Ram sperm frozen for 50 years has been awakened to impregnate 34 ewes in Australia. Researchers from the University of Sydney have thus concluded that artificial insemination using the world’s oldest known viable semen has a successful impregnation rate in sheep equivalent to recently frozen samples. Associate professor Simon de Graaf and Jessica Rickard used […] Read more
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World Pork Expo cancelled due to African swine fever
The National Pork Producers Council in the United States has cancelled the World Pork Expo planned for June in Des Moines, Iowa, because of fears of spreading African swine fever. The council’s board of directors took the unprecedented move in recognition that ASF continues to spread in China and other parts of Asia, as well […] Read more
Learning pig facial expressions could help with care
New technology can read expressions on pigs’ faces to gauge if they really are as happy as they are made out to be. Pigs are emotive and flaunt their feelings frequently with different facial expressions easily read by other pigs but not usually easily recognized by humans. Being able to read those expressions could help […] Read more
Poland’s ASF zones keep exports rolling
African swine fever in Poland is causing the pork industry there significant harm but pork exports keep rolling thanks to disease control zones. ASF first entered Poland in the eastern Podlaskie province and spread to other areas including Lublin and Masovia and even around the capital Warsaw. Pork is critical to the country’s economy, accounting […] Read more
No environmental benefit from lab-grown meat: study
A new study has found that meat grown artificially in a laboratory could be worse for the environment than beef produced naturally in farming systems. Scientists have warned that carbon dioxide from energy used to make cultured meat is likely to be more damaging to the environment in the long term than methane (CH4) from […] Read more
Cattle death toll soars in Australian flooding
Hundreds of thousands of cattle are dead after floods left parts of eastern Australian under water, swallowing up livestock and farm buildings. Overhead photos taken from helicopters flying over Queensland show the intensity of the disaster as large numbers of cattle lie dead in groups. One farm alone says it has lost thousands of cattle […] Read more
Norwegian farmer named world’s big cheese
Jorn Hafslund raises only 12 Norwegian Red cows, but managed to see his gouda named the world’s best cheese last fall
Showing how being the best doesn’t necessarily mean being the biggest, a small farmer from Norway has been selected as the best cheese producer in the world. With a herd of 12 Norwegian Red cows, Jorn Hafslund from Ostegarden won the accolade in November with his gouda cheese, Fanaost. It emerged as the top cheese […] Read moreNo-deal Brexit dreaded in Northern Ireland
Sheep farmers in this part of Britain fear losing access to processors in the Republic of Ireland if the border was to close
As the countdown for the United Kingdom to exit the European Union continues, Northern Ireland sheep farmers are considering the potential outcomes of a deal or no-deal Brexit. Currently, the sector is experiencing high prices for finished lambs in Northern Ireland with optimum 20 kilogram lambs fetching $7.60 per kilogram carcass weight. However, the biggest […] Read moreDairy farmers reject no-deal Brexit option
If the United Kingdom divorces from the European Union without an agreed deal, it could be disastrous for farmers in Northern Ireland. Farmers in all sectors recognize the implications a no-deal Brexit could bring and are urging Prime Minister Theresa May to ensure that scenario is avoided. More than 800 million litres of milk flow […] Read more
First World War hand grenade found in load of potatoes
Spare a thought for workers in a Hong Kong potato chip factory after they found an unexploded hand grenade in a shipment of potatoes just imported from France. The German grenade, thought to be from the First World War, was found in the potatoes while staff at the factory were unloading them. It is believed […] Read more
