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: Poultry firms systematically feed low-dose antibiotics to flocks

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

Farmaceuticals: U.S. FDA has vetted just seven per cent of animal antibiotics for superbug risk
New York | Reuters — Scientists fear the widespread use of antibiotics on the farm may be a factor in the rise of “superbugs” — bacteria that grow resistant to drugs, infect humans and defy conventional medicines. PART 3 OF A SERIES: Visit Part 1 and Part 2 here, or view the series in full […] Read more

Shady chicken-meat imports have Canadian poultry producers riled up
Mislabelling chicken as spent fowl has allowed American chicken processors to avoid more than $60 million in yearly tariffs, say Canadian chicken producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian chicken producers are crying foul over shady American spent fowl exports. Last year, Canada imported more than 97 million kilograms of chicken meat that was declared as being from spent fowl — which is 110 per cent of the United States’ entire annual spent fowl production. “We’re importing a lot more (spent fowl) than […] Read more

Alberta Chicken Producers welcomes update to poultry care code
Group’s chair says province’s broiler producers are already adhering to expected changes and process ‘will validate what we’re doing’
Reading Time: 2 minutes An initiative to update the animal care code of practice for poultry is being welcomed by the chair of Alberta Chicken Producers. “We already have an animal care program in the province that is mandatory for our producers,” said Erna Ference. “All of our farmers are certified and on that program. From what I understand, […] Read more

Young egg producers offered a deal
Reading Time: < 1 minute Egg Farmers of Alberta has launched a youth development program to help attract young farmers into the industry. The program will accept a maximum of 20 unregistered young egg farmers on a first-come, first-serve basis, for a maximum of 10 years. The program will ensure eggs from participating farms are produced in accordance with industry standards […] Read more
Ont. egg producer’s grading station reinstated
A southwestern Ontario shell egg producer’s grading station has been reinstated after a four-month federal suspension. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on April 11 suspended the registration for Allan Toby, operating at Owen Sound, Ont., for failure to maintain the operation’s grading station in “required conditions” as per the Egg Regulations. No food recall was […] Read more

Maple Leaf names ‘animal wellness’ chief
Canadian processing giant Maple Leaf Foods has gone to Ontario’s pork sector for the person to spearhead the setup of its “comprehensive animal wellness program.” The Toronto meat and processing company on Monday named Dr. Stephanie Cottee, a former provincial programs advisor with the Ontario provincial pork board, as its new “leader, animal wellness.” While at […] Read more
Feds fund poultry code updates and hort programs
The federal government has announced funding of over $2 million to the Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC) to develop and update poultry codes and further advance best practices for the care and handling of other farm animals. The government has also announced funding of over $1.4 million for the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre to […] Read more
U.S. court upholds FDA animal feed policy despite health concern
Reuters — A divided federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy allowing the use of various antibiotics in animal feed, even if such use might endanger the public health. Reversing a lower court ruling, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said the FDA was empowered […] Read more