poultry processing

USDA Rejects Poultry Line Speed Request

Dan Industry News Release, Poultry

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has denied a request by the National Chicken Council to allow for faster processing line speeds in packing plants. The decision follows a petition from NCC asking for young chicken plants to be exempt from the 140-birds-per-minute maximum line speed under the New Poultry Inspection System. USDA says the petition asked for no line speed …

grower

Global Avian Influenza Surge

Dan Industry News Release, Poultry

Different strains of avian influenza were found over the holiday season globally, according to two global health agencies that say the number of human infections appears to have decreased over time. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports that since December, the H5N6 strain of avian influenza has been reported in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, South Korea and Taiwan, in addition to …

livestock poultry

Livestock – Poultry Outlook Positive for 2018

Dan Cattle, Livestock, Poultry

Some attending the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show in Nashville, Tennessee learned that 2017 ended on a good note for the livestock and poultry sectors, and the 2018 outlook is positive overall. That was according to James Robb, director and senior agricultural livestock economist for the Livestock Marketing Information Center. But, he said there …

dairy producers

USDA Predicts Lower Red Meat and Poultry Production

Dan Beef, Industry News Release, Poultry

The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts lower red meat and poultry production due to lower beef and pork production forecasts. Beef production is lowered on the current pace of cattle slaughter and lighter carcass weights. The pork production forecast is lowered on smaller-than-anticipated hog slaughter this quarter although …

antibiotic

Antibiotic Use in Livestock Drops

Dan Cattle, Industry News Release, Livestock

The Food and Drug Administration began keeping records on antibiotic use in livestock animals in 2009. For the first time since then, the agency says antibiotic usage dropped. Sales of medically important antimicrobials for livestock and poultry fell by ten percent in 2016. The decline actually took place ahead of new antibiotic usage requirements that became law in January. As …

intelligent

Grant Funding Study on Consumers Willingness to Pay for Animal Ag Practices

Dan Industry News Release, Livestock, Poultry

A grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) will fund a study on consumer understanding and willingness-to-pay for alternative production practices in animal agriculture. The $50,000 grant was awarded to and matched by the Food Marketing Institute Foundation and the Animal Agriculture Alliance, making a total research investment of $100,000. The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research …

turkey

Turkey Farmers Feel Pain from GIPSA

Dan Industry News Release, Poultry

Just days from Thanksgiving, some turkey farmers are feeling the effects of Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue’s decision to pull out of the final interim GIPSA  (Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration) rule. Politico reports that just hours after the announcement, Plainville Farms of Pennsylvania presented its farmers with updated contracts that required the producers to make costly upgrades to their …

salmonella

U.S. Poultry Groups Applaud WTO’s Indonesian Ruling

Dan Industry News Release, Poultry

U.S. poultry groups are pleased the World Trade Organization confirmed Indonesia’s import restrictions for horticultural products and animals and animal products are against WTO rules. The WTO has rejected Indonesia’s appeal of the panel finding, a move U.S. poultry groups say is a “resounding victory.” The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, National Chicken Council, and National Turkey Federation echoed …

resistant

Breeding Resistant Chickens for Improved Food Safety

Dan Industry News Release, Poultry

A new test developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in College Station, Texas, could make it easier to breed pathogen-resistant chickens. The test identifies roosters whose blood contains naturally high levels of two key chemicals, cytokine, and chemokines. These chemicals mobilize the birds’ innate immune response, according to ARS microbiologist Christi Swaggerty, in ARS’s Food and Feed Safety Research Unit. Using …