AG INSIDER
Meatpackers ignored warnings to plan for a pandemic, report finds
Experts and federal agencies repeatedly urged meatpackers to prepare for a potential future pandemic as far back as the Bush administration, yet none of the major packers had stocked personal protective equipment or trained personnel on pandemic response before the novel coronavirus began to spread in 2020, an investigation from ProPublica found.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Mail delays result in dead chicks: Several Maine poultry farmers received shipments of hundreds of chicks that died in transit due to U.S. Postal Service delays or mishandling. (Portland Press Herald)
Complaint alleges collusion by USDA, organic dairy: A new legal complaint says the USDA failed to adequately investigate claims of “mistreatment and neglect” of animals at Natural Prairie, one of the nation’s largest organic dairies. (OrganicEye)
Organic farming can mitigate climate change: The Organic Trade Association released a white paper on how organic farming can be a “key strategy for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the agriculture sector.” (OTA)
Here comes vegan tuna: Nestle launches “tuna” made with pea protein in Switzerland, ahead of a global rollout. (Reuters)
Historical cookbook database online: The Sifter, part Wikipedia-style crowd-sourced database and part bibliography, is a catalogue of more than a thousand years of European and U.S. cookbooks. (Atlas Obscura)
