Saudi Arabia has called on all non-Muslim countries which export halal products to tighten their adherence to Islamic regulations, and has requested that an approved set of guidelines be drawn up to help importers ensure these are being met.
Latest statistics have shown the UK is now a net exporter of lamb. According to the data from beef and sheep levy body Eblex, sheep meat exports from the UK climbed by 11% in 2011, reaching 98,500t.
A suggestion to remove parts of chicken brains so they become unaware of their living conditions on intensive farms has come under attack from animal welfare organisations.
A halal food plant that aims to supply meat to Muslim consumers across Europe has received approval and funding from the UK agriculture ministry (Defra).
The National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales (NFU) and Italy’s Confederazione Nazionale Coldiretti are working together to ensure the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform benefit farmers in both countries.
The Botswana government claims it is fulfilling demands made by the European Union (EU) to improve livestock disease controls in the face of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks, and hopes an EU beef import ban will soon be lifted.
A group of organisations have expressed concern about the possible introduction of genetically modified (GM) animals in the European Union (EU), after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released guidance for applicants.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has imposed a temporary levy on Brazilian poultry products after allegations of dumping from certain exporters.
An American animal welfare organisation has dismissed a UK study on the link between farm antibiotic use and the development of antibiotic-resistant disease in humans as “misleading” and “highly irresponsible”.
Veterinary and meat industry experts have called on meat producers across Europe to improve the quality of their meat inspections to meet current and planned tougher European Union (EU) standards.
The Schmallenberg virus (SBV), recently observed in ruminants, is likely to spread to other European countries when temperatures get warmer, according to the European Food safety Authority (EFSA).
The European Commission has granted legal protection to a ham from the northern German state Schleswig-Holstein, preventing meat traders from selling ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ unless it is made in its home area by traditional production.
UK cattle slaughterings dropped by 6% in the second half of 2011, mainly due to a reduction in young bull kill, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has announced.
The European meat industry has criticised a decision by the European Parliament not to introduce food labelling that would display percentages of cuts in salt, fat and sugar.
The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to provide a scientific assessment of the risks related to the Schmallenberg virus.
The Dutch government is pressing for a co-ordinated European Union (EU) response to fighting the Schmallenberg virus, a damaging disease spreading rapidly among livestock across Europe.
The UK poultry sector needs to focus on consolidation, efficiency and internationalisation to maintain its competitiveness on the EU market, a new report has suggested.
Global broiler production has increased by 37% between 2002 to 2011. Production increased from 59m tonnes in 2002 to 81m tonnes in the main producing countries in 2011. Total world production could however be up to 100m tonnes per annum based on latest...
Beef exporters have the potential to increase their revenue by 10% to over $6bn in 2012, the Brazilian Association of Meat Export Industries (Abiec) has announced.
The organisation which regulates and enforces food safety and public health across the UK has caused controversy by publishing the first round of audits of approved slaughterhouses and cutting plants, as well as a list of establishments which it deems...
The European Commission (EC) is in discussion with Thailand to potentially lift the ban on fresh chicken at the end of June 2012, after eight years of suspended trade.
The French union for pork processors (SNIV-SNCP) has called for a reform of the pig industry to maintain the country’s competitiveness on the European market.
Agricultural scientists in Scotland and Brazil have signed a formal agreement for research teams from the two countries to work together on joint projects.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is likely to ban the prophylactic use of antibiotics on livestock in the next few years, OIE director Bernard Vallat has said.
The European Union (EU) is launching a new strategy for animal welfare, as it says the current uniform approach has caused varying levels of compliance across member states that has not guaranteed the real welfare of animals, and has caused economic and...
French beef and veal production is expected to go down by 5% in 2012, following two years of increase, the Institut de l’Elevage (livestock institute) has revealed.
Agri-food’s role in getting Ireland out of its economic crisis received a boost, as food exports grew at three times the rate of total merchandise exports in the first nine months of 2011.
Animal welfare organisations have asked the European Commission to suspend livestock trade between the EU and Turkey until transport conditions are improved.
Power in the world’s meat market is expected to stay concentrated in Europe and North America despite growing pressure from emerging economies, a new report shows.
The European Commission has banned all pork product exports from the Italian island of Sardinia to member states due to an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.
By 2050 the world’s burgeoning population will consume two-thirds more animal protein than at present, requiring huge efficiency gains in livestock production, say industry experts.
Earlier this month, farmers, meat processors, retailers, scientists, veterinarians and animal welfare lobbyists gathered in Amsterdam to discuss progress towards voluntarily ending pig castration in Europe by 2018. Carina Perkins reports on some of the...
Hilton Foods has invested €9.4 million in a start-up program that will see a new plant built in Drogheda in Ireland. The plant is expected to create 175 job opportunities and meat produced in the factory will be supplied to Tesco UK.
