What's New ? - 2011

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided not to withdraw penicillin and tetracyclines in animal feed, backing off the agency's initial intention to do so. The news was not announced, but was published in the Federal Register. In 1977, FDA first announced its intention to withdraw the animal drug approvals - penicillin outright and the subtherapeutic use of tetracycline.

EU Commissioner John Dalli has revealed that action has already begun at European level to punish Member States who have made little or no effort to conform to new egg welfare laws. The Commissioner said that letters have already been sent to Member States informing them they will be taken to court for failing to comply with laws to outlaw battery cages.

In 2010 sales of antibiotic products for use in food-producing animals accounted for approximately 87% (390 tonnes) of the total annual sales of 447 tonnes which was comparable with previous years. However it is not possible to identify the proportion of the 390 tonnes which was administered to animals that did not enter the food chain. Overall the sales of veterinary antibiotic products for use in food-producing animals showed an increase in 2010, from the 2009 sales. There was an increase in sales of veterinary antibiotic in 2010 for some of the individual foodproducing species e.g. pig and poultry only products increased by 47 tonnes and poultry only products increased by 13 tonnes in 2010 compared to 2009.

A division of Minnesota-based Land O’Lakes Inc. (Land O'Lakes subsidiary, California-based Moark LLC.) is taking over operations at three Maine egg farms formerly run by DeCoster Egg Farms. Moark markets and processes about 2.4 billion eggs a year. Last year, DeCoster's Iowa egg farm operations were associated with the nation's largest outbreak of salmonella and the recall of more than 380 million eggs.

Ilaria Capua, DVM, PhD, has been named the winner of the 2011 Penn Vet World Leadership in Animal Health Award. Dr. Capua’s expertise as virologist, epidemiologist, and communicator uniquely positions her as a worldwide leader in the field of avian influenza. She has used that position to foster a closer working relationship between the animal and human health professions. Since 1995, Dr. Capua has been involved with the European Commission (EC) through working groups related to viral diseases of animals, and, since 2003, on issues related to influenza pandemic preparedness. In 2005 she was nominated as Chairman of OFFLU, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)/FAO network on animal influenza that offers veterinary expertise and crisis management support to developing countries.

The European Commission, published a five-year action plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and animal medicine. Highlighting the seriousness of the problem, the Commission said about 25,000 patients were dying each year in the EU from infections caused by drug resistant bacteria and related costs of over 1.5 billion euros (($2.0 billion) in healthcare expenses and productivity losses. The European Parliament recently called for a ban on the prophylactic use of antibiotics for livestock to reduce the risk of resistance being transferred between animals and humans.

McDonald's will be looking for a new source of eggs for many of its hugely popular Egg McMuffins. The fast food company says it "will no longer accept" eggs from one of the country's biggest egg companies, Sparboe Farms, that is the subject of an ABC News investigation and was cited by the Food and Drug Administration for "significant…and serious violations" in the production of eggs. In one of the most forceful enforcement actions since last year's salmonella egg outbreak, the FDA issued a company-wide warning letter to Sparboe Farms, the country's fifth largest egg producer.

At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the Commission warned member states of the negative consequences of non-compliance over the ban on conventional battery cages for laying hens, and reconfirmed its determination not to postpone the ban and to act firmly against cases of non-compliance. Ministers were briefed by the Commission on the implementation of directive 1999/74 on the protection of laying hens (16603/11). Most delegations were in favour to strictly maintain the deadline for implementing the directive on the protection of laying hens because they considered producers had made huge efforts on this important animal welfare issue and delaying implementation would be unfair on these farmers.

