Weekly livestock news: January 24, 2022

Three cases of H5N1 bird flu detected in wild birds in South Carolina and North Carolina

USDA last week reported two more cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in wild birds, raising risk for potential infections in poultry, Reuters reports. The agency had previously reported the country’s first case of a Eurasian H5 type of the virus since 2016, and officials said all three cases are the H5N1 strain. That strain has caused a wave of outbreaks of bird flu in poultry across Europe and Asia. H5N1 is one of the few bird flu strains that has passed to humans, but U.S. officials said there was low risk to people from the initial case. The three cases were detected in South Carolina and North Carolina. The infections are disappointing because it’s rare for a Eurasian bird flu strain to end up in North America, one expert noted.

Italy’s pork industry on guard after African swine fever detected in wild boar

Italy’s pork industry is on edge after African swine fever was recently found in wild boar in the north of the country, leading the government to ban hunting in the region. Wild boar meat is used in pasta sauces, making them a popular hunting target. Italy’s health and agricultural ministers banned hunting and other public access in the woods and parklands of parts of Liguria and Piedmont, where the virus was detected. The country exports 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) of pork and pork products annually, with about one-third of that coming from sales outside the European Union. Officials in areas outside the affected ones want the government to crack down on wild boars that aren’t in the outbreak zone in order to save their own pork production, the Associated Press reports.

New research could help develop foot-and-mouth disease treatments

Researchers say they’ve found a potential target in the foot-and-mouth disease virus that could help prevent its replication in animals. In the new study, scientists at the University of Leeds and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research found that mixing components of the virus in test tubes produced tube-like structures called fibrils. By manipulating the viral components, the team stopped the fibrils from forming. While foot-and-mouth disease replication isn’t fully understood, the researchers say these fibrils could play a key role, and their findings could lead to treatments for animals infected with the virus. “This exciting model has helped us to observe the regions that could be of interest to target for antiviral treatment,” said lead study author Eleni-Anna Loundras.

There’s ‘truth on both sides’ in the Biden-meatpacker standoff, analysts say

The Biden administration is targeting a small group of large meatpackers for high beef, pork and poultry prices, saying the companies are abusing their dominant market power. The companies insist that price increases reflect high demand and constrained supply, among other factors. “I think there’s probably some truth on both sides,” said David Anderson, a livestock economist at Texas A&M University. “Consumers are buying beef. Our exports are booming,” he said. “What we’re seeing with prices, I would argue as an economist, that’s exactly what we should see given this bottleneck. And capacity problems aren’t going to be fixed overnight.” He added that producers are frustrated with limited options for selling their herds. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing that the government is looking into this stuff,” he said. Other analysts agree, saying that adding more processing capacity by incentivizing small producers to build it could help keep meat prices down. Reuters has more.

Federal judge denies acquittal request by former poultry industry executives in price-fixing case

A federal judge in Colorado denied requests for acquittal made by 10 defendants in a price-fixing case brought by the Department of Justice against poultry industry executives, Meat + Poultry reports. The former executives face a new trial after a jury in December failed to reach a verdict. The defendants, including former executives from Pilgrim’s Pride, Perdue Farms and Tyson, among others, argued there is insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction against them and said there are legal deficiencies in the case. But according to Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer of the U.S. District Court of Colorado, “the evidence is sufficient for a reasonable jury to find that the charged conspiracy existed and that each defendant knowingly joined the conspiracy, knowing of its goal and intending to help accomplish it.” A new trial is set for February 22.

Plant-based chicken sector is still small, but it could be on its way up: NPD Group

Plant-based chicken alternatives make up about 8% of the plant-based market, and that could increase, an analyst at NPD Group said on a recent webinar. “I think that one (plant-based chicken) is poised to grow a little bit, mostly because it’s just starting to hit the market,” said Darren Seifer, executive director and industry analyst at NPD. “If some of these alternatives to chicken can start capturing even just a sliver of what’s out there right now from the traditional market, perhaps the alternative chickens might rival alternative beefs now.” He added that some of the growth in popularity of plant-based meat alternatives during the pandemic could be attributed to supply chain shortages and the ability to fill a gap where some animal products may not have been readily available, WattAgNet reports.