![]() Original article written by Chris Moore A federal judge ruled in favor of the state of Oklahoma in an 18-year-old case alleging the poultry industry was to blame for pollution in the Illinois River watershed. U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell agreed with arguments from the state Wednesday against various poultry companies that operated within the watershed, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. ![]() Original Article from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention The U.S. lost progress combating antimicrobial resistance in 2020 due, in large part, to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022 [PDF – 44 pages], concluded that the threat of antimicrobial-resistant infections is not only still present but has gotten worse. During the first year of the pandemic, more than 29,400 people died from antimicrobial-resistant infections commonly associated with healthcare. Of these, nearly 40% of the people got the infection while they were in the hospital. ![]() A major food retailer outlines transparent steps for increasing its cage-free egg sourcing by lowering shelf price and promoting cage-free eggs. It also cites 17 U.S. states not allowing cage-free eggs to be purchased for the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition assistance program as a current barrier to sourcing 100% cage-free. Read more… Another food retailer updated its cage-free sourcing glide path and outlined plans to invest in sourcing agreements, pricing, promotions and merchandising to convert its supply to cage-free; expected in large part from its investment to bring the innovative Kipster Farms system from The Netherlands to the U.S. in addition to egg-laying hens, this system raises male birds for broiler chickens; addressing the difficult issue of male chick culling. Read more… ![]() Original article written by Tony McDougal European researchers have found that dual-purpose male chickens culled in a laying hen abattoir can be considered as an alternative to conventionally reared and slaughtered broilers. With Germany banning the practice of culling male day-old chicks and other EU countries following suit, there is growing pressure to find alternatives to conventional chicken meat and egg production.
The initiative has gained support from the ASPCA and Compassion in World Farming.![]() In global egg production, for decades, it is common practice to immediately cull male-born chicks since the males do not lay eggs – 300 million annually in the US and 6+ worldwide. This waste of 50% of chicks being moved into macerators (grinders), instead of grown for food, has been viewed with disdain by many who enjoy eating chicken and eggs. Commercial egg and chicken industries have not shown interest in raising these male birds for meat, but now, in an innovative shift, Kipster, a Dutch company and newcomer to the US egg market, will be raising these males to roosters and at 15 weeks will process them for human consumption. This Dutch company will open its first U.S. layer farm and visitor center in Indiana in January 2023. The egg producer focuses on better animal welfare, tackling food waste and carbon-neutral eggs, according to its website. ![]() Original article written by Susan Kelly Seaboard Corp.’s pork segment acquired hog inventory and a hog farm operation in the central U.S. from The Maschhoffs LLC for a total cash consideration of $58 million, Seaboard disclosed Tuesday in a regulatory filing. The added operation increases the pork segment’s sow base, resulting in less reliance on third-party hog suppliers, Seaboard said in the filing. The preliminary purchase price allocation for the Sept. 2 acquisition was $9 million to inventories, $45 million to property, plant and equipment and $4 million to goodwill, the company said. Goodwill represents the assembled workforce and the benefits of acquiring an existing operation. ![]() Original article by Samaneh Azarpajouh A comparison is often made between pigs and Olympic sportspeople: they need to perform brilliantly during their 5 to 6 months in the barns. For that they need access to fresh air. Research has shown very clearly that pig houses full of pungent ammonia do not provide top notch accommodation for excellent performance. ![]() Original article by Tony McDougal Dairy farmers in the UK are signing up in droves to commit to regenerative interventions, which enhance water, nutrient and carbon cycling and relies less on external inputs across tens of thousands of hectares of land. First Milk members have committed to almost 131,000 field-level interventions across more than 78,000 hectares. More than 90% of members have signed up to the organizations’ regenerative program, representing more than 96% of its members’ milk. ![]() Original article by Tony McDougal Dairy farmers in the UK are signing up in droves to commit to regenerative interventions, which enhance water, nutrient and carbon cycling and relies less on external inputs across tens of thousands of hectares of land. First Milk members have committed to almost 131,000 field-level interventions across more than 78,000 hectares. More than 90% of members have signed up to the organizations’ regenerative program, representing more than 96% of its members’ milk. Each have submitted plans for their farms, using a unique digital mapping tool with each intervention having to support one of the 5 key regenerative farming principles:
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