Global broiler meat production is on track to reach 83.1 million metric tons in 2012, up about 3 percent, though the rate of increase will be slightly lower than in the past two years. Strong domestic demand from Brazil and China is fueling the increase in production, which is being tempered by high input costs and reductions in the United States. World exports of broiler meat are projected to increase 5 percent to a record 9.6 million metric tons, due to rising demand from Sub Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) published its second annual report summarizing sales and distribution data of antimicrobial drugs approved for food-producing animals. The Animal Drug User Fee Amendments of 2008 (ADUFA), Section 105, requires antimicrobial drug sponsors to report the amount of antimicrobial active ingredient in their drugs that have been sold or distributed for use in food-producing animals. ADUFA also requires FDA to summarize the sales and distribution information received from drug sponsors each year and provide these summaries to the public.

Poultry imports to the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2012 will be 30% less than this year's, according to the ministry of agriculture. Nurlybek Malelova, the managing director of KazAgro - the country's largest agricultural holding - was reported commenting that the implementation of investment programmes currently underway to finance high-tech projects will not only cut imports but bring closer the possibility of exporting poultrymeat to third markets.

An European Union ban on the sale of eggs from battery chickens to consumers will go ahead as planned from Jan. 1, 2012, but producers may be free to sell non-compliant eggs to domestic processors, said John Dalli, EU health and consumer commissioner. But rather than forcing producers who fail to meet the deadline to destroy their eggs, the European Commission wants to let them sell them to industrial processors -- not retailers -- in their own countries.

French animal health company Ceva Sante Animale acquired a pair of Canadian companies. Ceva acquired veterinary product manufacturer and distributor CentaurVA Animal Health and poultry vaccine manufacturer Vetech Laboratories, both of Guelph, Ontario.

Hendrix Genetics acquired 100% of the Grelier Groupe. Jean-Marc and Dominique Grelier to become shareholders of Hendrix Genetics next to Hendrix family (majority and control), Sofiprotéol (the financial institution of the French oil and protein industry) and management.

The old-fashioned chicken roast continues to top Kiwis' favourite dinners list, according to a recent survey. Market research company Colmar Brunton, asked 1017 Kiwis what they were having for dinner, who cooked and planned the meal, and what their attitudes towards the meal were, among other things.

The U.S. filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over what it called unfair trade practices by China that have slashed U.S. poultry exports. The Chinese duties range from about 54 to 65 per cent on US exporters Pilgrim's Pride, Tyson Foods, Keystone Foods and about 32 other producers. Another group of companies that did not co-operate in China's probe face duties of more than 135 per cent. They have not been major suppliers to China though.

Organic chicken is virtually unavailable in Finland. The major meat producers say this is because of a higher risk of salmonella -- but the Finnish Food Safety Authority (Evira) rejects this rationale. The country's biggest poultry producers, Atria, HK Ruokatalot and Saarioinen, all say they do not want to get into the organic chicken business because of a higher risk of diseases. They argue that EU organic rules requiring that all animals have access to the outdoors puts them at greater risk of salmonella infection. Companies say they do not want to chance on compromising the high hygienic standards of modern poultry farming methods.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee developed the code to reduce distress caused to animals while they are being carried in any form of transport around the country. It sets out minimum standards covering stock management, journey planning, loading and food, water and rest. Both the owners of the animals and the carriers are responsible under the code.

A report by the environment, food and rural affairs select committee in Westminster warned that, on information they had received, around one third of Europe's egg production would not comply with the new welfare standards when the legislation comes into force on 1 January. The European Union Directive 1999/74/EC on the Welfare of Laying Hens will ban the use of conventional cages (commonly referred to as 'battery cages') for laying hens and marketing of eggs from hens housed in such cages. The Directive, which is due to come into force on 1 January 2012, is the first piece of European legislation to phase out a method of production due to animal welfare concerns.

Dioxin contaminated eggs produced in the Netherlands have been exported to Belgium and Luxembourg. Eggs from one organic farm in the country had been sent to an egg packing station in Belgium and from there to one retail chain in the country and another in Luxembourg. The problem seems to be restricted to only one egg producing farm.

