Drought forces US to take emergency action

American livestock producers are in “deep trouble” following the worst drought the country has experienced in 25 years, according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Animal feed firm reports record earnings

Netherlands-based animal feed company Nutreco has reported a continued “strong momentum” in all segments, as well as record earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation (EBITA).

EU-Japan look to free trade opportunity

A planned free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Japan could end the Japanese BSE-linked ban on EU beef and veal imports, say industry representatives.

News in brief

Ishida appoints new German head

Weighing and packaging machinery supplier Ishida has announced a new appointment to head up the company’s German operations.

US beef exporters welcome reopening of Taiwan

The US beef industry is confident that it will be able to rebuild its export market with Taiwan, after the Taiwanese Parliament passed legislation that will pave the way to reopen its borders to US beef imports.

Canada broadens beef access to Kazkhstan

In a move estimated to be worth around $1m per annum, Canadian beef has widened access to Kazakhstan, the Canadian government has announced.

World pork industry faces difficult year

The global pork market is facing a tough year ahead with escalating feed costs a major problem, according to a new report by agricultural analyst Rabobank.

News in brief

US equipment firms merge

Two American companies that manufacture equipment used by meat producers and packers have announced they are to  consolidate.

Belarus bans Russian pork imports over ASF fears

Belarus has banned imports of pork from the Tver and Volgograd regions of Russia due to the unprecedented spread of African swine fever (ASF).

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Irish point to rising feed costs

Economists in Ireland have said the cost of feeding livestock is going to increase, which will have an impact on farm incomes.

Ukrainian farmers call for ban on cheap meat imports

Ukrainian pig and poultry farmers have called on the government to take action over “excessive imports” of cheap meat.

Australia to review livestock exports

The Australian government will review its standards for the export of livestock as well as the role and function of the Livestock Export Standards Advisory Group.

MFA stands by allegations of animal cruelty

Animal welfare charity Mercy for Animals (MFA) is standing by its claims that a video shot undercover at a US pig farm showed animal cruelty. 

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Research ticks new boxes on meat allergy

A US study has uncovered a link between tick bites and severe allergic reactions to red meat.

Pork crisis in Estonia

Estonia’s pork production sector is facing a crisis as a result of high costs and competition from European imports.

UK MPs call for reversal of DSM moratorium

A committee of British MPs has criticised the European Commission for demanding that the UK introduce a moratorium on desinewed meat (DSM), describing it as “heavy handed and disproportionate”.

News in brief

EFSA approves livestock feed additives

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has declared using niacin and niacinamide as nutritional feed additives in livestock is safe for consumers.

Call for countries to comply with rinderpest moratorium

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) have called for the destruction of potentially dangerous rinderpest virus samples.

Welsh target US market

The Welsh red meat industry is hoping that the visit of the Paris-based US Counsellor for Agricultural Affairs, Daryl Brehm, to the UK's Royal Welsh Show yesterday (23 July), will further attempts to open up the lucrative US market.

US study urges reform on corn ethanol production

US livestock and poultry producers are urging the government to take action over corn ethanol production, which they claim is destabilising feed prices.

Cargill recalls ground beef after Salmonella outbreak

US meat processor Cargill Meat Solutions has been forced to recall nearly 30,000lb of fresh ground beef products after they were linked to a Salmonella outbreak that left 33 people ill.

News in brief

Nutreco opens swine nutrition facility

A new research facility in the Netherlands aims to progress knowledge of the relationship between swine nutrition and production efficiency, and reproduction and health.

Turnover rises at Hilton Food Group

Hilton Food Group, a leading European specialist in retail meat packing, has seen continued growth in turnover despite tough trading conditions.

Turnover rises at Hilton Food Group

Hilton Food Group, a leading European specialist in retail meat packing, has seen continued growth in turnover despite tough trading conditions.

Australian dollar hits beef exports

The high Australian dollar and problems in major world economies are hampering Australian exports of beef, according to Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA’s) 2012 mid-year cattle projection update.

News in brief

Australian body appoints new regional manager

Jamie Ferguson has been announced as Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) new regional manager for the Middle East and North America. 

Ukraine processor reports improvements in profitability

The largest poultry producer in Ukraine, Mironivsky Hliboproduct (MHP), has reported improved financial performance despite decreasing production.


