(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. finds first avian flu in poultry since June

Chicago | Reuters –– An Indiana turkey flock has been infected with a deadly type of bird flu in the first new case of the disease in U.S. poultry since June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday. The flock in Dubois County, Indiana, was infected with a highly pathogenic (“high-path”) strain of H7N8, […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Russia-Turkey tensions stymie new wheat deals

Reuters — Political tension between Russia and Turkey has put a brake on new wheat deals between the two countries and created uncertainty about existing agreements, traders said Thursday. Relations between Russia, one of the world’s largest wheat exporters, and Turkey, the largest buyer of Russian wheat, have quickly deteriorated after Turkey shot down a […] Read more

(Eggs.ca)

Iowa declares state of emergency over avian flu

Reuters — Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declared a state of emergency on Friday due to a rapidly expanding avian flu outbreak. State agriculture officials on Friday announced four more poultry farms — a million-bird commercial egg laying operation and three turkey farms — have initially tested positive for an H5 strain of the virus. “While […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

SW Ont. pork plant to morph into turkey processor

The vacant pork slaughterhouse formerly known as Great Lakes Specialty Meats is now expected to restart as a turkey processing plant by year’s end. Meat processor Sofina Foods bought the 78,000-square foot plant and property at Mitchell, Ont., about 60 km west of Kitchener, for $4.77 million last September, after Great Lakes entered receivership in June. […] Read more

California turkey farm quarantined after H5N8 detected

Chicago | Reuters –– A California turkey farm has been quarantined after confirmation of the first case of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza strain in the Pacific Northwest, and in a commercial flock, the U.S. government said. The news on Saturday came just weeks after China banned U.S. poultry after an […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Cargill to shutter U.S. turkey plant

Reuters — Agricultural conglomerate Cargill said Friday it will shutter its turkey and cooked meats processing plant in Springfield, Mo., and move the operations to Nebraska City, Nebraska, and Waco, Texas. Cargill said it will close its Springfield plant, which employs 118 people, on March 11. The decision came about after Cargill assessed its turkey […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Two Fraser Valley farms quarantined with H5 avian flu

Federal officials have quarantined a turkey farm and a broiler breeder farm in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley after both were confirmed with outbreaks of an H5 strain of avian influenza. The quarantines, announced Tuesday, follow death losses of “over half” of the 11,000 birds at the turkey farm near Abbotsford, and of about 1,000 of […] Read more