The use of antibiotics in the production of food animals elicits polarizing opinions across the media today as consumers become more aware and interested in the way their food is produced. While livestock producers have realized that significant animal illness can be avoided by the use of antibiotics, consumers are being told that any use of antibiotics leads to a lower effectiveness of antibiotics in humans.

Vladimir Putin: We will take the decision proposed by the experts at the Agriculture Ministry and the Economic Development Ministry. We, that is Russia, will consume 3,500,000 tonnes of chicken and other poultry this year. And we will produce 3,150,000 tonnes this year. So we will have a deficit of approximately 350,000 tonnes of poultry. That is the amount we will import this year.

Raw meat and poultry products are sometimes marinated or injected with water, salt water, flavorings and other additives, but consumers may not know that unless they read the fine print on the package. Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) wants such information disclosed conspicuously on the label.

Poultry farmers do not have to stop clipping birds' beaks without anaesthetic until 2021. A ban on clipping beaks without anaesthetic was introduced in 2001 but successive farm ministers have delayed its introduction. However, farmers will have to switch to a new method of beak removal using infra red light which is already used for turkeys.

New rules insisting on the use of on-farm stamping for free range egg producers operating under the Lion code have now come into force. On-farm stamping was already in operation for Lion cage producers and was originally due to come into effect for non-cage producers, including free range, from the beginning of this year, but the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) agreed to delay implementation for six months to give non-cage units more time to source suitable stamping equipment.

The Humane Society of the United States and United Egg Producers unveiled an agreement to push for federal mandates on animal welfare standards for egg farms. The proposed new standards, which would be the first addressing the treatment of animals on farms, would phase out battery cages in favor of housing systems that include nesting boxes and scratching areas.

Pfizer Inc. announced Thursday it will consider selling or spinning off its animal health business as well as its nutrition division, which manufactures infant formulas and other baby foods. Two years ago, Pfizer spent $68 billion to acquire Wyeth and its subsidiary, Fort Dodge Animal Health.

Janssen Pharmaceutica said yesterday it has completed the sale of its animal health business to Eli Lilly & Co. Inc. The agreement was previously announced in March. Details of the transaction, which covers operations in 11 countries, were not disclosed. Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson company, is based in Belgium and has a mostly European-focused animal health business that targets diseases in pets and livestock, specializing in swine and poultry.

SB 805 (Senate bill) Establishes new standards for confining egg-laying hens. The new Oregon law, will force farmers to move chickens in the conventional system into the enriched colony living quarters. Farmers have until 2026 to convert all their conventional cages to colony systems under the law.

The Dutch parliament has passed a bill banning the ritual slaughter of any livestock. A vote was passed on Tuesday (29 June) which stipulates that animals should be stunned before being slaughtered. This would contradict Jewish and Muslim slaughter rituals that require an animal to be conscious at the time of death. The vote has to be confirmed by the Senate before it becomes law and commentators say it may be unenforceable in its current form.

Merck’s animal health division, formerly known as Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, announced that effective today it will begin using the new name, Merck Animal Health. It will be known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada. Merck Animal Health is a global leader in the research, development, manufacturing and sale of veterinary medicines and vaccines, with a strong presence in biologics and pharmaceuticals. The division generated global sales of $2.9 billion in 2010.

China and Britain are expected to announce business deals worth a 1.4 billion pounds on Monday, including the reopening of British poultry exports to China and increased pork exports.

Hundreds of poultry shop owners protested outside the TV Building near the Nile Corniche in Cairo Friday, demanding the Government of Essam Sharaf rescind a 2010 law barring trade and transport of live birds to help prevent the spread of the avian influenza virus.

Poultry consumption growth to 2014/15: 30.0% to 34.4mn tonnes. With a growing middle class and rising incomes, BMI (Business Monitor International) expects demand growth for poultry meat to outperform over the forecast period. Given the rapid expansion in demand for the meat, India will become a net importer of the poultry by 2014/15.

