Weekly livestock news: March 20, 2023

China deals with new surge in African swine fever

A surge in African swine fever in China is set to reduce hog output later this year, farm managers and analysts said. This will push up prices in the world’s top pork consumer as demand recovers, Reuters reports. Chinese farms have significantly improved hygiene and procedures since the disease broke out in 2018, but it still circulates constantly, often spiking in winter. Infections this year began to surge relatively late in the season, around the Lunar New Year holiday in January, when millions of people traveled after China had relaxed its COVID restrictions, industry experts said.

U.S. regulators approve Canadian Pacific merger with Kansas City Southern

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has approved Canadian Pacific Railway’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern Railway Company. The merger will create the first railroad providing single-line service spanning Canada, the United States and Mexico. The approval comes with an unprecedented seven-year oversight period and contains many conditions designed to mitigate environmental impacts, preserve competition, protect railroad workers and promote efficient passenger rail, Feedstuffs reports.

Merck awards $50,000 in scholarships to future swine veterinarians

Ten veterinary students received a total of $50,000 in scholarship funding from Merck Animal Health in partnership with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. The awards were presented at the recent AASV Annual Meeting. Second- and third-year students enrolled in AVMA-accredited or recognized colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean Islands are eligible for the scholarship.

Livestock industry grapples with calls to be climate-friendly

Livestock industry members are responding to calls to be more climate-friendly with a mix of skepticism and action, Greenwire reports. According to a spokesperson for Cargill, the company sees potential in lab-cultivated meat to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Industry groups are looking at ways to meet changing consumer demands, particularly when it comes to labeling food.

Applications open for federal Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program

The 2023 application cycle is open for the federal Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, which repays up to $25,000 of student loan debt per year for qualifying veterinarians, for up to three years. The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture expects about $10 million in funding will be available in federal fiscal year 2023 to help mitigate food animal and certain other veterinary service shortages in the United States, a $500,000 increase over previous funding levels, according to the AVMA.

Cellular Agriculture Society says new cultivated meat textbook is the world’s first

The Cellular Agriculture Society has released what it says is the world’s first textbook on cultivated meat. The book, “Modern Meat,” “aims to pave the way for future courses on cultivated meat, serve as a guide to both newcomers and experts, and bolster cultivated meat’s growing academic sphere across the globe,” the book says. It includes the work of more than 100 authors including academics and industry leaders in 18 countries, according to vegconomist.

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