Russian firm uses combined force for poultry plant

Healthy Farm, a leading producer of high-quality food products in Russia, has invested in its first joint solution for its poultry processing plant.


Russia bans Mexican poultry product imports

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) has imposed temporary restrictions on the import of poultry products from Mexico, due to the recent outbreak of bird flu in the country. 

US federation raises livestock antibiotics concern

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has hit back at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the latter’s proposals on restricting antibiotic use in meat production.

News in brief

NZ firm issues cooked meat recall

A New Zealand meat processor has recalled several cooked meat products over fears that they could be linked to a listeria outbreak that has killed two people.

US survey reports price fall for staple proteins

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Marketbasket survey, the cost of protein staples in the US retail food sector has fallen in Q2.

Ukraine bans provincial Chinese poultry imports

The Ukraine has banned imports of poultry and poultry products from several provinces of China in response to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H5N1.

Russian poultry body asks for restriction on Belarusian imports

The Russian Union of Poultry Producers (Rosptitsesoyuz) has sent a request to the government demanding that it restricts poultry imports from Belarus, which it claims has violated trade agreements.

US meat trade welcomes CAFO database decision

The US meat industry has welcomed an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision not to introduce laws that would require intensive farms to provide detailed information on their operations.

Canada aims for national pork traceability

An amendment to Canada’s Health of Animals Regulations could make the country the first to use a swine traceability system.

News in brief

Australian poultry giant for sale

Australia’s largest integrated poultry producer is up for sale. Inghams Enterprises, which has been in operation since 1918 and generated sales of over AU$2bn in 2012, has been put on the market by Bob Ingham, the company’s sole shareholder.

US poultry trade welcomes Russia free trade call

The US poultry industry has welcomed calls from members of the US Congress for free trade with Russia.

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Brazil doubles beef exports to US

Brazilian exports of processed beef to the US have nearly doubled in a year, according to latest statistics.

Latin American showcase for US producers

US meat leaders took a trip to Colombia recently in a bid to showcase the country’s latest red meat offering.

Ground meat analyser to give real-time results

A food scanner for ground meat has been developed by US serving science company Thermo Fisher Scientific (TFS).

Feature

Complex balance

Campaign groups are increasingly calling on people to eat less meat to save the planet and improve their health. However, experts argue that the debate surrounding meat and the environment is not as simple as it seems. Carina Perkins investigates

News in brief

Canada to bring in livestock traceability

Canada is to introduce a national livestock traceability system to reduce costs and improve data management.

Australia discovers new chicken virus

A new infectious chicken virus, which stems from a European vaccine, has been discovered by researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Danish co-op sold to joint venture

The European Commission has approved the takeover of a new Danish meat supply co-operative Daka by Germany-based SARIA Bio-Industries and Denmark-based Danish Crown.

Cargill buys Texan beef plant

US meat giant Cargill has acquired a bankrupt beef processing plant in Texas for $14.1m, with the sale expected to close next week.

Australia upholds live cattle exports

Australia’s federal government has dismissed proposals to ban the live export of cattle and introduce mandatory pre-slaughter stunning in abattoirs that process Australian livestock.

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EU recession hits NZ processor

New Zealand processor Blue Sky Meats has reported huge losses for the last financial year, blaming “a perfect storm” of factors including a challenging EU market.

Study reveals most dangerous zoonoses

Through mapping human-animal diseases (zoonoses), such as tuberculosis, a new study has revealed that just 13 zoonoses are responsible for 2.2m human deaths a year.

US scientists refute E.coli poultry link claim

US scientists have questioned claims made by ABC News, which yesterday aired a report saying that women are developing antibiotic resistant bladder infections caused by E.coli from poultry products.

News in brief

NZ processor shuts up shop

A New Zealand meat processor has been forced to close after running into financial difficulties.

OECD: meat consumption outpaces other agri commodities

World meat consumption is outpacing the sale of other major agricultural commodities, especially in developing countries, according to an ‘Agricultural Outlook 2012-2021’ report by the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD).

Packaging firm to open new Latin American site

A global packaging company is building a new facility in São Paulo, Brazil to reduce lead times and expand services for customers in South America.

US supplier gains fresh credit stream

One of the USA’s leading beef, pork and chicken protein product suppliers for the hospitality industry has secured a new financial deal.