A new campaign has been launched to stop meat from cloned animals entering the food chain. Eurogroup for Animals wants people to sign its declaration to show their support for its initiative called Clone-Free-Food.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., will voluntarily suspend U.S. sales of the animal drug 3-Nitro (Roxarsone), a product used by poultry producers since the 1940s. The move follows a recent FDA study of 100 broiler chickens that detected inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen, at higher levels in the livers of chickens treated with 3-Nitro compared with untreated chickens. FDA officials stress that the levels of inorganic arsenic detected were very low and that continuing to eat chicken as 3-Nitro is suspended from the market does not pose a health risk.

South Korea plans to ban the mixing of antibiotics with animal feed from July in an effort to raise consumer trust in the safety of livestock products, the government said.

Treatment of animals with medicines for the prevention or cure of diseases may lead to medicinal residues in the food products derived from those animals. EFSA’s Dietary and Chemical Monitoring Unit has issued a report on the occurrence of veterinary drugs residues in animals and animal products in Europe. The report is based on data for 2009 provided by the EU Member States to the European Commission.

In 2012, US broiler meat production is expected to total 38.1 billion lbs., up 2 percent from 2011, with the expansion concentrated mostly in the second half of the year, according to the May 17 edition of the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook from the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. Broiler meat production gains are expected to come from more birds being slaughtered and continuing increases in average bird weights at slaughter.

Iowa State University researchers will join with University of California-Davis scientists to investigate alternative egg production systems to help improve animal welfare and other practices. The two-year, $700,000 research project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program.

Japan has decided to cull thousands of livestock abandoned in the 12-mile radius evacuation zone, around the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. While announcing the decision, government spokesman Yukio Edano told reporters that Fukushima prefecture would soon be asked to start killing animals left in the evacuation zone after their owners were forced to flee the area.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced two new regulations that will help ensure the safety and security of foods in the United States. The rules are the first to be issued by the FDA under the new authorities granted the agency by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law by President Obama in January. Both rules will take effect July 3, 2011. The first rule strengthens FDA’s ability to prevent potentially unsafe food from entering commerce. It allows the FDA to administratively detain food the agency believes has been produced under insanitary or unsafe conditions. Previously, the FDA’s ability to detain food products applied only when the agency had credible evidence that a food product presented was contaminated or mislabeled in a way that presented a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

Food labels should include mandatory nutritional information, inter alia on artificial trans fats and the country of provenance, said Environment Committee MEPs. The committee amended draft EU legislation to ensure that labels are legible, do not mislead, and provide the information that consumers need to make choices. The draft legislation, voted at the second reading by the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, aims to modernise, simplify and clarify food labelling within the EU. It would change existing rules on information that is compulsory on all labels, such as name, list of ingredients, "best before" or "use by" dates, specific conditions of use, and add a requirement to list key nutritional information. MEPs also want to require an indication of the "date of first freezing" for frozen unprocessed meat, poultry and fish.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced new measures regarding the importation of poultry products and eggs into the country. The changes come after the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced new requirements for processed poultry meat. According to new requirements, processed poultry meat brought by passengers arriving from Mexico must be accompanied by government certification confirming that the meat was cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius, according to a CBP news release. The poultry items include all poultry meats, including deli items as well as hard-boiled eggs.

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis and U.S.-based Merck & Co. Inc. said they have terminated an agreement to form a joint-venture in the animal health business, citing the complexity of the transaction and regulations. As a result of termination, both Merial and Intervet/Schering-Plough will continue to operate independently.

Drugmaker Eli Lilly plans to buy animal health business of Janssen Pharmaceutica. Eli Lilly & Co's animal health division Elanco has made an irrevocable offer to acquire Belgium-based Janssen Animal Health. The two companies said they had notified the appropriate European works councils of their intentions. Janssen's animal health business, headquartered in Beerse, Belgium, has a European focus with product emphases on companion animals and livestock.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) ordered all poultry farms in India to immediately discontinue starvation force molting regimes, stating that the practice is in violation of India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and a punishable offence.

