Steve Davies

Poultry operations seeking compensation for the loss of birds and eggs due to avian flu will have to get a biosecurity audit before restocking, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said Monday.

Producers worried that they would have to file ownership reports with the Treasury Department next month got a reprieve Thursday when a federal appeals court reinstated an injunction blocking enforcement of the new requirement.

A federal appeals court has reinstated a requirement that businesses file reports disclosing their ownership starting Jan. 1. 

Over the weekend, farm groups quickly mobilized to demand congressional leaders end a partisan impasse and reach a deal on a package of economic assistance to include in year-end legislation.

AquaBounty Technologies, which first secured approval of genetically engineered salmon in 2015 but faced relentless litigation and a lack of consumer acceptance, is shutting down its fish farming operations.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee that handles trade policy says he’s concerned about the U.S. becoming embroiled in tit-for-tat tariff escalations that could lead to ag producers facing new duties. 

Lawmakers continue what’s described as “intense negotiations” over what’s going to be included with a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill. It’s not clear yet that GOP leaders will agree to add a package of market relief for farmers.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to impose tariffs on U.S. trade partners is worrisome, the head of the Agricultural Retailers Association told his group’s annual conference in Houston last week.

The Labor Department will have to keep farmworkers informed of enforcement efforts, under a settlement reached with six farmworker groups.

Federal and state court judges have blocked the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons after finding the scale of the divestiture plan, which involves selling about 580 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers, cannot make up for the loss of competition that would result from the merger.