Reading Time: 3 minutes U.S. immigration officials have walked back limits on enforcement targeting farms, restaurants, hotels and food processing plants just days after putting restrictions in place, two former officials familiar with the matter said, an abrupt shift that followed contradictory public statements by President Donald Trump.
ICE walks back limits on raids targeting farms, restaurants and hotels
Farmers fear intensified ICE enforcement will affect workforce
U.S. Senate bill would shrink tax credit for biofuels made from foreign feedstocks
Reading Time: < 1 minute U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday proposed a tax bill that would extend a clean fuel tax credit through 2031, but trim 20 per cent of the value of the credit for biofuels made from feedstocks produced outside of the United States.
Staff exodus at U.S. farm agency leaves fewer experts to battle bird flu
Animal disease unit of USDA has lost 16 per cent of staff
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago/Washington | Reuters – Hundreds of veterinarians, support staff and lab workers at the animal health arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have left under the Trump administration’s push for resignations, according to three sources familiar with the situation, leaving fewer specialists to respond to animal disease outbreaks. The departures come as the country […] Read more
U.S. FDA suspends milk quality tests amid workforce cuts
Reading Time: < 1 minute Washington | Reuters – The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for testing of fluid milk and other dairy products due to reduced capacity in its food safety and nutrition division, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The suspension is another disruption to the nation’s food safety programs after […] Read more
U.S. FDA suspends program to improve bird flu testing due to staff cuts
Reading Time: 2 minutes The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is suspending efforts to improve its bird flu testing of milk, cheese and pet food due to massive staff cuts at the agency, according to an email seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the situation.
Trump administration is ‘months away’ from direct payments to farmers, Rollins says
Reading Time: < 1 minute U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Fox News on Thursday that the administration is "months away" from making a decision about whether to make payments to farmers to offset any impact from tariffs.
Trump administration aims to make faster meat processing permanent
Agency plans rulemaking to formalize speed increases
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago/Washington | Reuters – The Trump administration said on Mar. 17 that it plans to permanently allow U.S. poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly, raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for meat companies and industry associations such as the National Chicken […] Read more
American farmers put plans, investments on hold under Trump USDA spending freeze
Reading Time: 5 minutes Farmers and food organizations across the country are cutting staff, halting investments and missing key funding amid a USDA freeze on a broad swath of grants, more than two dozen farmers and agricultural support groups in seven states told Reuters.
US will spend up to $1 billion to combat bird flu, USDA secretary says
Reading Time: < 1 minute The U.S. will invest up to $1 billion to combat the spread of bird flu, including increasing imports of eggs, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday.
How bird flu has sent US eggs prices skyrocketing
Eggs have reached almost $5 per dozen, or more than $7 Canadian, with some big cities seeing nearly double that price
Reading Time: 3 minutes The price of eggs at U.S. grocery stores has climbed to a record high, nearly doubling from a year ago, as outbreaks of bird flu have led to shortages by wiping out millions of hens.
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
