By her actions, it sure looks like federal Judge Joan N. Ericksen is fiercely defending her decision to slow line speeds for slaughtering market hogs.
Her ruling, which takes effect next week, is on appeal in the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court in St. Louis. Ericksen stayed her own decision after
Continue Reading Next week, they slow the bacon making while line speed appeal goes forward
Six years after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, first introduced the PRIME Act to exempt so-called custom slaughtering from federal inspection and allow farmers to produce food for restaurants, grocery stores, and hotels, an alternative has emerged.
It does not provide the freedom offered by the PRIME Act, but it does
Continue Reading USDA puts $55.2 million into expanded meat and poultry access
Fear of a Supreme Court review of California’s Proposition 12 has set the state’s congressional Democrats on a different strategy. They want to recall the amicus curiae briefs the federal government dropped last year in North American Meat Institute v. Becerra in the Supreme Court and National Pork Producers Council
Continue Reading California’s congressional Democrats do not want Prop 12 reviewed by high court
Tom Vilsack already is one of the longest serving cabinet members to work as Secretary of Agriculture, and now President-elect Joe Biden wants Vilsack to serve again in that capacity, an appointment that opens the former USDA boss to all sorts of scrutiny, including his food safety record.
Last week was a big one for Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. The U.S. Senate heard his testimony and groups visiting Washington D.C., like the state agriculture directors, listened to his every word he had for them.
In case you have not noticed, the Secretary of Agriculture over time
Continue Reading Letter From The Editor: “All Hail Jay!”
UPDATED: So far, so good. Secretary Perdue has named, on a temporary basis, two USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) career employees to the top jobs. Paul Kiecker is acting FSIS administrator and Carmen Rottenberg is acting deputy undersecretary for food safety.
A couple days ago we ran Al
Continue Reading Letter From The Editor: Fill USDA’s top food safety posts now
The next secretary of agriculture is expected to be former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue.
President-elect Donald J. Trump plans to announce the Perdue appointment Thursday, according to multiple media reports. As head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Perdue’s responsibilities would include overseeing the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS),
Continue Reading Trump to name Georgia’s Sonny Perdue to run the USDA
President George W. Bush’s first Under Secretary for Food Safety, Professor Elsa Murano, got her interview for Secretary of Agriculture Wednesday.
It’s unknown whether the former Texas A&M president met with the president-elect, Vice President-elect Mike Pence,
Continue Reading Prof Murano makes an appearance at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
Fighting over “the dollar” has intensified during the past 30 days, raising questions about the future of a longtime source of food safety research funding. “The dollar” is the Beef Checkoff, the $1 added on to the transaction each time there is a bovine sale, from ranch to feedlot, or
Continue Reading More fighting over ‘the dollar’ threatens Beef Checkoff research
Instructions for testing personnel to use a new “neutralizing buffer” solution to reduce the effect of antimicrobial sanitizers take effect today at USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The “fix,” explained in a two-page FSIS Notice, is intended to address a problem turned up in research by USDA’s
Continue Reading USDA introduces ‘fix’ in testing for Salmonella in poultry
