Reading Time: < 1 minute There’s still time to nominate someone for the 2018 F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production. The award recognizes individuals who have developed either original solutions to pork production challenges or found creative uses for known technology. Innovations big or small, complex or simple in areas such as feeding, breeding, ventilation, disease control/prevention, transportation, animal […] Read more
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Entry deadline for F.X. Aherne Prize is Oct. 31
Hog prices feeling weakness as new U.S. plants start up
CNS Canada — Canadian hog prices are feeling the effects of near record-high slaughter volumes in the U.S. During the week ended Sept. 30, over 2.5 million hogs were processed, up three per cent from the same week a year ago and the third largest kill on record over the last 30 years. According to […] Read more
EU, Canada settle cattle battle at the WTO
Geneva | Reuters — The European Union and Canada have ended a 21-year dispute over hormone-treated meat after agreeing a wider trade agreement, they said in a filing published by the World Trade Organization on Tuesday. The settlement of the dispute at the WTO, which began in 1996, was facilitated by a liberalization of trade […] Read more
Mexico considers pork in response to NAFTA produce proposal
Mexico City | Reuters — Mexican negotiators are working on a response to informal U.S. proposals to include protections for fresh produce in the re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), two people briefed on the proposals said. U.S., Canadian and Mexican delegations finished a second round of talks last week to renegotiate […] Read more
Prairie pork industry leader Bill Vaags, 82
UPDATED, Sept. 15 — A memorial service is planned for Sept. 19 in Winnipeg for a prominent Prairie figure in the business of promoting and securing export markets for Canadian pork. Bill Vaags, a pork producer at Dugald, Man. who led the Canadian Pork Council from 1985 to 1990 and chaired Canada Pork International from […] Read more
Biosecurity proves its worth in PEDv fight
Rather than slaughter recovered pigs, authorities move them to clean barns and then closely monitor them
Reading Time: 3 minutes Manitoba hog producers battling porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) aren’t out of the woods yet — but the situation has shown that biosecurity measures are effective. “We had not had any positive cases since July 14, but yesterday, one infected premises was confirmed positive based on samples collected from pigs,” Manitoba’s acting chief veterinary officer […] Read more
Out of the fire: Rescued piglets served to U.K. firefighters
London | Reuters — Young pigs that were saved from a fire in southwest England earlier this year have been served to their rescuers as sausages by the farmer who wanted to thank the firefighters for their efforts. The 18 piglets and two sows were rescued after an electrical fault set hay on fire at […] Read more
New vaccine fights illnesses and improves food safety
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new vaccine that combats salmonella bacteria that make pigs and turkeys sick has been developed. Vaccines generally offer protection from one type of salmonella but can leave animals vulnerable to infections from other pathogen types. It can also leave unaffected “commensal” organisms — organisms animals carry but do not adversely affect their hosts. Commensal […] Read more
If NAFTA ain’t broke, don’t fix it, pork sector says
CNS Canada — As talks begin toward reworking the North American Free Trade Agreement, John Ross of the Canadian Pork Council repeats what many in the pork and beef industries in Canada and the U.S. have been saying all along: First, do no harm. “The worst thing that could happen to us was if we […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Supply jitters extend CME live cattle futures losses
Chicago/Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell for a fourth straight session on Thursday, dragged down by growing worries about hefty near-term supplies, traders said. “We’ve got more numbers (cattle) out here and more numbers coming, and that’s just a Damocles sword over this market,” said Top Third Marketing analyst Mark Gold. Fund […] Read more
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