Call for data and experts on public health risk of histamine and other biogenic amines from fish and fishery products - Deadline: 31 December 2011

The Thai government will lift import quotas for animal feed raw materials for up to three years in an effort to help manufacturers make longer-term business plans. Import quotas for soybean meal and fishmeal, which have been reviewed annually, will now be reviewed every three years. Maize quotas will still be reviewed every year

As part of efforts to promote greater transparency in international markets, the IGC compiles detailed daily information on prices for a wide range of grains and oilseeds, covering both physical and futures markets. Given the increased turbulence in global grains and oilseeds markets in recent years there has never been a greater need for more timely and up-to-date information. With a view to capturing the broad underlying trends across key markets – thus providing a useful tool for all participants, including analysts and policy makers – the IGC Secretariat has introduced a new daily Grains and Oilseeds Index (IGC GOI). A trade-weighted measure of international price movements across seven key commodities, namely wheat, maize (corn), barley, sorghum, rice, soyabeans and rapeseed/canola, the index is calculated each day using 22 US dollar-denominated daily export quotations at leading origins

The Best Aquaculture Practices certification program has expanded its international marketing team with the addition of Roy Palmer as BAP's new business development manager for Australasia. Palmer will help manage relationships with seafood suppliers, buyers, retailers and foodservice outlets on the Australian continent for BAP

Fish are increasingly being fed vegetable matter, which could lead to a build-up of residual pesticides in them. A new test shows how high the risk of contamination really is

New fishery management benchmarks for Atlantic menhaden were established today in an effort to increase its population to four times the current size. The measure was adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the interstate body that governs the menhaden fishery

Thousands of tests have shown that there is no ISA virus in B.C. salmon, farmed or wild, contrary to claims by activists

Dr. John Schillinger is acknowledged as one of the most accomplished soybean breeders of the past century and a father of GMO soybeans. But today, Dr. Schillinger ‘s research centres on non-genetically modified (non-GMO) varieties. For the past decade Dr. Schillinger has specialized in creating high protein soybeans with low anti-nutritional factors, tailored for specific feed uses

A new film on the independent certification program for fishmeal and fish oil instigated by IFFO shows how it is rapidly becoming the recognized standard for marine feed materials. Leading supermarket and seafood brands, international fish farmers and NGOs say why they believe the program is the first link in a fully responsible aquaculture value chain

Ten of the largest feed companies in China have agreed to improve substantially feed safety control in accordance with the highest international standards. The first step will be improving feed safety assurance in pre-mixtures and compound feed production. The next step will be to extend this control to the whole feed supply chain, covering feed ingredients and services like transport and storage

The concentrations of drug residues and other undesirable substances in farmed fish are low, according to a recent report

If aquaculture is to fulfil its great potential to ease world food shortages, good governance and responsible development are essential. For the small pelagic and fishmeal sector this includes rights-based management of fisheries which will improve product quality and open up more market opportunities for human consumption. Expansion of aquaculture offers huge opportunities for developing countries which can improve governance and increase responsible practice

Three people are still missing following an October 29 explosion at the Bartlett Grain Co. grain elevator in Atchison, Kansas, U.S. Three others were killed in the explosion and two were critically injured

Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre is joining an EU-funded project to maximise the retention of marine omega-3 fatty acids in farmed fish given feeds with improved sustainability

Kagoshima University and Skretting Japan have built and equipped an aquaculture research centre at the university, called Kagoshima ARC. The objective is to develop more sustainable feeds with lower fishmeal levels for two of the most important species in Japanese aquaculture; yellowtail and red sea bream

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is undertaking a collaboration with Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Environment Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to conduct a quantitative food safety risk assessment on norovirus in bivalve molluscan shellfish, specifically, oysters, clams, and mussels. FDA, on behalf of the collaborative team, is requesting submission of comments and scientific data and information that would assist in the development of the risk assessment

Dr. Alejandro Buschmann, head of i-mar Research Center and former director of research and graduate school at the Universidad de Los Lagos in Puerto Montt, Chile, has been appointed to the Standards Oversight Committee (SOC) that oversees the development of the Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program

Dr. Dave Downey has been named the 2011 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) from the American Feed Industry Association. Dr. Downey is the founder and executive director of the Center for Agricultural Business (CAB) at Purdue University. He was honored at the American Feed Industry Association’s Board of Directors meeting this week in Kansas City, Mo., USA.

Consumer Reports is following the trend of recent exposes on fish fraud. In a new investigation, the magazine uncovered that one in five pieces of fish for sale are mislabeled

Trials show salmon do not do well on a near vegetarian diet