About a quarter of the global pig population is expected to die as a result of an epidemic of African swine fever, according to the intergovernmental organisation responsible for coordinating animal disease control.
New rules for pork production put some of the oversight into the hands of industry and allow for processing speeds as fast as industry wants - from 16 hogs/minute to even 1,100 hogs/min.
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, which represents agriculture's biggest trade groups, has gone from not mentioning the words "climate change" to promoting farmers' role in mitigating it.
The updated procedures let meat companies kill pigs as quickly as they want and pass inspection responsibilities from government officials to plant employees.
Drug-resistant infections from food are growing. But powerful industry interests are blocking scientists and investigators from getting information they need to combat the problem.
China is considering halting all meat imports from Canada starting Wednesday after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency notified China that it had discovered a number of fabricated veterinary health certificates in meat products bound for China.
African swine fever, which harms pigs but not humans, has swept across the country, the world’s largest pork producer. And the government knows about only some of the cases.
A deadly pig virus has been found in northwestern Europe for the first time in three decades, putting pork production in the world's top exporter at further risk at a time when China is also battling the disease.
African swine fever is a highly contagious disease that cannot be cured and has no vaccine. It can also be transmitted in pork products, animal feed or by people.
Spain's pigs outnumber the human population for the first time, according to figures released by the country's environment ministry, which reveal there are now 50 million pigs, 3.5 -million more than humans.
Both Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg—prodigious funders of climate action causes and campaigns—are diverting millions into quixotic presidential runs.
"Beekeeping has been something I've done for all my life. It's one of those things that gets in your blood and once it's in your blood, it's hard to shake it."