US chicken industry urges action on anti-dumping duty

The US chicken industry has written to US Trade Representative Ron Kirk urging him to challenge a South African anti-dumping duty imposed nearly 12 years ago.

Restrictions prove costly for Brazil pig industry

Brazil’s pig industry has repeated warnings that producers are facing a crisis as a result of import restrictions and high costs.

News in brief

US supplier in major meat recall

A US foodservice supplier has been forced to recall over 300,000lb of meat and poultry products due to possible contamination with the dangerous food poisoning bug listeria.

Polish campaign to drive domestic consumption

Poland is embarking on a major new campaign to promote beef to the domestic market in an attempt to boost the quality end of the market and reverse the spiralling decline in consumption.

News in brief

ANZ supports Indonesian beef sector

New Zealand-based international bank, ANZ Banking Group (ANZ Group), has said it will help fund investment for the development of beef cattle in the eastern part of Indonesia.

Danish Crown to create €70m beef processing plant

Danish Crown is to build a new slaughter processing plant in Holsted, Denmark that it is claimed will be the largest investment so far in the European beef slaughter sector. 

UK trade mission aims to grow German market for lamb

German demand for UK lamb is expected to grow following a recent trade mission to showcase sheep-meat production, organised by sector body Eblex.

Australian pork trade gains R&D boost

The Australian pork industry is set to benefit from a AU$2.7m boost into R&D funding across a range of projects to help boost the sector.

EU opposes ractopamine limit

The European Union (EU) is opposing a decision to create an international limit on the use of ractopamine, a fattening agent for pigs and cattle, arguing that the substance should not be used at all because of potential health risks to humans.

IMS works with FAO to measure environmental impact of livestock

The International Meat Secretariat (IMS) has officially joined forces with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in an attempt to measure the environmental impact of livestock.

US develops new FMD virus-free vaccines

A molecular vaccine against one strain of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which does not use the live FMD virus, has been developed in the US.

Russia restricts imports of pork from US and Canadian plants

Russia has banned the import of pork from two US and Canadian meat companies after the antibiotics tetracycline was detected in the meat. The ban came into effect on 3 July.

Concerns over EFSA GM food safety guidelines

Anti-genetically modified (GM) food campaign groups are concerned about guidelines on GM food safety.

News in brief

RFID expert opens European arm

RFID tracking solutions supplier Intelleflex has opened a new Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA) office in Brussels.

News in brief

Cargill plans new feed plant in Texas

Cargill has announced plans to build a new animal feed facility in Bovina, Texas.

Russia set to lead world on in-feed antibiotics

Russia is rapidly becoming the world’s largest market for in-feed antibiotics, experts have noted.

Russia and India top poultry production rise

Russia and India were the most rapidly developing countries in terms of production of poultry meat in 2011, according to estimates from leading Russian analytical agency Agroru.

Mexico takes emergency action on avian influenza

Mexico has launched emergency measures to tackle a bird flu outbreak, which has so far resulted in the death of 870,000 birds.

US to extend residue testing in meat

The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is to step up chemical residue testing on meat, poultry and egg products.

News in brief

EFSA releases poultry meat opinion report

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reviewed the potential risks to public health from the poultry industry.

Cardia Bioplastics gets halal certification

A global supplier of sustainable resins to the food packaging industries has announced its halal certification.

Processors call on US to abide by WTO COOL ruling

US and Canadian meat processors have called on ministers to abide by a ruling from the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body that the US is violating its international trade obligations by enforcing mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) on meat products.

EU supports markets on three-year meat drive

Denmark, Poland and Scotland are set to receive substantial financial support from the European Union to promote meat to specific markets as part of a three-year scheme supporting the promotion of EU agricultural products both within and outside the EU.

Sial reveals foodservice focus

Innovation and a growing focus on foodservice are the key issues for Sial 2012 later this year, as one of the world’s largest food shows gets ready to open its doors.

News in brief

New Bizerba factory has space for 3.25bn labels

A new state-of-the art warehouse, which has space for 3.25bn labels, has been opened by the Bizerba label factory in Bochum

Eblex Export Conference focuses on Africa

Attention was focused on Africa as an emerging market for UK meat exports at this year’s Eblex Export Conference in Stoneleigh Park, England.