Monday links
February 12, 2018
What’s the latest in the fields of agriculture, food safety, animal science and toxicology? Check it out here.
Animal Science:
Preparing for the next flu season — Poultry World
With the knowledge that it’s always flu season somewhere, the large poultry production regions in the Western Hemisphere are preparing for the next flu season. Or at least they should be.
Most foals do well in cold environments — The Horse
Those who raise horses are often torn when it comes to foals in cold winter: give them freedom, or keep them cuddled up in a warm stable? That’s why Finnish researchers recently investigated the respiratory health effects of loose indoor/outdoor group housing on weanling foals in cold Scandinavian winters.
Food Safety:
South Africa’s listeriosis outbreak death toll exceeds 100 — Food Safety Magazine
The death toll in South Africa’s precedent-setting Listeria outbreak continues to climb. The number of lives lost has reached 107, nearly half of which were newborns younger than one month of age.
How to prepare a quick response to a food safety crisis — Food Quality and Safety
In this age of instant information, news about food recalls can spread to hundreds of thousands of people in minutes, so when a food safety crisis hits, it’s essential that a company is prepared with a response and communicates with the public immediately.
Agriculture:
Can gene editing help solve global hunger? — The Conversation
With unprecedented population growth, any technique that can improve food production would be a welcome development. Two researchers discuss the application of genetically modified crops and how to develop them within a regulatory framework that protects farmers, consumers and the environment.
Forgotten crop pathogen returns — John Innes Center
A recent study has confirmed the discovery of a single wheat plant infected with stem rust — the first confirmed case of the plant disease in the United Kingdom in over six decades. Stem rust of wheat and barley has throughout history been associated with crop failure and famine, and has recently re-emerged in Western Europe.
Toxicology:
Kratom praised by some as a pain remedy, but deaths prompt warning — Chicago Tribune
Rapidly rising in popularity, kratom is hailed as a pain remedy that is safer than traditional opioids, an effective addiction withdrawal aid and a pleasurable recreational tonic. Kratom also is assailed as a dangerous and unregulated drug, a habit-forming substance that authorities say can result in opioid-like abuse and death.
Offbeat:
Police end up in standoff with stuffed toy on farm — Associated Press
Scottish police thought they had the tiger by the tail when they were deployed to a farm in Aberdeenshire after a farmer thought a big cat had invaded his cow shed. The authorities eventually realized it was a toy.
Animal Science:
Preparing for the next flu season — Poultry World
With the knowledge that it’s always flu season somewhere, the large poultry production regions in the Western Hemisphere are preparing for the next flu season. Or at least they should be.
Most foals do well in cold environments — The Horse
Those who raise horses are often torn when it comes to foals in cold winter: give them freedom, or keep them cuddled up in a warm stable? That’s why Finnish researchers recently investigated the respiratory health effects of loose indoor/outdoor group housing on weanling foals in cold Scandinavian winters.
Food Safety:
South Africa’s listeriosis outbreak death toll exceeds 100 — Food Safety Magazine
The death toll in South Africa’s precedent-setting Listeria outbreak continues to climb. The number of lives lost has reached 107, nearly half of which were newborns younger than one month of age.
How to prepare a quick response to a food safety crisis — Food Quality and Safety
In this age of instant information, news about food recalls can spread to hundreds of thousands of people in minutes, so when a food safety crisis hits, it’s essential that a company is prepared with a response and communicates with the public immediately.
Agriculture:
Can gene editing help solve global hunger? — The Conversation
With unprecedented population growth, any technique that can improve food production would be a welcome development. Two researchers discuss the application of genetically modified crops and how to develop them within a regulatory framework that protects farmers, consumers and the environment.
Forgotten crop pathogen returns — John Innes Center
A recent study has confirmed the discovery of a single wheat plant infected with stem rust — the first confirmed case of the plant disease in the United Kingdom in over six decades. Stem rust of wheat and barley has throughout history been associated with crop failure and famine, and has recently re-emerged in Western Europe.
Toxicology:
Kratom praised by some as a pain remedy, but deaths prompt warning — Chicago Tribune
Rapidly rising in popularity, kratom is hailed as a pain remedy that is safer than traditional opioids, an effective addiction withdrawal aid and a pleasurable recreational tonic. Kratom also is assailed as a dangerous and unregulated drug, a habit-forming substance that authorities say can result in opioid-like abuse and death.
Offbeat:
Police end up in standoff with stuffed toy on farm — Associated Press
Scottish police thought they had the tiger by the tail when they were deployed to a farm in Aberdeenshire after a farmer thought a big cat had invaded his cow shed. The authorities eventually realized it was a toy.
Category: Food Safety, Agriculture