Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters — U.K. researchers have homed in on a human gene implicated in thwarting most bird flu viruses from infecting people. Bird flu chiefly spreads among wild birds such as ducks and gulls and can also infect farmed birds and domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys and quails. Although the viruses largely affect […] Read more
Scientists isolate human gene able to fend off most bird flu viruses
Finding may show which bird flu strains have human pandemic potential
Canada warns VCOOL would sabotage shared Canada-U.S. goals, supply chains
The Canadian government has submitted its views on proposed U.S. food labelling rules
Reading Time: 2 minutes Proposed U.S. country of origin labelling rules run contrary to mutual Canada and U.S. goals to reduce inflation, improve food security and build resilient supply chains, according to a submission from the Canadian government to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “One of the great strengths of the U.S.-Canada bilateral relationship is the successful integration of […] Read more
Canada extends Ukraine tariff-free access
Access to supply-managed sectors tightened
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada on Friday extended Ukraine’s tariff-free access for most goods, but tightened access for eggs, poultry and dairy — sectors protected under the Canadian supply-management system. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said tariff relief for Ukrainian goods such as steel — a temporary measure started a year ago — would continue for […] Read more
Animal care council won’t update livestock transport code of practice
NFACC says 'no further action' pending
Reading Time: 3 minutes After over four years’ publicly funded work to develop an updated national code of practice for livestock transport for Canada, the National Farm Animal Care Council has called a halt. In an information update dated May 1, NFACC said its board has now decided “no further action will be taken” by the council to update […] Read more
Animal health body backs bird flu vaccination to avoid pandemic
Vaccination should focus on free-range birds, WOAH chief says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected mammals worldwide, to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said. The severity of the current outbreak of avian influenza, commonly […] Read more
Global chicken meat oversupply improving, Brazil’s BRF says
Lower grain costs also expected to boost margins
Reading Time: < 1 minute Sao Paulo | Reuters — Chicken prices are rising as companies start to cut production to reduce global oversupply, Fabio Mariano, CFO of BRF SA, said on Tuesday, after a glut helped to push the Brazilian pork and poultry producer to a first-quarter loss. The firm posted a 1.024 billion-real (C$287.7 million) net loss for […] Read more
New report shows poultry sector burdened by expectations
Simpson Centre paper calls for increased research, financial sustainability for sector
Reading Time: 3 minutes Updated, May 17 — The Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy has released a report detailing its findings on challenges now facing Canada’s poultry sector. The report, co-authored by research assistant Shawn Wiskar and centre director Guillaume Lhermie and released Thursday, used a focus group of six stakeholders in the Canadian poultry industry. It […] Read more
JBS opens cleaning unit after outside firm fined for hiring kids
Company says has cut ties to cleaning contractor
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — JBS USA, one of the biggest U.S. meatpackers, is creating an internal company to clean some of its processing plants after a private sanitation firm it employed was accused of hiring children for dangerous work. The launch shows the complexities involved in replacing Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), a firm that […] Read more
Avian flu outbreaks climb in Quebec poultry
Thirteen outbreaks reported in province so far in April
Reading Time: 2 minutes After a relatively quiet March with just one outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic poultry, Quebec has turned up 13 outbreaks so far this month. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency in April has reported detections of high-path avian flu at 13 sites in that province, including: three commercial barns in the regional county […] Read more
U.S. begins testing bird flu vaccines for poultry after record outbreak
Four vaccines to be tested
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government is testing four potential bird flu vaccines for poultry, officials said on Friday, after more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have died in the nation’s worst outbreak ever. The trials, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, are the first step […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
