Tennessee backs down on ag-gag law Monday, August 5, 2013 In June's Better Pork, we reported that lawmakers voted to make Tennessee the latest state to approve a so-called "ag-gag" law, a bill to make it illegal to record animal cruelty incidents on livestock farms without reporting them to the police right away.Just after we went to press, Tennessee Republican governor Bill Haslam vetoed the bill, following the opinion of his Democratic attorney general that it wouldn't pass a constitutional challenge, freedom of speech being nearly as important in that country as freedom to own a gun.According to Meatingplace.com, Haslam also cited concerns that the new law might take away reporters' rights to gather information for stories, and that it might be harder to prosecute legitimate animal cruelty cases "as an unintended consequence."As well, a number of Tennessee celebrities jumped on the bandwagon, among them songwriter Emmylou Harris, country music singer Carrie Underwood and even Priscilla Presley. The Humane Society of the United States sees it as a victory; the Animal Agriculture Alliance, which writes and speaks out against animal rights legislation, is not pleased. BP A Chinese takeover of Smithfields? The battle of the polls over gestation stalls
Philippines bans pork imports from Spain, Taiwan over swine fever outbreaks Monday, December 8, 2025 The Philippines has temporarily banned imports of pigs and pork products from Spain and Taiwan following outbreaks of African swine fever in both locations, Manila's agriculture ministry has announced. The import freeze, announced separately on Sunday for Spain and Monday for Taiwan,... Read this article online
Markets brace for USDA December crop update Monday, December 8, 2025 On the weekly with Farms.com Risk Management, Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino and Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal, began reviewing the markets for the week of December 1 to 5, 2025, by looking at grains and oilseeds. They shared that soybean futures fell sharply during... Read this article online
U. of Saskatchewan Research Confirms Bacterial Cause of Porcine Ear Necrosis Monday, December 8, 2025 New research from the University of Saskatchewan has identified the primary bacterial agent responsible for porcine ear-tip necrosis, a painful and costly condition affecting pigs in every major pork-producing region. Ear-tip necrosis, first described in the 1950s, causes the ear tissue... Read this article online
FCC report highlights productivity as key to Canada’s agricultural future Monday, December 8, 2025 Canadian farmers could see significant income gains and new opportunities if agricultural productivity growth returns to historic highs. The Farm Credit Canada (FCC) report titled Reigniting agricultural productivity in Canada, estimates that boosting productivity growth to two per cent... Read this article online
New restrictions placed on hunting, farming 'incredibly destructive' wild boars in Alberta Monday, December 8, 2025 Wild boars have been declared "a pest in all circumstances" by the Alberta government effective Dec. 1, meaning new restrictions have been placed on keeping them in captivity and hunting them in the wild. It is now illegal to keep, buy, sell, obtain or transport wild boars in Alberta... Read this article online