Cattle

Fear Free®, LLC Unveils a Revitalized Brand at WVC 2024

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 19, 2024

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fear Free®, the single most transformative initiative in the history of companion animal practice, today unveiled its dynamic new brand at the 96th WVC Annual Veterinary Conference. The new brand, which embodies the company's commitment to improving the emotional and physical wellbeing of all animals, will be showcased at Fear Free's booth at WVC.

Key Points: 
  • Fear Free® Unveils New Branding at 96th WVC Annual Veterinary Conference, Emphasizing Enhanced Animal Wellbeing and Expanded Services.
  • LAS VEGAS, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fear Free®, the single most transformative initiative in the history of companion animal practice, today unveiled its dynamic new brand at the 96th WVC Annual Veterinary Conference.
  • The new brand, which embodies the company's commitment to improving the emotional and physical wellbeing of all animals, will be showcased at Fear Free's booth at WVC.
  • Andru Valpy, Marketing Manager for Fear Free, expressed excitement about the new brand's debut: "Revealing our new brand is a milestone moment.

National Beef Quality Audit Continues to Pay Dividends for the Beef Industry

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 19, 2024

DENVER, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Established in 1991 and funded by the Beef Checkoff, the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) helps the beef industry discover what it needs to change to improve the perception of its products. Conducted every five years, the NBQA identifies what "quality" and "value" mean to different beef industry sectors and consumers.

Key Points: 
  • The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) is the tool that the Checkoff has used since 1991 to uncover this data, and it continues to provide beef producers with the vital information they need to manage beef quality.
  • DENVER, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Established in 1991 and funded by the Beef Checkoff, the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) helps the beef industry discover what it needs to change to improve the perception of its products.
  • Dan Kniffen is a beef producer who has served several terms on the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB), the governing body of the national Beef Checkoff program.
  • The NBQA remains one of the best ways for the beef industry to get a handle on current beef industry data and trends.

Meeting highlights from the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products (CVMP) 13-14 February 2024

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, February 17, 2024

The Committee adopted by consensus a positive opinion for a variation requiring assessment for Strangvac to implement the outcome of the MAH’s signal management process to add adverse reactions in the product information.

Key Points: 
  • The Committee adopted by consensus a positive opinion for a variation requiring assessment for Strangvac to implement the outcome of the MAH’s signal management process to add adverse reactions in the product information.
  • The respective target species were cattle, pigs and sheep (one product), chickens, and squirrel monkeys (one product each).
  • Concept papers, guidelines
    Quality
    The Committee adopted an annex to the Guideline on quality aspects of pharmaceutical veterinary medicines for administration via drinking water on compatibility studies between veterinary medicinal products and biocidal products (EMA/CVMP/QWP/592906/2022) following close of public consultation.
  • The comments received during the consultation procedure were taken into account for the revision of the annex.

Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

The numbers involved are just as despairing.

Key Points: 
  • The numbers involved are just as despairing.
  • The world’s major authority on food insecurity, the IPC Famine Review Committee, estimates that 90% of Gazans – some 2.08 million people – are facing acute food insecurity.
  • Indeed, of the people facing imminent starvation in the world today, an estimated 95% are in Gaza.
  • As an expert in Palestinian public health, I fear the situation may not have hit its nadir.

Putting Palestinians ‘on a diet’

  • But food insecurity in Gaza and the mechanisms that enable it did not start with Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack.
  • Multiple factors contributed to this food insecurity, not least the blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel and enabled by Egypt since 2007.
  • Basic foodstuff was allowed, but because of delays at the border, it can spoil before it enters Gaza.
  • By placing restrictions on food imports, Israel seems to be trying to put pressure on Hamas by making life difficult for the people in Gaza.
  • In the words of one Israeli government adviser in 2006, “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” To enable this, the Israeli government commissioned a 2008 study to work out exactly how many calories Palestinians would need to avoid malnutrition.
  • The blockade also increased food insecurity by preventing meaningful development of an economy in Gaza.

Hampering self-sufficency

  • Gaza’s fishermen are regularly shot at by Israeli gunboats if they venture farther in the Mediterranean Sea than Israel permits.
  • Because the fish closer to the shore are smaller and less plentiful, the average income of a fisherman in Gaza has more than halved since 2017.
  • By early December 2023, an estimated 22% of agricultural land had been destroyed, along with factories, farms, and water and sanitation facilities.

Starvation as weapon of war

  • The use of starvation is strictly forbidden under the Geneva Conventions, a set of statutes that govern the laws of warfare.
  • Human Rights Watch has already accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, and as such it accuses the Israeli government of a war crime.
  • Yet untangling what Israel’s intentions may be – whether it is using starvation as a weapon of war, to force mass displacement, or if, as it claims, it is simply a byproduct of war – does little for the people on the ground in Gaza.


Yara M. Asi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Animal Protection Party of Canada: Good for Remilk, for Canada, for Animals, and for Us. Boo to Italy.

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

TORONTO, Feb. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “We are happy to see recent technological developments that bode well for ecological health, human health, food security, and compassion for animals,” says Barry MacKay, Animal Protection Party’s General Manager.

