Monday links
April 24, 2017
Don’t have time to scour the internet for the latest animal science, food safety, and agriculture news? Relax, we’ve got it covered.
Animal Science:
Avian influenza difficult to deal with – Poultry World
Poultry producers in Europe and the U.S. are out of the woods when it comes to the avian influenza threat from wild birds, as the most dangerous virus-shedding birds have migrated to elsewhere. Poultry World’s Fabian Brockotter discusses the risks that still remain worldwide.
Spanish holding to become Europe’s largest dairy farm with 20,000 cows – AgriLand
A farm under construction in the province of Soria in Spain is planning to have a 20,000-cow milking capacity which, if it goes ahead, will purportedly make it the largest dairy farm in Europe. The move has received a mixed response, with local agricultural organizations either condemning or praising the farm.
Food Safety:
European Union food again found largely free of pesticides – Food Safety News
Food consumed in the European Union (EU) continues to be either largely free of pesticide residues or to contain only residues the fall within legal limits, new figures show. The latest monitoring report published by the European Food Safety Authority finds that more than 97% of food samples collected across the EU in 2015 were within legal limits and that just over 53% were free of quantifiable residues.
Raw milk advocates push to expand sales – Associated Press
Raw milk advocates’ efforts to expand availability across the United States have not slowed, despite health officials’ assertions that it’s dangerous to drink milk that hasn’t been heated to kill bacteria.
Agriculture:
International Food Crops Could Vanish as Groundwater Disappears – Scientific American
A new study shows one of the biggest causes of disappearing groundwater is the international food trade. About 70% of freshwater around the globe goes toward irrigation. Researchers from the University College London and NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies now say that a third of that freshwater is drawn from the world’s aquifers—nonrenewable underground pockets of groundwater—and 11% of that nonrenewable groundwater is used to irrigate internationally traded crops.
‘Flying’ with the times: Can drones play a practical role in farming? – AgriLand
A seminar hosted by the University College Dublin’s School of Agriculture and Food Science suggests that in order to meet the challenges of larger populations and climate change, more sustainable agricultural production is vital. To achieve this, the seminar argues, better data should be collected using drones that fly over and record images of fields.
Toxicology:
Kids Should Not Take Drugs Containing Codeine or Tramadol, FDA Says – KQED News
The Food and Drug Administration says children under 12 should not be given prescription medicines that contain codeine or another narcotic, tramadol, and that such drugs can also be dangerous to youth between 12 and 18. The agency cited evidence that the drugs could cause dangerously slowed breathing in some children, which could lead to death.
Offbeat:
Diet, Exercise and ‘Giraffe Hugs’: Up Close and Personal with April and Her Baby – Live Science
April, the internet-famous giraffe, finally delivered her long-expected calf April 15 at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York. The baby, a male, weighed 129 lbs (58.5 kilograms) at birth and stood 5’9” (nearly 2 meters) tall.
Animal Science:
Avian influenza difficult to deal with – Poultry World
Poultry producers in Europe and the U.S. are out of the woods when it comes to the avian influenza threat from wild birds, as the most dangerous virus-shedding birds have migrated to elsewhere. Poultry World’s Fabian Brockotter discusses the risks that still remain worldwide.
Spanish holding to become Europe’s largest dairy farm with 20,000 cows – AgriLand
A farm under construction in the province of Soria in Spain is planning to have a 20,000-cow milking capacity which, if it goes ahead, will purportedly make it the largest dairy farm in Europe. The move has received a mixed response, with local agricultural organizations either condemning or praising the farm.
Food Safety:
European Union food again found largely free of pesticides – Food Safety News
Food consumed in the European Union (EU) continues to be either largely free of pesticide residues or to contain only residues the fall within legal limits, new figures show. The latest monitoring report published by the European Food Safety Authority finds that more than 97% of food samples collected across the EU in 2015 were within legal limits and that just over 53% were free of quantifiable residues.
Raw milk advocates push to expand sales – Associated Press
Raw milk advocates’ efforts to expand availability across the United States have not slowed, despite health officials’ assertions that it’s dangerous to drink milk that hasn’t been heated to kill bacteria.
Agriculture:
International Food Crops Could Vanish as Groundwater Disappears – Scientific American
A new study shows one of the biggest causes of disappearing groundwater is the international food trade. About 70% of freshwater around the globe goes toward irrigation. Researchers from the University College London and NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies now say that a third of that freshwater is drawn from the world’s aquifers—nonrenewable underground pockets of groundwater—and 11% of that nonrenewable groundwater is used to irrigate internationally traded crops.
‘Flying’ with the times: Can drones play a practical role in farming? – AgriLand
A seminar hosted by the University College Dublin’s School of Agriculture and Food Science suggests that in order to meet the challenges of larger populations and climate change, more sustainable agricultural production is vital. To achieve this, the seminar argues, better data should be collected using drones that fly over and record images of fields.
Toxicology:
Kids Should Not Take Drugs Containing Codeine or Tramadol, FDA Says – KQED News
The Food and Drug Administration says children under 12 should not be given prescription medicines that contain codeine or another narcotic, tramadol, and that such drugs can also be dangerous to youth between 12 and 18. The agency cited evidence that the drugs could cause dangerously slowed breathing in some children, which could lead to death.
Offbeat:
Diet, Exercise and ‘Giraffe Hugs’: Up Close and Personal with April and Her Baby – Live Science
April, the internet-famous giraffe, finally delivered her long-expected calf April 15 at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York. The baby, a male, weighed 129 lbs (58.5 kilograms) at birth and stood 5’9” (nearly 2 meters) tall.
Category: Food Safety, Agriculture, Toxicology