Archive
International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.
OHIO CASE
BY PHILIP FINE
CITIZENS in the US state of Ohio will not be able to sue food establishments they believe contributed to their ill health, if a new bill becomes law. A state house of representatives committee has just approved the bill, which now goes to the full house for consideration.…
US BIRD FLU
BY PHILIP FINE
HONG Kong, China, Poland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea are among 18 countries restricting US poultry imports, after four American states – Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas – discovered cases of a new variant of bird flu.…
FORAGE BEEF TRIALS
BY PHILIP FINE
THE US Agriculture Research Service is investigating the extent to which grass-fed free range cattle produce meat that is leaner and more tender than beef from feed-lot fattened animals. Its initial aim is to help market the mostly grass-fed cattle of the Appalachian mountain range in the American South, with farms exploiting the "natural beef" market niche, selling directly to retail outlets and wholesalers.…
MEAT WEBSITE
BY PHILIP FINE
ADVICE on the humane handling of livestock will be front and centre in a new website being launched next month by The American Meat Institute. For industry, it will provide best practices, regulations and training material and, for consumers, information on the US meat industry’s efforts and achievements in the area.…
USDA RESEARCH
BY PHILIP FINE
THE NEW York Times is reporting that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been pressuring its scientific experts to approve meat products not yet deemed safe. An unnamed senior USDA scientist said department researchers had been pressured to approve cattle from Mexico at risk of tuberculosis and, in August, following their BSE scare, boneless meat from Canadian cattle, prior to the conclusion of an in-house study.…
BEEF TRIALS
BY PHILIP FINE
GRAZING cattle beef is leaner and more tender than their feed-lot counterparts, with half the saturated fat and higher levels of the more healthy types of fat, according to preliminary American research. The US Agriculture Research Service is conducting a study that will help eventually market to natural food market niches the mostly grass-fed cattle of the Appalachian mountain range in the American South.…
TOBACCO GENE
BY PHILIP FINE
US researchers have discovered a way for corn producers to increase their crop’s frost resistance by incorporating a tobacco gene. A team from Iowa State University’s Plant Science Institute found that a specific tobacco gene activates corn’s natural defence systems against cold temperatures.…
BEE BREEDING
BY PHILIP FINE
SCIENTISTS at the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are trying to breed a more disease resistant honey bee by using recently created bee genomic data. One of the long-term goals of the project is to characterise the specific genes that are key in the honey bee immune response system, then use data from these genes to improve both bee breeding and management.…
GM BUGS
BY PHILIP FINE
WHILE genetic modification (GM) seems to have scored a public relations disaster regarding food crops, an attempt to garner some praise is being made in the emerging science of GM insects. Scientists hope to modify insects to control noxious weeds and insect pests, reducing the use of pesticides on agricultural, pasture and horticultural lands.…
KANSAS BEER ADS
BY PHILIP FINE
A SMALL US brewer has had to cancel a campaign featuring the images of American explorers Lewis and Clark (NOTE – Chris, the Americans seem to only refer to these two by their surnames – Keith). Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing Co.…