Animal Agriculture

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Assembly bill No. 5236 was recently introduced in the state assembly that would establish “criminal offenses and civil penalties concerning [allegedly] inhumane confinement of breeding pigs and calves raised for veal.”

This bill was introduced by a legislator in Hudson County, New Jersey, part of the New York City metropolitan area, where Jersey City is…

Feral swine, an invasive species, have been a problem for years if not decades, and populations have been reported in at least 35 states with a total population “estimated at over 6 million,” as noted by USDA. At least one swine herd was reported in New Jersey while I was serving as the State…

While the world is still focused on SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, US animal health officials and poultry producers have been monitoring and taking action to prevent the spread of another highly pathogenic virus-Avian Influenza-from entering the country.  As reported on the website of the Office of Epizooties (the World Organization for Animal…

USDA published proposed Rule 85 FR 18471 on April 2, 2020 that would,

amend the animal disease regulations to provide for a National List of Reportable Animal Diseases, along with reporting responsibilities for animal health professionals that encounter or suspect cases of communicable animal diseases and disease agents. These proposed changes are necessary to streamline

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In Part 1 of this blog, we discussed the new interim guidance for meat processing plants.  To combat concerns of a devastating reduction in our food supply chain, President Trump issued an Executive Order requiring processing plants to stay open.  Despite that order, some employees at these processing plants have expressed an intent not to…

Workers in essential industries are increasingly concerned about their health and safety in the workplace. This is most clearly evidenced by the recent strikes, or threats of strikes, by employees at large manufacturing and distribution centers. Further, meat processing plants are reporting an increasing number of employees contracting COVID-19, requiring these plants to shut down…

Direct Action Everywhere practices what it calls “Open Rescue” which involves criminal trespass and stealing animals raised by farmers, ranchers and breeders, and believes such conduct should be legal because they are opposed to raising animals for food and biomedical research.

The animals rights group has worked with councilpersons in California to introduce resolutions that…

Reposted with permission from CHRISTINE ALVARADO. First published on Meatingplace.com on August 23, 2019. https://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/Blogs/Details/87218

One of my previous blogs on April 5, 2019, “The Pecking order in a Straight Run Barn” mentioned some work my colleagues were conducting to survey women leaders in science and agriculture.

The focus of this survey was…

People who observe Halal and Kosher religious practices are increasingly faced with a threat to the prohibition of such slaughter practices in certain countries.  Many Muslim and Jewish observers follow dietary religious laws if they eat meat.  Specifically, livestock and poultry must be slaughtered following strict rules, requiring that the animal is healthy at the…