Canadian government plans to reduce food safety funding - including resources to combat Listeriosis - have been slammed by the union that represents federal food inspectors.
The meat processing industry has welcomed a report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) ruling out the risk of humans contracting the H1N1 virus from pork, pork products, turkey or processing equipment.
The swine flu virus first identified in Mexico cannot be contained, warns Dr Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), as the economic impact of the outbreak continues to spread.
The UK turkey producer at the centre of an avian influenza outbreak
earlier this year is to be compensated nearly £600,000 (€885,000)
despite receiving criticism in an official report published
yesterday.
Danisco has developed a new formulation of probiotics called Howaru
Protect, specifically targeted to reducing cold and 'flu symptoms,
and is exploring its use by the food, supplements and
pharmaceutical industries.
Bernard Matthews, which is at the centre of a storm over an
outbreak of avian influenza at its turkey production site in the
UK, has been given the go ahead to release a batch of poultry
products held over the possibility they contained...
Poultry processors across Europe are bracing themselves for another
downturn in consumption after the discovery of the deadly form of
bird flu in a domestic flock of turkeys in the UK.
With confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission of the avian
influenza virus, scientists are now warning that mass vaccination
of domestic poultry may hinder detection of the deadly H5N1 strain
of the disease.
A single test for about 600 deadly viruses speeds up the process of
spotting a food-related disease outbreak -- such as bird flu -- in
hours rather than days.
Measures to prevent avian influenza in poultry flocks could be
compromised by lax management, poor international coordination, and
a lack of funds, according to researchers.
The UK regulator responsible for testing for bird flu defended its
methods today after scientific experts raised the possibility that
they may be flawed.
Following last week's spread of avian flu to Britain, supermarket
sourcing policy has come under fire from anxious government
ministers and poultry organisations desperate to placate concerned
shoppers.
Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has infected poultry at a
farm in Germany, while the UK has announced the discovery of the
disease in a wild swan.
A report on avian influenza from the EU's food safety watchdog
could help to calm consumer fears about eating poultry and eggs,
even though the regulator's scientists have also sounded a note of
caution.
Avian influenza was found in a wild bird in Denmark this week,
making it the eleventh EU member to report a suspected or confirmed
case of the Asian strain of the H5N1 virus in the bloc.
Avian influenza continues to spread in the EU's largest poultry
producer, with the country's agriculture ministry reporting over
the weekend that the highly pathogenic type H5N1 had been detected
in a dead wild swan in the...
In an ominous sign for processors and the public, France has
slaughtered turkeys at a farm suspected of being infected with the
deadly form of avian influenza, possibly marking the first time the
disease has spread to domestic stock...
The EU's poultry association has joined in the criticism of the
European Commission for approving the vaccination of poultry flocks
in the Netherlands and France.
The EU's controversal approval of decisions by France and the
Netherlands' to start vaccinating their poultry highlights the
fault lines in the bloc's response to avian influenza.
The deadly form of avian influenza has hit Europe's largest poultry
producer, with France's government confirming over the weekend that
the H5N1 form of the virus was found in a dead duck and possibly
some swans.
Get ready for the impact of avian influenza, as the disease has
been conclusively found in wild birds in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria,
Slovenia and Azerbaijan over the weekend.
A deadly outbreak of avian flu in Turkey is spreading westward,
with health officials confirming that a further three human cases
have been found in the capital Ankara on Sunday, along with
infected domestic fowl.
Processors making products like mayonnaise, mousse and icing will
be looking for a consumer reaction to the latest bird flu advice
from the EU's food safety regulator, which yesterday called
onconsumers to avoid eating raw eggs.
Recent media hype surrounding avian flu - and news that the deadly
virus has spread to Romania and Greece - is sure to have a knock-on
effect for British retailers who are struggling to keep a brave
face.
With the US public starting to be aware of the impact avian
influenza could have, poultry processors have started taking action
now to ward of a potential drop in demand.
Food processors, especially those pasturising egg whites and
importing poultry ingredients from abroad, should remain vigilant,
according to advice on avian influenza from the EU's food safety
regulator.
With the media and scientists touting the possibility that avian
flu could migrate to the EU from Russia, the chicken is facing
another round of bad publicity.
Authorities in China are trying to calm fears over the spread of
the deadly avian influenza strain H5N1 to pigs by stating that
recent tests carried out on pig farms in the country have shown
that the animals are now clear of the...
The FAO has cited poultry producers as the primary cause for the
spread of the disease, undermining industry's assertions that it is
mainly wild birds that spread the disease.
New equipment designed to pasteurise food safely and efficiently is
being developed to meet EU food safety regulations. We look at two
products hoping to capitalise on a growing market.
The Thai poultry industry could be about to restock on a massive
scale after the devastation of the avian flu epidemic earlier this
year. The country's feed industry is set to import cargoes of
Argentine soybeans as the country...
The popularity of low-carb diets has helped to maintain demand for
poultry products in the US, according to financial analysts
Motley Fool Stock Advisor. But exports have been
adversely affected, and there are problems on the horizon...
Asian countries that declare victory over avian influenza should
base such statements on in-depth investigations, FAO and the World
Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) urged in a joint statement
today. There have been fears that...
Countries affected by the deadly avian influenza virus H5N1 should
not restock their flocks too quickly to avoid the disease flaring
up again, FAO warned today. But two months after the outbreak of
the epidemic some countries are...
Leda Technologies, which has developed a patented pasteurisation
system that it claims is capable of eliminating Salmonella and high
levels of avian flu in shell eggs, is looking to roll out its
technology on an industrial scale.
David Byrne, the European Commissioner for health and consumer
protection, has outlined the measures that have been taken to
protect Europe's poultry industry. Speaking at the European
Parliament yesterday, he claimed that safeguards...
Beneficial knock-on effects of the Avian Influenza and BSE crises
could soon be felt within Denmark's pork industry, according to
some industry experts. Denmark's Bacon and Meat Council believes
that after months of historically...
A targeted vaccination campaign for poultry at risk of being
infected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus may be
required in heavily affected countries to control the further
spread of the epidemic, according to global...
Mad cow disease, bird flu and a poor US soybean harvest failed to
rock quarterly profits for the world's largest oilseed processor
Bunge. But the company held back from rising future earnings
outlook because of market volatility.
Safeguarding America's food supply against possible terrorist
threats will eat into a considerable chunk of the USDA's budget
next year. The country is also planning to stockpile animal
vaccines, following concerns that...
Across Europe, governments have been working flat out to calm
public fears about the dangers posed by the current avian 'flu
crisis in Asia. The EU does not import any poultry from Vietnam,
South Korea or Japan, the countries...
An outbreak of avian flu among poultry flocks in Pennsylvania, US,
which led Japan and the Philippines to impose temporary import bans
on poultry products from the state, could be declared over as early
as March 1, reports Reuters.
