Livestock News for May 14
Bovine Veterinarian reported that beef and dairy veterinarians from across the United States, Canada and other countries will gather in the Gateway City to get the latest information in on bovine medicine and practice at the 2019 52nd American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Annual Conference Sept. 12-14 in St. Louis, Mo. Registration is now open on the AABP website under the Conference tab.
Cargill recalls nearly 300,000 pounds of feed
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Cargill Inc. pulled nearly 300,000 pounds of animal feed from the market over the past three months due to elevated aflatoxin levels, a toxin found on moldy crops that if ingested can kill animals. The voluntary recall, announced last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, includes chicken, horse and cattle feed, as well as some sheep and goat feed, sold under the Southern States brand. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture discovered the contamination when testing a specific product of the feed brand.
Experimental African swine fever vaccine green lighted
According to National Hog Farmer, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service intends to grant to Huvepharma EOOD of Sofia, Bulgaria, an exclusive license for an experimental African swine fever vaccine. The vaccine claim was made in U.S. Patent No. 9,463,234, “Attenuated African swine fever virus strain induces protection against challenge with homologous virulent parental virus Georgia 2007 isolate,” issued on Oct. 11, 2016.
Washington state passes cage free egg law
According to Feedstuffs, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a law that phases out the production and sale of eggs from caged hens, regardless of where the eggs were produced. The measure follows similar actions in California and Massachusetts, where ballot initiatives have required changes to housing requirements. In addition to banning cages and requiring more space per bird, the law also mandates that hens be provided with enrichments, including scratch areas, perches, nest areas and dust bathing areas.
Beyond Meat goes public
According to Market Watch, Beyond Meat raised nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to grow its line of plant-based meats, with shares rocketing in their public debut. The company priced its initial public offering at $25 a share, raising at least $240 million at a valuation slightly shy of $1.5 billion. Beyond Meat priced the IPO at the top of a range that it had already increased during the process.
