Two European regulators said on Wednesday they were tracking variants of the bird flu virus due to the threat of the pathogen adapting to spread between humans and triggering future pandemics.

EU agencies track bird flu virus variants on increasing threat to humans

Netherlands ordered by court to slash nitrogen emissions by 2030
A Dutch court ordered the government on Wednesday to drastically cut nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands by 2030, in a ruling that could hurt construction and will pressure farmers to reduce livestock.
A Dutch court ordered the government on Wednesday to drastically cut nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands by 2030, in a ruling that could hurt construction and will pressure farmers to reduce livestock.

US turkey producers should ramp up bird flu testing, USDA says
U.S. poultry producers should ramp up testing and monitoring of turkeys for bird flu before they are slaughtered to ensure the virus stays out of the food supply, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday.

EU and Mexico revive stalled trade deal as Trump tariffs loom
The two parties are seeking to add farm produce, services, investment and other goods to the agreement
The European Union and Mexico revived a stalled free trade agreement on Friday, days before the return to the White House of Donald Trump, who has threatened both sides with tariffs.

Germany has no new foot-and-mouth disease cases, minister says
Germany has no new cases of the livestock illness foot-and-mouth disease with a suspect case on Thursday not confirmed, German agriculture minister Cem Oezdemir said on Friday.

US to build new stockpile of bird flu vaccine for poultry
The U.S. will rebuild its stockpile of bird flu vaccines for poultry matched to the current strain of the virus circulating among commercial flocks and wild birds, the Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday.

Indonesian government tells ranchers to import cattle for school meals program
Indonesia is encouraging domestic cattle ranchers to import breeding cows, targeting 400,000 head in 2025, to supply meat and milk for the government's free school meals program, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

Louisiana reports first bird flu-related death in US
A U.S. patient hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu has died, the Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday, marking the country's first reported human death from the virus.

US to award $306 million for bird flu monitoring and preparedness
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Friday it would award $306 million (C$441.7 million) in funds to help bird flu monitoring, as the virus spreads in dairy herds and farm workers across the country.

$7.9 million cattle research project aims to find rumen efficiencies
Cross-Canada project to reduce methane production will be led by UBC researcher
A pan-Canadian research project will try to understand more about how methane is generated in the rumen of beef and dairy cattle.