Key Points: 
  • TORONTO, Feb. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “We are happy to see recent technological developments that bode well for ecological health, human health, food security, and compassion for animals,” says Barry MacKay, Animal Protection Party’s General Manager.
  • It was announced on February 5th that Health Canada has sent a “letter of no objection” to Remilk, a company specializing in food technology.
  • While able to produce cheese, yogurt, milk, and ice cream indistinguishable from that derived from lactating cows, the new product does not require cattle.
  • Adaptation is not merely the key to species survival, it is the only means by which survival can occur.

17 million South Africans live on communal land – new study of a rural valley offers insights on how to manage it

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The valley is typical of South Africa’s communal land: affected by soil erosion, bush encroachment and water scarcity.

Key Points: 
  • The valley is typical of South Africa’s communal land: affected by soil erosion, bush encroachment and water scarcity.
  • About one third (over 17 million) of South Africa’s population lives on communal land, which makes up around 13% of all land in the country.
  • The Communal Land Tenure Bill, 2017 defines communal land as “owned, occupied or used by members of a community subject to shared rules or norms and customs”.
  • In South Africa, communal land is considered to be more degraded than privately owned land.
  • This offered a more complete view of communal land change, and valuable insights on its impacts.

Satellite imagery and community perceptions

  • Our study set out to discover whether satellite-measured trends of land use and land cover corresponded with those perceived by the community.
  • Satellite imagery from 1989 to 2019 revealed increases of the sweet thorn tree (Vachellia karroo) by 25% and the residential area (2.5%).
  • Most respondents (over 80%) noted the encroachment of the sweet thorn tree on grazing land and abandoned cropland.
  • The community perceived that water resources had declined because of overuse and poor maintenance of dams.
  • They said the government no longer desilted community dams, and that the community had abandoned traditional practices such as the maintenance of surface water channels and homestead ponds.

Better land management

  • The land can be better managed through interventions by village committees, tribal authorities and extension services, and by following spatial planning and land use guidelines.
  • This study shows that the combination of satellite imagery and local perceptions provides valuable insights about the extent, causes and impacts of land change in communal areas.


Wonga Masiza receives funding from Agricultural Research Council.

Oxitec Launches New Scotland R&D Hub to Spearhead a New Global Fight Against Invasive Cattle Ticks

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Oxitec is collaborating with the globally respected livestock research organisation, the Roslin Institute, located outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Key Points: 
  • Oxitec is collaborating with the globally respected livestock research organisation, the Roslin Institute, located outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • R. microplus spreads deadly cattle diseases, causes billions of dollars of losses to farmers across the world, and is widely resistant to chemical pesticides.
  • It is spreading at an alarming rate through many African countries and is a growing threat to farmer livelihoods worldwide.
  • Oxitec is expanding its team of in-house specialists in the new Scotland hub, dedicated to developing the world's first Friendly™ R. microplus solution.

Oxitec Launches New Scotland R&D Hub to Spearhead a New Global Fight Against Invasive Cattle Ticks

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Oxitec is collaborating with the globally respected livestock research organisation, the Roslin Institute, located outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Key Points: 
  • Oxitec is collaborating with the globally respected livestock research organisation, the Roslin Institute, located outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • R. microplus spreads deadly cattle diseases, causes billions of dollars of losses to farmers across the world, and is widely resistant to chemical pesticides.
  • It is spreading at an alarming rate through many African countries and is a growing threat to farmer livelihoods worldwide.
  • Oxitec is expanding its team of in-house specialists in the new Scotland hub, dedicated to developing the world's first Friendly™ R. microplus solution.

Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass Awarded Forbes 2024 Travel Guide Award for Resort Property, KAI Restaurant, and Aji Spa

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

PHOENIX, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Forbes Travel Guide, the only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas, announced today its 2024 Star Awards. Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass earned the 2024 Travel Guide Five-Star award for KAI, Aji Spa, and the resort and are showcased with other honorees on ForbesTravelGuide.com.

Key Points: 
  • Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass earned the 2024 Travel Guide Five-Star award for KAI, Aji Spa, and the resort and are showcased with other honorees on ForbesTravelGuide.com.
  • Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass has received the 2024 Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Rating for its luxury hotel, and this is the fifth time Aji Spa has been bestowed the prestigious award.
  • Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass remains the only resort in Arizona to boast both a Five-Star restaurant and spa in addition to its Recommended Rating.
  • Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass is a 500-room resort located in the untouched part of the Sonoran Desert.

Glimpact Releases Top Environmental Tips for Super Bowl Watch Parties

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, February 10, 2024

NEW YORK, Feb. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glimpact , a global platform to evaluate products’ and organizations’ environmental footprint, shares the findings of its study on popular Super Bowl snacks.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Feb. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glimpact , a global platform to evaluate products’ and organizations’ environmental footprint, shares the findings of its study on popular Super Bowl snacks.
  • If public transport is a plus, sharing a ride is already a great way to reduce your footprint.
  • A complete overview of the results, hypotheses and assumptions of the study will be available on [www.glimpact.com].
  • “We believe consumers should be empowered with the tools they need to understand how their purchasing decisions impact those around them and how they can best reduce their environmental impact.”