Pig News Round-Up
ANALYSIS - Russia and Ukraine have stepped up controls against African swine fever (ASF), writes Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite. ASF is also in the news in Uganda, while FMD has been found...