Page 923 of articles about news

USDA announced today the appointment of 153 pork producers and 8 importers to the 2009 National Pork Producers Delegate Body. All appointees will serve a one-year term. The appointees were selected from nominees submitted by state pork producer association and importer groups. These appointments were made by former Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer.

All pork products from Philippine already at Chinese ports should be turned back or destroyed, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) said in anon-line announcement here on Wednesday.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued three new directives related to verification of Listeria monocytogenes control.

Domestic retail sales of meat declined 2% - 3% in 2008 and the consumption fell by 1.5% - 2% compared to 2007.

Fresh and frozen meat imports to Russia grew by 14.2% to 1.6 million tons in 2008 from 1.4 million tons in 2007, and up 43.4% to $4.9 billion from $3.4 billion in money terms, as Federal Customs Service reports.

Representatives of the American Feed Industry Association and FEFANA, the Feed Additives and Premixtures Association of the European Union, recently signed an agreement that will permit auditors of AFIA's third-party certification program, Safe Feed/Safe Food, to inspect U.S. manufacturers for compliance with European feed hygiene and ingredient standards. The agreement will facilitate U.S. trade with European feed and ingredient customers.

The Veterinary Department has confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in northern Hoa Binh province. As of February 5, the country has had four provinces infected with foot-and-mouth disease: Long An (less than 19 days), Kon Tum, Son La and Hoa Binh (all less than 21 days).

Already a producer-driven initiative is under way in East Anglia to control and then, maybe, to eradicate swine dysentery. And there should soon be an announcement that phase one of a Yorkshire and Humberside plan is to be rolled out, with help from public funds.

The death of 1,056 pigs in Hongdong County in north China's Shanxi Province was caused by blue-ear disease, local authorities said Monday.

The Team includes experts in the fields of veterinary sciences, virology, wildlife, laboratory testing, risk management and other relevant areas. The experts will be on stand-by, ready to respond in animal health situations.

As feed costs rise and the production of ethanol from corn grain increases, swine producers have ramped up their search for new feed supplements for younger swine. According to studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, feeding dried distiller's grains (DDGS) to piglets can give their immune systems an extra boost.

Socialist Party Member of Parliament, Krista van Velzen, has raised questions about a carbon dioxide gas anesthesia used in Dutch slaughterhouses. In response to the questions, Verburg wrote a letter to parliament.

Department of Agriculture (DA) officials in the region said that it considers the cases of salmonella infection of hogs in Sta. Rita town in Samar province now "under control," reported Dr. Andrew Orais, Regional Livestock Coordinator. "There were no report until this time of sick pigs from the area. We are optimistic that the cases are now controlled," said Orais.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has pledged government support for rural communities and businesses today. Mr Benn said that he will be bringing together the Commission for Rural Communities and the Regional Development Agencies to look at how the recession is affecting rural areas and whether additional help might be needed.