Member of Parliament Brad Trost, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has $275,000 for Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan to undertake a research project on disease control. A release says the project aims to identify and characterize new variants of the avian reovirus and determine how they are transmitted. It also aims to evaluate the […] Read more
Feds fund chicken vaccine research
Panel’s report likely to tie farm antibiotics to human resistance
Reuters — A White House advisory committee is expected to acknowledge the link between antimicrobial resistance in humans and livestock being fed antibiotics when it issues its report in the next few weeks, according to the transcript of a committee meeting held earlier this month. But how much of the public health problem can be […] Read more
China food scandal drags in Starbucks, Burger King and McDonald’s
Shanghai/Reuters — The latest food scandal in China is spreading fast, dragging in U.S. coffee chain Starbucks , Burger King Worldwide Inc and others, as well as McDonald’s products as far away as Japan. McDonald’s Corp and KFC’s parent Yum Brands Inc apologized to Chinese customers on Monday after it emerged that Shanghai Husi Food […] Read more
Roosters’ fertility problem hits U.S. chicken supply
Reuters — The world’s largest chicken breeder has discovered a key breed of rooster has a genetic issue reducing its fertility, adding to problems constraining U.S. poultry production and raising prices at a time when beef and pork prices are already at record highs. The breed, Aviagen Group’s standard Ross male, is sire through its […] Read more
Program offers free egg quota
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Egg Farmers of Alberta is now accepting applications under the New Entrant Program, which offers quota at no cost. Quota will be issued in lots of up to 1,500 birds. If there are more qualified candidates than available lots, a draw will be held. Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, reside in Alberta, […] Read more
Community comes together to save rare chickens
Poultry centre now providing community with farm fresh eggs and heritage chicks
Reading Time: 3 minutes An outpouring of community support has saved a rare — and potentially priceless — collection of heritage chickens. “It’s amazing how much the general population wants to support the chickens and how much they understand about genetic preservation,” said Agnes Kulinski, business director of the University of Alberta’s Poultry Research Centre. Two years ago, when […] Read more
Quebec poultry co-op to buy P+H’s Butterball business
Winnipeg agrifood firm Parrish and Heimbecker has signed a deal to shed its P+H Foods poultry processing business, which includes the Canadian business for the U.S. turkey brand Butterball. Exceldor, a Levis, Que.-based poultry producers’ processing co-operative, announced Thursday it will expand its market reach across Canada by buying the P+H Foods business for an […] Read more
USDA sued over drug-resistant salmonella in meat
Reuters — A consumer group on Wednesday accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of putting the public’s health at risk by allowing meat with antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella to be sold to consumers, according to a lawsuit filed against the agency. The allegation came in a complaint filed by Center for Science in the Public […] Read more
Feds won’t back national pullet marketing agency
The federal government has found the case for a national pullet marketing agency “not compelling” enough to grant the wish of a nationwide pullet producers’ group. A spokesperson for federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz confirmed Wednesday that Ritz had reviewed the report and recommendations of the Farm Products Council of Canada (FPCC) on the application […] Read more
Maple Leaf books Q1 loss under PEDv cost pressure
A rise in pork prices due mainly to porcine epidemic diarrhea’s effects on the U.S. hog herd has bit deeper into Maple Leaf Foods’ bottom line for its first quarter ending March 31. “Pork markets have been impacted in an unprecedented way due to a virus in the U.S. hog industry, which has renewed pressure […] Read more
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