Page 901 of articles about news

Foot-and-mouth disease in livestocks has recently broken out in another northern province Bac Giang of Vietnam, according to Vietnam's Animal Health Department of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Friday.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an opinion on the public health significance of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals and foods. EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) found that while food may be contaminated by MRSA, there is currently no evidence that eating or handling contaminated food may lead to an increased risk of humans becoming healthy carriers or infected with this bacterium. The Panel also concluded that where MRSA prevalence in food-producing animals is high, people in contact with live animals, especially farmers, veterinarians and their families, are at greater risk than the general population.

“Discrepancies between national identification of live animals and traceability systems of animal products make it difficult to trace products of animal origin throughout the food chain at world level; developing countries risk losing out on market access because of trade barriers that sometimes are put in place as a result of these discrepancies. The best way to prevent this is for all countries to progressively implement international standards, such as those of the OIE and Codex”, Dr Bernard Vallat, OIE Director General, explained at the Conference.

Correcting the market inequalities, and improving direct relations between consumers and producers, in order to guarantee reasonable prices for the former and profits for the latter, are the principle objectives of a report adopted by the European Parliament on the difference in price between production and consumption in the food chain. The report was adopted with 390 votes in favour, 112 against and 71 abstentions.

Its official: the swine industry of this southern port city is free from the Ebola Reston virus. Mayor Celso Lobregat declared so, citing that tests yielded negative of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Pseudo Rabies Virus (PRV) and Swine Influenza Virus (SIV-H1N1).

In a legislative report dealing with an update of the EU rules on novel foods, the European Parliament calls on the Commission to interdict the placing on the market of food derived from cloned animals and their descendants. MEPs also want food being produced by nanotechnology processes to undergo a specific risk assessment before being approved for use and be labelled. The report was adopted with 658 votes in favour, 15 against and 11 abstentions.

The December figures from 2008 are just preliminary, but nevertheless Danish Meat Association (DMA) states that last year exports measured in volume increased by approximately 76,000 tonnes to 1.7 million tonnes. In total Denmark is the third largest exporter of pig meat, and exports bring in approximately € 4 bn. from 130 countries. It is expected that also the value of exports rose in 2008, but the financial crisis affected the last months in particular.

Under the terms of NAFTA, the U.S. and Mexico each agreed to allow trucks from the other nation access into their countries. Unfortunately, the U.S. maintained its restriction on Mexican trucks crossing the border even after NAFTA implementation began. The Transportation Department's pilot program with Mexico was developed as a step toward meeting that commitment. The pilot program came after a NAFTA dispute panel ruled the exclusion of all Mexican trucks violated U.S. obligations under NAFTA. Now that the pilot program has been eliminated, the U.S. finds itself, once again, not in compliance with its obligations under NAFTA.

The outlook for Australian grain and feed production is on balance relatively optimistic. Wheat and barley production are both expected to increase while sorghum production is expected to decrease. Rice is also expected to increase albeit off record low levels. Post advises that production of all crops is forecast to move toward to the ten-year-average following a long period of low production and high prices.

The OIE has informed about the presence of foot-and-mouth virus serotype Asia 1 in Inner Mongolia (Sumitu Sumu, Etuoke, E'erduosi).

Italian pork production is due to rise by 4.2% in the first quarter of 2009 and 2.7% in the second quarter, against the equivalent periods of 2008. This follows a retraction of production in 2008. This data reported by Eurostat, shows that Italy will probably be the only country in Europe to escape the predicted fall of production in 2009. However, ANAS, the pig breeding organisation disagrees with this forecast and maintains that sector remains in crisis.

On March 15, authorities in Guangzhou closed a major livestock wholesale market following more than 100 reported cases of food poisoning caused by consumption of pork contaminated with clenbuterol, a banned steroid. Following the closing, authorities reported a large number of pigs from a separate wholesale market tested positive for clenbuterol by a slaughter facility. An initial investigation found that contaminated pigs came from individual farms in Henan province. As a result of the widespread clenbuterol incidents, Guangzhou authorities are now requiring pork plants test all incoming pigs prior to slaughter.

A total of 417,330 tonnes of meat were consumed in Switzerland in 2008, an equivalent of more than 53kg per inhabitant. The total amount was three per cent higher than in 2007 and increased for the fourth consecutive year, according to Proviande, the Swiss meat association, on Tuesday.

Some 46% (17% in 1995) of Dutch pig farms hold more than 500 sows and a further 41% more than 200 sows, making an average of 333 sows per farm. The average number of pigs per farm has risen from 363 in 1995 to 814 in 2008. Some 40% of Dutch pig farms now hold more than 2,000 pigs.

On 23 March 2009, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council adopted conclusions backing international efforts to gain support for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. The Council deems it important to achieve world-wide recognition of the need for animal welfare as an issue of common interest. It invites the member states and the Commission to support the initiative in international fora.

Commission Decision of 20 March 2009 (2009/291/EC) concerning the draft Regulations from Ireland on the labelling of country of origin of poultrymeat, pigmeat and sheepmeat.