Tag Archives: Agriculture Department

Farmers Sued Over Deleted Climate Data. So the Government Will Put It Back.

Farmers Sued Over Deleted Climate Data. So the Government Will Put It Back.

The Agriculture Department will restore information about climate change that was scrubbed from its website when President Trump took office, according to court documents filed on Monday in a lawsuit over the deletion. The deleted data included pages on federal funding and loans, forest conservation and rural clean energy projects. It also included sections of the U.S. Forest Service and …

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Upheaval in Washington Hinders Campaign Against Bird Flu

Upheaval in Washington Hinders Campaign Against Bird Flu

The campaign to curb bird flu on the nation’s farms has been slowed by the chaotic transition to a new administration that is determined to cut costs, reduce the federal work force and limit communications, according to interviews with more than a dozen scientists and federal officials. On poultry farms, more than 168 million birds have been killed in an …

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A Scientist Is Paid to Study Maple Syrup. He’s Also Paid to Promote It.

A Scientist Is Paid to Study Maple Syrup. He’s Also Paid to Promote It.

For more than a decade, Navindra Seeram, a biomedical researcher, has praised maple syrup, calling it a “hero ingredient” and “champion food” that could have wide-ranging health benefits. Dr. Seeram, dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of New England, has published more than three dozen studies extolling the power of maple. Much of his work has been …

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Two Liquid Egg Brands Recalled Over Bleach Contamination Risk

Two Liquid Egg Brands Recalled Over Bleach Contamination Risk

Thousands of pounds of liquid egg substitutes sold under two popular brand names have been recalled because of the potential risk of contamination with a cleaning solution, federal safety regulators said. Cargill Kitchen Solutions in Lake Odessa, Mich., recalled about 212,268 pounds of products under its Egg Beaters and Bob Evans labels because they may contain a cleaning solution with …

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Food Safety Jeopardized by Onslaught of Funding and Staff Cuts

Food Safety Jeopardized by Onslaught of Funding and Staff Cuts

In the last few years, foodborne pathogens have had devastating consequences that alarmed the public. Bacteria in infant formula sickened babies. Deli meat ridden with listeria killed 10 people and led to 60 hospitalizations in 19 states. Lead-laden applesauce pouches poisoned young children. In each outbreak, state and federal officials connected the dots from each sick person to a tainted …

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RFK Jr.’s Prescription for Bird Flu on Farms: Let It Spread

RFK Jr.’s Prescription for Bird Flu on Farms: Let It Spread

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has an unorthodox idea for tackling the bird flu bedeviling U.S. poultry farms. Let the virus rip. Instead of culling birds when the infection is discovered, farmers “should consider maybe the possibility of letting it run through the flock so that we can identify the birds, and preserve the birds, that …

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Wild Coast Raw Food for Cats Is Recalled Over Bird Flu Risk

Wild Coast Raw Food for Cats Is Recalled Over Bird Flu Risk

A company in Washington State voluntarily recalled a raw food product for cats this week because of the potential risk that it may have been contaminated with bird flu amid outbreaks in poultry and cows across the United States, federal safety regulators said. Wild Coast Raw of Olympia, Wash., issued the recall for its frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula …

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Mass Federal Firings May Imperil Pets, Cattle and Crops

Mass Federal Firings May Imperil Pets, Cattle and Crops

Shortly after taking office for the second time, President Trump began making deep cuts to agencies and programs that play critical roles in human health, slashing funding for medical research, halting global health aid and firing scores of workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the campaign to downsize government, which has been led by Mr. Trump …

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Trump Administration Has Fired Health Inspectors at Some Border Stations

Trump Administration Has Fired Health Inspectors at Some Border Stations

At the nation’s borders, federal workers keep the country safe in many ways: Some investigate sick passengers. Some examine animals for dangerous pathogens. And some inspect plants for infestations that could spread in this country. Late last week, the Trump administration dispatched hundreds of those federal employees with the same message that colleagues at other agencies received: Their services were …

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‘This Is a Dangerous Virus’

‘This Is a Dangerous Virus’

When bird flu first struck dairy cattle a year ago, it seemed possible that it might affect a few isolated herds and disappear as quickly as it had appeared. Instead, the virus has infected more than 900 herds and dozens of people, killing one, and the outbreak shows no signs of abating. A pandemic is not inevitable even now, more …

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