livestock news stories on Newser

Video Alleges Abuse at Pig Farm

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:54:37 CDT

Wyoming officials are investigating alleged animal abuse at a pig farm after a secret video of conditions there was released. In the footage, workers are seen punching, kicking, and jumping on pigs and tossing piglets, reports CBS in Denver . Other pigs have untreated abscesses, notes the Huffington Post . The footage...

FDA to Require Prescriptions for Livestock Antibiotics

Rob Quinn — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 05:48:58 CDT

The Food and Drug Administration is trying to slow the rise of drug-resistant super bugs by reducing antibiotic use in livestock. The agency will now require farmers and ranchers to obtain a prescription from a veterinarian before they can give antibiotics to animals, reports the New York Times . Close to...

Ruling Might End Use of Antibiotics in Animal Feed

John Johnson — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:16:37 CDT

A decision yesterday by a federal judge could mean that farmers have to stop mixing antibiotics into animal feed, reports the OnEarth blog. The judge ordered the FDA to warn drug-makers of the coming change and give them a chance to prove that the antibiotics are safe and won't raise...

Montana Gov OKs Shooting Endangered Wolves

Kevin Spak — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:44:40 CST

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer has all but declared open season on gray wolves, ordering wildlife officers not to investigate or prosecute ranchers who shoot the endangered animals to protect their livestock, CNN reports. He’s also directed them to kill entire packs if they endanger the state’s elk or livestock. Schweitzer,...

Eating Meat OK if It's Farmed Right

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:33:12 CDT

In 2002, Guardian columnist George Monbiot wrote a piece called "Why Vegans Were Right All Along"—but eight years later, he's changing his mind. He originally concluded that, after considering the vast divide between land used to feed people and land used to feed livestock, veganism "is the only ethical...

Americans Learn to Say 'Mmm, Rabbit'

Harry Kimball — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:27:54 CST

Rabbit as food is a troubling conceit for many Americans—“it’s this weird association with Easter,” a chef says—but the animal is taking off with a small group of budding butchers, urban farmers, and those just enamored of its lean, healthy meat. “This is my gateway animal,” a woman...

Kenya Feeds Zebras to Hungry Lions

Harry Kimball — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:58:36 CST

In a sort of zoological sacrifice, the Kenyan government is rounding up thousands of zebras and wildebeest to feed to starving lions and hyenas in the country's drought-ridden south. Some 80% of herbivores in Amboseli National Park were felled by the dry conditions, leading the hungry carnivores to attack neighboring...

Cattle Rustling Makes a Texas- Size Comeback

Rob Quinn — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:11:00 CDT

A crime of the Old West is becoming a serious problem in 21st-century Texas, the Los Angeles Times reports. Cases of cattle rustling have more than tripled over the last couple of years, a trend investigators blame on the recession and on city-dwelling ranch owners who don't take the time...

Mexican Wolf Recovery Is Howling Flop

Drew Nelles — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:20:00 CDT

A US effort to relocate endangered wolves along the Arizona-New Mexico border is actually rendering them extinct, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials moved eleven Mexican gray wolves to the Gila National Forest in 1998, where managers are trapping, penning, and shooting the wolves to control their roaming and cattle-killing...