Poultry will account for 60 percent of the rising world demand for meat in the next decade, overtaking pork as the world’s most popular meat by 2020. The prediction comes from a GIRA report cited by the National Chicken Council in its Washington Report. GIRA is an international meat consultancy based in Ferney-Voltaire, France. According to the forecast, global demand for animal protein will see an increase of 40 million metric tons in the next decade. That figure accounts for about 14 percent of the current total, and about 24 of those 40 tons will be poultry meat.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed numbers this week that indicate animal agriculture consumes 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States, more than previously estimated. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) announced Wednesday that FDA confirmed the numbers with her office for the first time. She plans to reintroduce a bill she crafted in 2009 aimed at preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics important for human health by limiting their use in agriculture. 13.1 million kilograms of antibacterial drugs were sold for use on animals in 2009. Only 3.3 million kilograms are sold each year for human use in 2009.

USDA is predicting consumption of poultry will exceed consumption of red meat for the first time in the year 2018, an estimate some private economists think is conservative, according to the National Chicken Council. USDA shows in its “Agricultural Projections to 2020” consumption of broilers, other chicken and turkeys reaching 106.7 lbs. per capita in 2018, while consumption of beef, veal, pork, lamb and mutton totals 106.3 lbs. If accurate, the estimate would mark an increase of almost 7 lbs. per capita in poultry consumption over the estimates for 2011, while red meat consumption gains only one-half lb.

Legislation in Maryland is seeking to ban arsenic compounds from poultry feed. Delegate Tom Hucker, D-Montgomery, and Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George's, announced the measure at a news conference with Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. Supporters of the bill say arsenic in chicken feed contaminates both chicken meat and chicken waste, which can end up in the Chesapeake Bay. They also say it increases risks of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Arsenic is often added to chicken feed in the form of the compound roxarsone.

EU poultry meat production is projected to grow 7% from 11.66 million metric tons (MMT) in 2009 to 12.46 MMT by 2020, according to the European Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development report “Prospects for Agricultural Markets and Income in the EU 2010-2020.” Poultry meat consumption would increase by more than 6%, from 23.25 kg/capita in 2009 to 24.72 kg/capita in 2020. By 2016 the EU would become a net importer of poultry when imports climb to 845,000 MT and exports fall to 810,000 MT. These projections are based on specific assumptions regarding macroeconomic conditions, the agricultural and trade policy environment, weather conditions and international market developments.

Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health has reported full-year 2010 revenues of $2.97 billion, up 8% on the $2.72bn from 2009 trading. The year was the first full 12 months under Merck’s ownership, after the latter completed its acquisition of Schering-Plough in mid-Q4 2009.

Pfizer Animal Health has reported a 29% increase in revenues for 2010, the first full financial year since the company integrated the Fort Dodge business as part of its parent company’s acquisition of Wyeth pharmaceutical company. The Animal Health business unit has reported total sales of $3.58 billion, a 29% increase on the $2.76bn in fiscal 2009.

The Poultry Science Association (PSA) released its policy statement outlining the organization’s views on the benefits and risks of antibiotic use in food animal agriculture. PSA developed the statement in conjunction with a number of individuals and the other member organizations of The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) to provide scientific-based guidance on the regulation and usage of antibiotics in animal agriculture amidst concerns about the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Pfizer announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act) has been terminated in connection with the tender offer by its subsidiary, Parker Tennessee, to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of King Pharmaceuticals for $14.25 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon and subject to any required withholding taxes.

Italian authorities seized eggs contaminated by excessive amounts of dioxin levels and prohibited their trade. The local sanitary unit of the northern city of Mantova identified the dioxin-polluted eggs during an inspection in local farms lying close to industrial plants, from where the contamination originally set off.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued an interim rule prohibiting the importation of birds and poultry products from regions where any subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) exists. APHIS’ previous restrictions covered only the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza. The changes are necessary to prevent the introduction of HPAI into the United States.

