Minister Tells Meat Industry to Modernise
INDIA - A Minister has called on the meat and poultry processing sector to invest, modernise and raise standards or face growing competition from higher quality imported products.

AFBF Congratulates Ohio and Texas on Victories
US - Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), yesterday issued a public statement regarding the ballot measure victories in Ohio and Texas.

UFU Welcomes Clearer Poultry Meat Labelling
NORTHERN IRELAND, UK - The Ulster Farmers’ Union Poultry Committee has welcomed the new EU rules for poultry meat labelling, which extend the current marketing standards to poultry preparations and products.

Poultry Corporation to Deliver Quality Products
KERALA, INDIA - The Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation (KSPDC) is planning to start a restaurant at its processing unit at Pettah in Thiruvananthapuram, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies C. Divakran has said.

Officials Not Testing if Poultry Industry is 'Plumping'
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand food safety authorities say that they have not tested local chicken breasts to see if they have been plumped up with injections of "protein powders" from pigs or cattle.

France Plans National Research Consortium
FRANCE - French farm and fisheries minister, Michel Barnier, and research minister, Valerie Pecresse, have announced a plan to create a national research consortium to manage the country's food, farming and animal health research programmes.

Shoppers Deceived By 'Natural' Label on Injected Meat
US - A survey of consumers carried out by Foster Farms has revealed they feel deceived that chicken injected with saline can be labelled 'natural'.

FSIS Revises Directive on Poultry Inspection
US - USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has devised its directive covering ante-mortem and post-mortem poultry inspection.

UK Food Standards Agency Cracks Down on Fraud
UK - The Agency today announced the launch of a new advisory resource to support local authorities in their work to tackle food fraud.

Swedish Chicken Industry Subject to Sabotage?
SWEDEN - The largest producer of chicken products in Sweden, Kronfågel, has been hit by a severe food safety scare. Consumers have found pieces of glass in a wide variety of the company's chicken products. Glass is prohibited in all of its facilities,...

DNA Used to Distinguish Wildfowl Meat
SPAIN - A team of researchers from the Veterinary Faculty of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) have developed a quick and easy technique to distinguish the meat of quail, pheasant, pigeon and other wildfowl using DNA analysis. Monitoring the...

USDA to Purchase Pork and Turkey to Aid Sectors
US - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday announced USDA's intention to purchase turkey, pork, lamb, and walnut products for federal food nutrition assistance programmes.

Foster Farms Attacks Salt Water Plumping
US - As leaders from the medical, health and food industries gathered at an Institute of Medicine meeting to explore strategies to reduce sodium in the American diet, West Coast poultry company Foster Farms is preparing an awareness campaign highlighting...

Farm Unions Slam Meat Inspection Charge Proposals
UK - British farming unions have branded the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) proposals for a nine per cent rise in meat inspection charges at abattoirs as inappropriate, ill-judged and unaffordable to the meat and livestock sector.

Leaner and More Healthful Chicken
US - By studying its body and genetic makeup, a University of Georgia geneticist wants to develop a chicken that converts its food into muscle mass, not fat, or simply one that is more healthful for consumers to eat.

Poultry Feels the Squeeze
UK - More investment is needed to safeguard the future of British chicken and ensure a continued supply of fresh, high-quality meat, says a new report commissioned by the NFU and UK broiler growers.

Help for Smaller Abattoirs Proposed
EU - The European Commission should ensure that meat imported from non-European Union countries meets European standards, said MEPs at a meeting of the European Parliament agriculture committee.

No Pig Protein in Danish Chickens
DENMARK - New spot checks by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration refute the rumours of pig proteins in chickens that arose after a programme on Danish TV2.

FSIS Issues New Directive on Meat Inspection
US - The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a directive on review methodology of state meat and poultry inspection programmes.

Tyson's Poultry Segment 'Making Progress'
US - Even though poultry market conditions are showing signs of improvement, the leadership of Tyson Foods, Inc. vows to maintain a 'sense of urgency' in returning the company’s chicken business to profitability.

Maximum Levels of Vitamin A in Feed Recommended
EU - EFSA’s FEEDAP Panel has adopted an opinion on the consequences for consumers of the use of vitamin A in animal feed, and recommended revised maximum levels in feed intended for the main food-producing animals.

H5 Virus Suspected in Three Dead Birds
HONG KONG - Preliminary tests on three bird carcasses collected in recent days indicate H5 avian influenza infection, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department says. More tests are being conducted on the grey heron, peregrine falcon and ch...

Iowa State 2009 Animal Industry Report Available
US - The sixth annual Iowa State University (ISU) Animal Industry Report is now available online and on CD-Rom.

Little Concern for GM Animal Farms in Australia
AUSTRALIA - The report, GM stockfeed in Australia: economic issues for producers and consumers, was released yesterday by Phillip Glyde, Executive Director, ABARE.

USMEF Hosts European Union's PRT Team
US - The US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is hosting key officials from the European Union’s meat industry this week for a four-day tour focused on pathogen reduction technologies (PRTs).