Page 869 of articles about news

The Food & Drug Administration announced May 27 the initiation of a grant program to support the development of new animal drugs intended for minor species or minor uses in major species. Major species are horses, dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, turkeys and chickens.

The plans, which would see farmers receive up to 70 per cent of their payment from October, were announced by EU agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel on Monday, May 25. The scheme would allow for all farmers in the EU benefiting from the SPS and the SAPS to receive up to 70 per cent of their final payment from October 16.

Farmers have been ordered to wear earmuffs when feeding pigs - to protect them from 'dangerous' squealing. A Health and Safety Executive leaflet advises farmers that pigs' squealing could cause just as much damage to hearing as a chainsaw or power drill.

This report provides an overview of production costs and margins of farms specialised in pig fattening. The analysis is based on the latest Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data available (2006).

According to reports from Mexico’s Ministry for Agriculture (SAGARPA), the consumption of pig meat is recovering from the noticeable drop a few weeks ago after the appearance of cases of the new flu A in humans in the country. The figures offered by SAGARPA show that since last weekend the levels of slaughter in the 33 Federal Inspection Type (TIF) slaughterhouses, specializing in pigs, have reached 80% of the level that they had before the outbreak of the new flu A. According to the Secretary for Agriculture, Alberto Cárdenas Jiménez, by the end of the month the number of pigs slaughtered in TIF slaughterhouses and in the 38 large sized municipal slaughterhouses is expected to reach over 470 thousand. (Original in Spanish. Read Google translation here).

Action is needed to improve communication about the qualities of agricultural products — to help reconnect farmers with consumers. Quality labelling schemes must also be easier for people to use and understand and EU policy must be more coherent. These are the main recommendations of a European Commission Communication on agricultural product quality policy.

Federal Agency for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision of the Russian Federation (Rosselkhoznadzor) is imposing temporary restrictions on supply of non heat treated pork and pork products from some Prefectures of Japan, as it was published on the Agency’s website.

It is looking almost certain Brussels will drop plans to extend IPPC to more pig farms.

The impact of climate change on the emergence and re-emergence of animal diseases has been confirmed by a majority of OIE Member Countries and Territories in a worldwide study conducted by the OIE among all its national Delegates.

A new category of fats in mammalian cells discovered by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and colleagues may help explain how a harmful toxin called fumonisin causes disease in farm animals.

Asia's US pork imports showed mixed performance in the first quarter of this year, with Taiwan and the Asean region showing remarkable growth while China/Hong Kong brought in smaller volumes and Japan slowed down on buying in March. Taiwan’s imports of US pork plus pork variety meat in the first quarter increased 158% in volume and 121% in value term over the same period a year ago. Imports by Asean countries increased 56% in volume and 58% in value. Japan’s imports in the first quarter escalated 13% in volume and 26% in value, but performance in March rose only 1% in value but dropped 3.5% in volume over the same month last year. China/Hong Kong's imports dipped 36% over the first quarter of 2008.

The newly elected committee of the Pig Producers Association, headed by Flip de Villiers, will work towarads expanding pig farming in Namibia to meet the current demand.

On February 18, 2009, the Secretariat of Economy (SE) published in the Diario Oficial (Federal Register) on official notice terminating the panel charged with performing a review of the preliminary antidumping investigation on pork leg imports from the Unites States. On January 7, 2009, the panel issued its Notice of Final Action, which agreed with the initial antidumping investigation that no further action should be taken.