Despite an agreement reached between the two countries, El Salvador´s poultry industry has not yet been able to resume exports of eggs to Honduras. According to provisions agreed to last year, the National Agricultural Health of Honduras (SENASA) should inspect poultry farms in El Salvador prior to approval of exports. This in order to make sure the eggs do not come from birds vaccinated against avian influenza.

A further 934 pig and poultry farms were closed in Germany over the weekend following the discovery that previously unknown batches of dioxin-contaminated feed had been sold. The action came as it was reported that a feed producer in Lower Saxony had concealed some of the outlets it had sold produce to.

SDIX, a leading supplier of rapid detection solutions to the $1 billion food pathogen testing market, today announced that its RapidChek® SELECT™ Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) test system has been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and determined to be equivalent in accuracy, precision and sensitivity to their current standard methods for poultry house environmental drag swabs and pooled egg testing.

Harles and Jentzsch, the company accused of supplying dioxin-contaminated fat to the animal-feed industry in Germany, filed in court for insolvency on Wednesday. The court will have to decide if the conditions for insolvency apply. The company must show it is unable to pay its bills or is saddled with too much debt.

The FEEDAP Panel concluded, based on the results of floor pen studies, field trials and a sensitivity test with field strains, that 5–6 mg maduramicin ammonium α/kg complete feed is effective in controlling coccidiosis in chickens for fattening.

Russia’s Ministry of Justice registered Rospotrebnadzor’s Amendment Number 21, which imposes additional restrictions on the use of frozen poultry meat for further processing, according to a December 29 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report from Moscow, states the Jan. 7 edition of the National Chicken Council’s Washington Report.

Don Tyson was known for developing one of the top companies in the world. Don Tyson died yesterday at age 80. Tyson was a former chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods and, at his death, still a board member.

Tests from a German animal feed plant found excessive levels of the poisonous chemical dioxin last March. A private laboratory's sample test from the plant on 19 March 2010 found more than double the acceptable level of dioxin in fatty acids used in animal feed. The findings from supplier Harles und Jentzsch should have been publicised earlier, the state of Schleswig Holstein's agriculture ministry said. Some 4,700 German farms have been closed after large amounts of feed were found to contain dioxin.

The European Union wants Germany to reveal the full extent of the dioxin scandal in Germany. A spokesperson for EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, on Tuesday demanded to know whether contaminated eggs or meat had been exported to other member states. The poisonous chemical dioxin was discovered in eggs and poultry last week. The European Union has legally binding limits for concentrations of dioxins in foodstuffs. The level for eggs has been set to 3 pg TEQ (Toxic Equivalents) per gram egg fat (one egg contains approximately 6 grams of fat). The levels discovered in the contaminated eggs in Germany "far exceeded" these limits.

The European Union will become a net importer of poultry meat by 2016 as domestic consumption rises more quickly than production, according to a report from the bloc on the outlook for agricultural markets. EU poultry imports will surpass exports by 155,000 metric tons in 2020, the European Commission said in a report published on its website today. A strong euro and relatively high prices will hold back poultry shipments outside the 27-nation bloc’s borders, according to the commission, the EU’s executive arm. Chicken’s low cost is helping to drive consumption of the meat along with its convenience compared to other meat products, according to the report. EU citizens will eat an average 24.7 kilograms (54.5 pounds) each of poultry meat in 2020, up from 23.2 kilograms last year, it shows.

Around 1,000 farms are being closed in the German state of Lower Saxony, on Monday, after high concentrations of dioxin were found in eggs and animal feed. The affected farms are thought to have purchased fat for animal feed that was contaminated with dioxin. The farm closures were a cautionary measure while tests were carried out. The closed farms raise egg-laying chicken, pigs and turkey. Saxony has more than 50,000 farms.