WASHINGTON — As the USDA issued a nationwide order including requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) before interstate transport, the Meat Institute notes that properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection. “USDA and CDC are working overtime to understand the spread of the virus and to determine its effects on the health of people and animals,” said Julie Anna P ..read more

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that some milk samples they tested came back positive for avian influenza which is believed to have infected cattle, the Associated Press and other news outlets reported. The FDA said that the virus was not active and the tests “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” The agency remains ongoing in studying the problem. The FDA said in a release, “to date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.” The FDA did not disclose how. . . Register or Login ..read more

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Avian Influenza is on the rise across the United States; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the risk of the populace contracting the virus from wild birds, cattle, and other animals remains slim. The CDC released a media statement that will bring awareness to the public in regard to the disease. The CDC recommends that certain safety measures be taken: · As a general precaution, whenever possible people should avoid direct contact with wild birds and other animals infected with or suspected to be infected with bird flu viruses and observe them ..read more

ARLINGTON, Va. — Animal rights extremists are always on the lookout for new opportunities to attempt to portray animal agriculture negatively – and they’re not above using unfortunate circumstances to further their campaigns and spread fear with consumers. At the Animal Agriculture Alliance, we’ve seen them aggressively target farms that are still moving on from recent barn fire losses; harass processors struggling to keep the supply chain flowing during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic; and now target farmers grappling with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in their flocks. The inters ..read more

TUCKER, Ga. — The Joint Poultry Industry Safety Award Program is currently accepting applications from poultry industry facilities with outstanding safety programs. The award program is open to National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association members with poultry processing plants, further processing facilities, egg processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills, animal support services, and rendering facilities that, through the implementation of innovative and effective programs, have injury and illness rates below the industry average for three consecut ..read more

WASHINGTON — Increased concern is being focused on highly pathogenic avian influenza, with its recent species jump into some of the nation’s dairy cattle, and the annual spring wild bird migration season that has poultry producers on alert for the disease’s spread – there has been some attention given to the possibility of vaccinating poultry against AI. The United States poultry industry currently does not vaccinate against HPAI. Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, in a recent column for the Virginia Poultry Federation’s newsletter, addressed the topic of whether commercial ..read more

WARSAW, Ind. — Egg Innovations announces that it is committed to furthering its mission by being the first U.S. based company committed to implementing in-ovo sexing technology to populate their family farms. Introducing in-ovo sexing, which is only available in Europe today, Egg Innovations is determined to be the catalyst to help eliminate chick culling within the American egg industry, the company notes. “Humane care is the ethos in which Egg Innovations was founded. Humane care is centric to our mission, this commitment to in-ovo sexing is a huge step as we will be able. . . Register or Lo ..read more

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The North American Renderers Association (NARA) was excited to share that the United States observed National Rendering Day on April 21. According to a statement, National Rendering Day was officially put on the calendar as of (2023) by NARA and National Calendar Day. NARA wanted to symbolize the sustainability of the rendering business by putting the national day one day before Earth Day. “We are honored to celebrate the second Annual National Rendering Day by recognizing all those in the rendering industry and the important work they do for environmental sustainability and ..read more

RIDGELAND, Miss. — Cal-Maine Foods Inc. reports its results for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 (13 weeks) ended March 2, 2024. Highlights include: Quarterly net sales of $703.1 million; Quarterly net income of $146.4 million, or $3.01 per basic common share; Record quarterly sales volume of total dozens sold and specialty dozens sold; and cash dividend of $48.9 million, or $1 per share, pursuant to the company’s established dividend policy “We are very pleased with Cal-Maine Foods’ strong financial and operating performance for the third quarter of fiscal 2024,” Sherman Miller, president and ..read more

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Gold Creek Foods has filed a lawsuit against the city of Dawsonville, Ga., and seven of its officials due to extra taxes or surcharges being added to its expenses, the company announced. In a press statement, the company said it plans to “dispute millions of dollars of assessed surcharges and penalties for allegedly high-volume discharges of wastewater and sewage from its poultry-processing plant that purportedly violate thresholds for pollutants in the city’s ordinance.” The complaint also states that the company is asking the court to intervene on its behalf to stop the ci ..read more