Weekly Livestock-Equine News: February 10, 2025

Senate ag committee advances Rollins nomination

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry voted Feb. 3 in favor of advancing Brooke Rollins’ nomination for secretary of agriculture. She was expected to win full Senate approval. At her confirmation hearing, Rollins sought to reassure senators who expressed concern about mass deportations and tariffs, saying that she would ensure that USDA “brings in new trade partners, expands access for new trade products, whether it’s specialty crops or row crops or the livestock industry.”

ADM animal nutrition segment reports Q4 2024 73% rise in operating profit

Food processor ADM announced that Q4 2024 operating profit in its Animal Nutrition subsegment was $26 million, up 73% relative to the prior year quarter. The company attributed the rise to cost optimization actions and lower input costs. For FY 2024, the subsegment operating profit was $59 million. The company announced targeted actions to deliver $500 – 750 million in cost savings over the next several years.

Ten Texas horses test positive for EIA

Ten horses in Texas recently tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA) and have been euthanized. The cases were located in Harris, Denton and Wise counties. EIA is a viral disease that attacks horses’ immune systems and is transmitted through the exchange of body fluids from an infected to an uninfected animal, often by blood-feeding insects such as horseflies.

JBS USA investing $200M in US beef facilities

Meat processing company JBS USA announced $200 million in investments at its Cactus, Texas, and Greeley, Colorado, beef production facilities. The projects include a state-of-the-art fabrication floor and a new expanded ground beef room in Cactus and a new distribution center in Greeley. Construction was expected to begin in 2025.

Bill would expand FDA’s authority to take microbial samples during outbreaks

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have introduced the Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act, which would grant the FDA the authority to collect microbial samples from concentrated animal feeding operations during outbreaks. The reintroduction of this legislation comes as public health experts raise alarms about the ongoing threat of H5N1 and persistent foodborne illness risks, according to Booker’s office.

Bimeda receives FDA green light for topical

The U.S. FDA granted Dublin-based Bimeda Animal Health Ltd. approval to market Eprimectin Pour-On (eprinomectin), a topical solution for the treatment of roundworms, lungworms, grubs, lice mange minutes and horn flies in beef and dairy cattle of all ages, including lactating dairy cattle.