Nairobi | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Flash floods in drought-stricken parts of Ethiopia have killed people and livestock and are blocking food aid deliveries to hungry communities, a charity said. Ethiopians have been waiting for the spring rains to replenish water sources and to plant crops after the most severe drought in decades pushed more […] Read more
Floods cause deaths, block food aid in drought-hit Ethiopia
Educate consumers through Open Farm Days
Reading Time: < 1 minute Registration for Open Farm Days 2016 is now open. Last year’s event had more than 70 participating farms; 18 farm-to-table culinary events; 10,000 visits to farms; and almost $100,000 in food and on-farm sales. The event, which runs from Aug. 20-21 this year, provides an opportunity to support local food producers, educate consumers about agriculture, and […] Read more
Look at your farm the way a consumer would, says animal welfare expert
The term ‘producers’ is a problem, and so are a host of common practices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers need to talk and think about animal welfare differently to gain the trust of consumers, says an official overseeing animal welfare at one of the largest dairies in the U.S. “Everything happens through people,” Jennifer Walker, a veterinarian and director of dairy stewardship at Dean Foods, said at the recent Livestock Care conference hosted […] Read more
Bayer to consider shedding animal health unit
Leverkusen, Germany | Reuters –– Bayer might look into selling its animal health division if it continues to struggle to find takeover targets for the business, the German drugmaker’s incoming chief executive said. “Animal Health is a business that we have been trying for many years to strengthen strategically, that is to say inorganically. That […] Read more
Investor group launches campaign to curb antibiotic use in food
Reuters — Fifty-four large investors managing one trillion pounds (C$1.84 trillion) in assets have launched a campaign to curb the use of antibiotics in the meat and poultry used by 10 large U.S. and British restaurant groups. McDonalds and JD Wetherspoon were among those to receive a March 15 letter from institutions including Aviva Investors […] Read more
Scotland moves against wealthy gentry dominating land
Rio de Janeiro | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Centuries-old traditions that led to 430 people owning half of Scotland’s privately held land are soon to become history, as local communities seek to double their ownership in the nation known for its rugged landscape, sheep and fine whisky. While inequality of land ownership is more often […] Read more
Tips on the proper use of livestock antibiotics
Reading Time: < 1 minute Here are Dr. Craig Dorin’s recommendations for using antimicrobials effectively. Don’t use antimicrobials for diseases that they are not indicated for. For example, abscesses are a common problem, but these are localized infections. If the animal does not have a fever and the infection is not systemic, it doesn’t need an antibiotic. Similarly, don’t use […] Read more
No big surprises in livestock report
But a jump in the number of replacement heifers is a promising sign for the future
Reading Time: < 1 minute There were few surprises in Statistics Canada’s latest Canadian livestock inventory estimates, says provincial livestock market analyst Jason Wood. “Due to lower domestic slaughter and exports, inventory estimates reported a marginal increase in Canadian cattle,” said Wood. “In Alberta, total cattle inventories saw a 0.4 per cent increase, while hogs increased 1.7 per cent in […] Read more
Premium Brands buys meat supplier C+C
Montreal meat distributor and processor C+C Packing is set to become a new eastern arm for Vancouver food firm Premium Brands. Premium Brands last Tuesday announced a $146 million cash-and-stock deal to buy C+C and its in-house processing arm Premier Meat Packers. The company supplies fresh and frozen meats to grocery chains, the hotel and […] Read more
CETA a household word on Canadian farms, in Europe not so much
Trade deal is a ‘non-story’ on the other side of the Atlantic
Reading Time: 2 minutes The man on the other end of the phone is confused. “I have not heard of this before,” Marek Nowak says slowly. “I am of no help for this.” He’s been asked about the impact the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement — commonly called CETA — might have on Polish dairy farmers such as himself. […] Read more