Chicago | Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has directed agency staff to create and deliver an updated animal welfare strategy plan within 60 days, according to an internal email reviewed by Reuters. The emailed memo from Chavonda Jacobs-Young, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, was sent to all Animal […] Read more
U.S. ag secretary orders update of agency’s animal welfare research strategy
Merck funds tests of lower Zilmax doses
Chicago | Reuters –– Merck and Co. is funding the testing of lower dosages of its controversial cattle growth drug Zilmax, in a move livestock experts say is crucial if the company is to resume sales of the product to the U.S. beef industry. Nearly 18 months after Merck pulled the drug from U.S. and […] Read more
U.S. groups suing FDA over ractopamine approvals
Chicago | Reuters –– A group of environmental and public health groups sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, seeking to set aside the agency’s approvals for feed additives containing ractopamine that are used to boost the weight of cattle and pigs. The groups, in two related lawsuits filed in federal court, claim […] Read more
Merck takes steps to return Zilmax to cattle market
Reuters — Merck & Co. is taking steps to resume sales of its controversial cattle feed additive Zilmax by changing the way the drug is administered, hoping to recapture some market share in the beef industry, where the U.S. herd has the fewest animals in more than 60 years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration […] Read more
U.S. launches task force to tackle antibiotic-resistant bugs
Chicago | Reuters –– The U.S. government will set up a task force and presidential advisory council to tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance to national security, setting a Feb. 15 deadline for the outlining of specific steps to be taken, White House advisers said at a press conference Thursday. The White House announced […] Read more
U.S. lawmakers want to curb antibiotic use on farms
Reuters — Two U.S. lawmakers are calling for action to rein in antibiotic use in livestock in response to a Reuters investigation showing how top U.S. poultry firms have been administering drugs to their flocks. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said she plans to introduce new legislation authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to collect […] Read more
Farmaceuticals: Poultry firms systematically feed low-dose antibiotics to flocks
Atlanta/Chicago | Reuters — Major U.S. poultry firms are administering antibiotics to their flocks far more pervasively than regulators realize, posing a potential risk to human health. PART 1 OF A SERIES: Visit Part 2 and Part 3 here, or view the series in full HERE. Internal records examined by Reuters reveal that some of […] Read more
Farmaceuticals: Problems at Foster Farms plants emerged amid salmonella outbreak
Livingston, Calif. | Reuters — Sanitation problems at a slaughterhouse can promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs,” by allowing dangerous bacteria to remain on meat that is shipped into the food supply. In the poultry industry, salmonella is a particular risk. PART 2 OF A SERIES: Visit Part 1 and Part 3 here, or view […] Read more
Zoetis gets conditional license from USDA for PEDv vaccine
Chicago | Reuters –– Zoetis Inc. has received a conditional license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its vaccine against the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and will begin selling it this month in the U.S., the company said Wednesday. Shares of Zoetis, the world’s largest animal-health company, reached an all-time high of US$36.65 […] Read more
Tyson looks for other pork export markets after China ban
Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods plans to find other export markets for its pork products after a recent delivery to China triggered an export ban of half its U.S. hog slaughterhouses, the company told Reuters Friday. The U.S. Agriculture Department announced earlier this week that China was barring future pork imports from six U.S […] Read more
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