Gestation crate pressure builds; Costco buckles
The pork sector was abuzz late on Tuesday with hints of a Mercy for Animals (MFA) undercover video focusing on pork production, along with a campaign to pressure two major retailers to abandon pork suppliers that could be traced back to gestation-sow stalls.
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NPPC submits concerns over FDA proposed regulation
In its comments, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) requests changes or clarification on seven areas of the draft regulation regarding Veterinary Feed Directives (VFD) “in an attempt to make the transition of all feed antibiotics to VFD smoother”.
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Heinz embraces gestation-stall-free pork
H.J. Heinz Company, best known for ketchup but which has a variety of food products, is the latest company to announce that it will focus on doing business with pork suppliers who are not associated with gestation-sow stalls.
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AFBF: FDA’s antibiotic proposals lack science
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) emphasizes that there have been no peer-reviewed scientific studies to support the theory that judicious use of antibiotics in livestock increases antibiotic resistance in humans. Also, there is no data to indicate that limiting antibiotic use in livestock decreases human health problems with antibiotic resistance.
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House farm bill addresses animal housing laws
Amidst the late-night wrangling that took place during the House Agriculture Committee’s final vote on its version of the 2012 Farm Bill, was an amendment presented by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, regarding interstate commerce and farm-animal housing standards.
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Missouri governor signs undercover video bill
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed SB: 631, which among other things included a provision to penalize individuals who take undercover videos showing animal abuse and fail to turn it over to authorities within 24 hours.
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Sodexo sets 2022 for gestation-stall elimination
Sodexo Inc., an integrated food and facilities management firm serving North America, announced today that it will work with pork suppliers to phase out gestation-sow stalls from its supply chain by 2022.
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NPPC responds to HSUS emissions allegations
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is reviewing allegations made by Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) on Wednesday regarding pork production companies and “unreported” ammonia emissions, and released a statement.
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HSUS to sue six pork production companies
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reports that it intends to sue a range of pork production companies, citing “unreported releases of hazardous pollutant ammonia” as the impetus for the legal action. However, peppered within its own news release are multiple references to gestation-sow stalls, adding a new dimension to its tactics against the housing system.
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Gestation-sow stalls black listed again
Another quick-serve food company has come out against gestation-sow stalls. On Monday, Fresh Enterprises, LLC, which owns Baja Fresh, La Salsa Mexican Grill and Canyon’s Burger restaurants, announced that it “supports industry efforts to move away from gestation crates.”
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Oscar Mayer joins the anti-gestation-stall list
Oscar Mayer officials announced on Friday that the company will give its pork suppliers 10 years to eliminate gestation-sow stalls within their pork production systems and adopt alternative housing.
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