(Thinkstock photo)

Canada again declares as avian flu-free

With an Ontario duck farm depopulated and disinfected, and no new outbreaks in the three following months, Canada has again declared itself free of notifiable avian flu. The federal government announced Wednesday it has informed the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that Ontario is considered free of avian influenza as per OIE guidelines. About […] Read more



(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Tighter border programs eyed for poultry, dairy imports

Federal programs meant to give importers tariff breaks on certain imports and products destined for re-export are up for tweaks to better cover Canada’s supply-managed poultry and dairy sectors. The federal government said Friday it plans to launch consultations with “industry stakeholders” over potential changes to its Duties Relief Program (DRP) and Import for Re-Export […] Read more

Eggs don’t stay this clean in a hatching barn, so it’s important to find an effective way to clean them.

Which came first? The healthy chicken or the clean egg?

Alberta study sorted through a plethora of egg-cleaning methods 
to find the best way to reduce bacteria on eggs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Cleaning eggs is critical in hatcheries in order to minimize bacteria on shells that can affect chicks when they emerge. But there’s more than one way to clean eggs. “Farmers are using many different methods to clean their eggs,” said Brenda Schneider, a poultry research technologist with the province. “Some dust them off, others use […] Read more


Motherland Monument, Kiev. (CIA.gov)

Ukrlandfarming owner in talks to sell stake

Kiev | Reuters — Ukrainian businessman Oleh Bakhmatyuk, the major shareholder in agricultural group Ukrlandfarming, is in talks with Chinese and Middle East investors about possibly selling a stake in the company, Interfax news agency said on Monday. Ukrlandfarming’s main businesses are grain and sugar production, livestock farming, the distribution of agricultural products and the […] Read more



Wolves in Saskatchewan’s Prince Albert National Park in 2014. (Parks Canada photo, pc.gc.ca)

Saskatchewan to thin out wolf pack along treeline

Aiming to prevent “wolf-livestock conflicts” in the region, Saskatchewan’s environment department will again offer a wolf hunting season along the provincial forest fringe starting Saturday. The wolf hunt, running from Oct. 15, 2016 through to March 31, 2017, is to be allowed in wildlife management zones 43 (Melfort, Tisdale), 47 (North Battleford, Turtleford), 48 (Preeceville, […] Read more



NASA’s Terra satellite observes Post-Tropical Cyclone Matthew being absorbed by a cold front along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard on Oct. 9 at 11:45 a.m. ET. (NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team)

Millions of chickens reported dead in Hurricane Matthew floods

Chicago | Reuters — Flooding from Hurricane Matthew has killed up to five million poultry birds in North Carolina, most of them chickens, the state’s top environmental official said Wednesday. Donald van der Vaart, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, also told Reuters that some pits that hold hog waste on farms […] Read more