Chicago/New York | Reuters — As a virulent avian influenza outbreak continues to spread across the Midwestern U.S., some egg-dependent companies are contemplating drastic steps — importing eggs from overseas or looking to egg alternatives. A spokeswoman for Archer Daniels Midland said that as egg supplies tighten and prices rise, the food processing and commodities […] Read more
U.S. bird flu causes egg shortage, emergency measures
Wal-Mart urges meat suppliers to curb antibiotic use
Chicago | Reuters — Wal-Mart Stores is pressing meat, seafood, dairy and egg suppliers to reduce the use of antibiotics, becoming the first large retailer to take a stand against the excessive use of drugs in raising farm animals. The guidelines announced on Friday would limit suppliers to using antibiotics to treat and prevent disease, […] Read more
Bird flu outbreak hits Nebraska
Reuters — The fast-spreading avian flu virus was confirmed for the first time in Nebraska, at a commercial egg-laying farm that housed a flock of 1.7 million chickens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The case in Dixon County, Nebraska, brings the number of states affected by the outbreak to 16, and the […] Read more
H5N8 avian flu found in Indiana
Reuters — A strain of avian flu that until now had been found only in the western U.S. has cropped up in Indiana, bringing the total number of states affected by the virulent outbreak to 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday. The eastward spread of any strain of the highly contagious H5 virus […] Read more
Tyson to end use of human antibiotics in U.S. chickens by 2017
Chicago | Reuters –– Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. poultry producer, plans to eliminate use of human antibiotics in its chicken flocks by September 2017, one of the most aggressive timetables yet set by an American poultry company. The Arkansas-based chicken and meat company also said Tuesday it is working on ways to curtail such […] Read more
Minnesota declares state of emergency over avian flu
Chicago | Reuters — Minnesota declared a state of emergency on Thursday over a fast-spreading strain of avian flu that has led to the extermination of more than 7.3 million birds in the country. It followed Wisconsin’s action on Monday. The highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of bird flu has been identified on 46 Minnesota farms […] Read more
U.S. could use vaccines being developed to fight bird flu in poultry
Chicago | Reuters — Faced with a deadly bird flu outbreak that has infected millions of chickens and turkeys, the U.S. Agriculture Department could turn to what it has always seen as a last resort: readying and deploying a vaccine to fight the disease. Up to now, USDA has said it would prefer not to […] Read more
U.S. meat industry bought more human antibiotics to 2013, FDA says
Chicago | Reuters –– Sales of medically important antibiotics in the U.S. for use in livestock jumped by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2013, federal regulators said on Friday, although recent statements by producers suggest those figures could be dropping. Between 2012 and 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said its annual report, […] Read more
U.S. exports at risk as bird flu enters heart of poultry country
Chicago | Reuters — A case of bird flu confirmed Wednesday in the heart of America’s poultry region, is certain to mean more export restrictions, increasing U.S. supply and likely forcing the world’s biggest poultry companies to trim prices. The U.S. government announced the infection of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian flu in turkeys in Arkansas […] Read more
KFC faces pressure after McDonald’s says no antibiotics in chicken
Los Angeles/Chicago | Reuters — KFC, the world’s largest chain of fried chicken restaurants, may face pressure from consumer and environmental groups to change how its poultry are raised after McDonald’s said it would switch to chicken raised without human antibiotics. McDonald’s will phase out chicken raised with antibiotics that are important to human health […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
