Homeowners with backyard chickens have now given federal agriculture officials reason to worry. A contagious viral disease affecting
Continue Reading Virulent Newcastle Disease means backyard chicken craze needs to clean up its act
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
GAO says USDA needs to tighten up policies at certain labs
A federal review of laboratories handling many of the most dangerous pathogens on the planet, including some that can be foodborne such as Brucella and bacterium that cause botulism poisoning, shows room for improvement.
The…
Continue Reading GAO says USDA needs to tighten up policies at certain labs
USDA Gives GE Potato ‘Nonregulated’ Status
Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced Friday, Aug. 28, 2015, that they had made a determination of “nonregulated status” for the Innate potato, which is genetically…
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CDC: 181 People in 40 States Infected With Salmonella From Contact With Live Poultry
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is working with state public health, veterinary, and agriculture officials, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to investigate four multi-state outbreaks…
Continue Reading CDC: 181 People in 40 States Infected With Salmonella From Contact With Live Poultry
Who Should Conduct Biotech Crop Assessments?
Are companies with a vested interest in the outcome of environmental assessment studies qualified to conduct those studies themselves? A pilot project announced by an agency at the United States Department of Agriculture is preparing…
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Partial Deregulation of GM Sugar Beets Appealed
When you’ve been running the board in a San Francisco courtroom and you are on the verge of having genetically modified (GM) sugar beets torn up by their roots, do you care if USDA tries…
Continue Reading Partial Deregulation of GM Sugar Beets Appealed
DeLauro Probes USDA on Chinese Poultry Policy
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Friday asking him for details on the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)’s new interim rule to loosen restrictions on poultry…
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USDA Completes Impact Statement on GM Alfalfa
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it has two preferred options regarding alfalfa genetically modified to resist Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup–that it should either be allowed without restrictions, or allowed with certain geographic…
Continue Reading USDA Completes Impact Statement on GM Alfalfa
Agencies Launch Online Food Defense Tool
The federal government has launched a new tool to help farmers and producers keep food safe from bioterrorism.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal Plant Health…
Continue Reading Agencies Launch Online Food Defense Tool