Page 847 of articles about news

Import of live pigs, pork and its non-heat treated products (temperature of treatment shall be at least 800C, time of treatment shall be at least 30 minutes) from the Province of Quebec is banned until further notice because the situation on H1N1 influenza has been complicated. At the same time, earlier imposed restrictions on import of live pigs, pork and its non-heat-treated products from Alberta and British Columbia shall be lifted because the situation there stabilized.

With the second-highest recorded cereals crop expected this year and stocks replenished, the world food supply looks less vulnerable to shocks than it was during last year’s food crisis, FAO said in its Food Outlook report published today.

Chinese scientists have given cells from adult pigs the ability to turn into any tissue in the body, just like embryonic stem cells. They hope the breakthrough could aid research into human disease, and the breeding of animals for organ transplants for humans. It may also enable the development of pigs that are resistant to diseases such as swine flu.

The Rosselkhoznadzor considers it possible to lift restrictions earlier imposed on import of live pigs, pork and its non-heat-treated products from the whole territory of Spain to the Russian Federation because the epidemic situation on H1N1 influenza in Spain stabilized.

The National Pork Board has adopted a resolution urging all U.S. pork producers to become certified in the Pork Quality Assurance Plus® program by June 30, 2010, and to achieve PQA Plus® site status by Dec. 31, 2010. Additionally, the board is recommending that producers embrace the ethical principles the industry adopted in 2008.

Exports of frozen pork products from Canada to Australia and New Zealand during calendar year 2009 were forecast to be up from the previous season, according to projections made by officials at the Canadian Pork Council. Data from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada showed that Canadian pork exports to Australia from January 1 to March 31, 2009 totalled 12,765 metric tons, which compares with 7,910 metric tons at the same time during 2008. Data from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada showed that Canadian pork exports to Australia from January 1 to March 31, 2009 totalled 12,765 metric tons, which compares with 7,910 metric tons at the same time during 2008.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will make the master seed virus (MSV) for the novel H1N1 flu available to interested veterinary biologics manufacturers.

The large amount of agricultural waste generated in the EU each year is a headache for farmers who are obliged to get rid of it. The treatments they use tend to be cheap but inadequate. An alternative treatment is the use of biogas via anaerobic digestion (using microorganisms to break down the material in the absence of oxygen). The biogas treatment effectively fuels energy and nutrient recovery, with the added bonus of preventing pollution. The AGROBIOGAS project, backed by the EU with EUR 2.9 million in funding, set its sights on developing this technology, which offers an effective way to treat agricultural waste while being a realistic option for farmers.

The European Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) will today present the main findings of the two-year project 'Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation (SoCo)' in a policy seminar held in Brussels. The meeting will be attended, among others, by Member States' ministries and academia as well as farming, industrial and environmental organisations.

New cases of classical swine fever in feral pigs in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate have been reported. Accordingly, the plans for eradication and emergency vaccination of feral pigs for classical swine fever need to be applied in that area. Decision 2003/135/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

In the current year, Ukraine expects for the growth of mixed fodder production for poultry and swine. In 2008, the product output remained at the level of the previous year, marked A.Burka. The shares of mixed fodder for swine and poultry totals 19% and 13% respectively from the general production volumes.

A group of Wisconsin State Assembly Democrats including Ag Committee Chair Amy Sue Vruwink have sent a letter to the chairs of the Joint Finance Committee asking them to reconsider Governor Jim Doyle’s proposed slaughter fees. The Governor’s proposed biennial budget includes a 14-cent per animal slaughter fee for cattle and hogs, 10-cents for calves and a penny for poultry.

The 2008 gross income from cattle and calves, hogs and pigs, and sheep and lambs for the U.S. totaled $65.2 billion, down 1 percent from 2007. Cattle and calves decreased 3 percent, sheep and lambs decreased 5 percent, while hogs and pigs increased 9 percent.

It will be closing more of its slaughterhouses in Denmark. This will take up to 18 months, during which time the co-operative will attempting to build sufficient slaughtering capacity in Germany. Danish Crown continues to be in crisis because increasingly producers are sending their pigs to Germany, where they get a better price.