Officials are racing to track the contacts of the United Kingdom's first human case of a "distinct" form of swine flu. On Monday, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced it had detected a single confirmed human case of influenza A(H1N2)v as part of routine national flu surveillance. There have been dozens of human cases of that strain reported globally since 2005, but none of them are genetically related to the recently identified case, officials said. "Based on early information, the infection detected in the U.K. is a distinct clade (1b.1.1), which is different from recent human cases of influenza A(H1N2) elsewhere in the world but is similar to viruses in U.K. swine," reads the UKHSA's statement. Officials said the individual experienced a mild illness and fully recovered, but the source of their infection isn't yet known. "We are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce any potential spread," Meera Chand, the UKHSA's incident director, said in a statement. "
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC) will partner with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on a “batch and build” water quality project in targeted Iowa watersheds. The first phase of the Pig Farmer Water Quality Partnership Program, which is in place through June 30, 2026, will initially focus within the priority watersheds of the Boone River and North Raccoon River. As the project grows, the goal will be for the project to expand into other targeted watersheds. By working with pork producers and other farmers and landowners who utilize manure as fertilizer, the plan is to install edge-of-field practices such as bioreactors and saturated buffers using Iowa’s innovative “batch and build” model. The model modernizes the project management process by installing batches of conservation practices on multiple farms at once, therefore allowing
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced the Protecting Interstate Commerce for Livestock Producers Act to protect farmers from costly regulations – made in other states – that will hurt their business and drive-up costs for consumers. “Missouri’s livestock producers keep food on the table across America and they shouldn’t be burdened by costly laws – made by other states – that disrupt interstate commerce, drive-up costs, and impose crippling regulations,” Sen. Hawley said in a release. “This law is a commonsense solution to protect family farms from going bankrupt and consumers from shouldering higher costs at the grocery store.” California voters passed Proposition 12 that bans the sale of pork, eggs and calves for veal that were not produced with certain space requirements. It is estimated that California accounts for 13% of all pork consumption in the U.S., Hawley's office said in a release. Hawley doesn't believe that farmers across the country should have to comply with California
A Rock Rapids, Iowa, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to manipulating weights of hogs in order to defraud pork producers. According to the Sioux City Journal, Robert Bickerstaff, 52, entered his plea on Dec. 1 in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids to one count of wire fraud. He could face up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. A sentencing date is yet to be set. During the plea hearing, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Bickerstaff admitted he had worked as a regional manger for an Iowa livestock dealer between 2018 and 2021. As regional manager, he oversaw livestock buying stations in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. He also personally counted, classified and weighed swine at these stations, reports KIWA Radio. Bickerstaff personally lowered the weights, numbers and classifications of hogs producers delivered to the dealer's buying stations, or directed others to fraudulently to do, said the U.S. At
Conservatives pressured the government about Bill C-234 all week
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