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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
The Agriculture Department is taking a deliberate approach to the question of whether cows should be inoculated against avian flu, even as some vaccine developers report substantial demand for a vaccine from dairy farmers worried about lost milk production.
The Environmental Protection Agency says it likely won’t finalize the biofuel usage mandates for 2026 until the end of next year, which is discouraging news for a sector that blames the existing renewable volume obligations for the collapse in credit prices that has hammered many producers.
The rising demand for renewable fuel and subsequent tax credits to incentivize production has led to a significant spike in imported feedstocks like used cooking oil and tallow, which some say could undermine the domestic oilseed industry and potentially allows some fraudulent materials to enter the market.
U.S. pork industry players are voicing their frustrations with accessing the South African market as lawmakers works to renew a bill providing countries in sub-Saharan African with duty-free access to U.S. markets.
Plastic food packaging, especially single-use containers, is a growing problem for the food industry. According to the UN Environment Program, 460 million tons of plastic is generated each year worldwide. Almost half (46%) goes to landfills, 22% becomes litter, 17% is incinerated, and 15% is collected for recycling. However, less than 9% is actually recycled.
U.S. beef exports saw their highest export value since June 2023, reaching $900 million in May, while pork exports trailed in both volume and value compared to a year ago, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are posing a significant threat to Western U.S. agriculture, causing considerable damage to rangelands and forage. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that these pests result in $318 million in crop losses annually.
Syngenta is facing a lawsuit from Brazil’s Attorney General of the Union’s Office (AGU), which claims health and environmental impacts from an insecticide containing a toxic product found at triple the authorized level.
EPA has significantly raised the level at which the agency believes atrazine harms aquatic plants, potentially helping some farmers who rely on the weedkiller.