AgClips
Recent AgClips
Deadly West Nile virus cases are spiking in LA. The first line of defense: chickens
Stat News | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe chickens are used to the needles. They don’t fuss when vector ecologist Tanya Posey pulls opens the door of a coop in a community garden here, firmly grasps a Leghorn, and pulls a blood sample out of its wing vein. She’s so good, she can bleed a chicken in about 30 seconds.That’s helpful, because she has a lot of chickens to test.More than six dozen sentinel chickens, living in coops dotted around Los Angeles, make up one of the first lines of defense in this sprawling county’s fight against West Nile virus.
Scientists join forces to save Puerto Rico’s ‘Monkey Island’
The Conversation | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal, Food NewsThe Cayo Santiago Field Station is the longest-running primate field site in the world. Since it was founded in 1938, generations of monkeys have lived out their life with humans watching. Only monkeys live on the island; people take a 15-minute boat trip every day from Punta Santiago on Puerto Rico’s east coast. The huge amount of data on each individual monkey’s life, death and contributions to the next generation allow scientists to ask questions in biology, anthropology and psychology that can’t be answered anywhere else.
San Francisco requires grocers to disclose antibiotics used in raising food animals
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Food NewsLawmakers in San Francisco this week passed an ordinance requiring major grocery chains to report information about antibiotic use in the raising of livestock that the approximately 120 stores eventually sell as meat to the public. The order by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors wants the grocery chains to collect the information and provide annual reports to the city’s Department of Environment for distribution to consumers. The goal is to spark a marketplace shift toward antibiotic-free meat and poultry.
Raw milk dairy’s defiance prompts WSDA’s health alert
Capital Press | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Food NewsThe Washington State Department of Agriculture has issued a rare health alert, advising consumers to not drink raw milk from a dairy that refused to halt production pending an investigation into why its milk tested positive for salmonella. Pride & Joy Dairy of Toppenish maintains that its milk is safe, though the owner said Tuesday that most retailers have stopped selling it.“The impact is horrible,” said Cheryl Voortman, who owns the dairy with her husband, Allen. “It’s killing us, inch by inch.”WSDA reported detecting salmonella Sept.
FDA Inspector General Report on Progress of FSMA Inspections
OFW Law | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Federal, Food NewsOn September 28, 2017, the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its internal report on the agency’s domestic food facility inspections: Challenges Remain in FDA’s Inspections of Domestic Food Facilities (the Report). The Report concluded that FDA is on track to meet the initial domestic food facility inspection timeframes mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). But the Report’s key takeaway was: “FDA should do more to ensure that the food supply is safe by taking swift and effective action to ensure the prompt correction of pr
Trump Administration Files Additional WTO Request over BC Wine
NASDA | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Trump Administration has filed an additional formal request on September 28 for consultations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over British Columbia (BC) regulations that favor BC wines over imported US wines. Notably, the BC regulations allow BC wine to be sold on grocery store shelves while US wines must be sold in a separate “store within a store.” The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative filed an original request at the WTO for consultations over the British Columbia regulations on January 18, 2017. This new request updates the previous request.
Florida: Commissioner Adam Putnam Waives Rules to Help Puerto Ricans Evacuate with Pets
NASDA | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Rural NewsIn an effort to support the safe evacuation of Puerto Ricans and their pets, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam issued an emergency order suspending import paperwork requirements for pets that arrive in Florida with their evacuee owners. This emergency order does not apply to stray animals or livestock. “Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico face a long road to recovery, and they need all the support we can provide,” said Commissioner Adam H. Putnam.
FDA Announces 2017 Public Meetings and Comment Period on Reauthorization of Two Animal Drug User Fee Program
FDA | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hold public meetings to offer opportunity for discussion on the proposed recommendations for reauthorization of the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA). The recommendations will be published and posted online when available, prior to the meeting on November 2, 2017. Interested parties can share their comments at the meeting or by submitting them to the public docket electronically or by mail as described below.
Rick Perry manages to unite oil, gas, wind and solar — against him
The Washington Post | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Energy, Federal NewsOn Monday, a coalition of 11 energy lobbying groups asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to delay issuing and enforcing a new rule issued by the Energy Department. Energy Secretary Perry had asked for FERC to streamline the rulemaking process but the groups want time to weigh in during the traditional comment period.
Our View: Will Anything Ever Satisfy Farm Critics? No
Farm Policy Facts | Posted onOctober 4, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsFor decades, agriculture’s adversaries have said “no” to almost any policy that helped farmers. When farm policy was reformed to be more free-market oriented, critics said it wasn’t enough. When the agricultural sector stood alone and volunteered funding cuts to help close America’s budget deficit, critics said it wasn’t enough.