Prion diseases; is the lid about to come off? (Empire Page) One of government's most valuable functions is public health including the prevention, monitoring and response planning for diseases like interspecies lyme disease and West Nile Virus and health threats like bio-terrorism. [News Source]

Humane Society of US again scaring people away from good diets? (AG Weekly) The Humane Society of the U.S. has, for years, been trying to frighten people away from consuming meat, milk and eggs -- but its recent testimony before a congressional committee reached a new low when the HSUS president, Wayne Pacelle, made the unsupported claim that pigs could be harboring the infamous and deadly British ‘mad cow” disease. [News Source]

NMPF opposes opening Canadian border to breeding animals (AG Weekly) ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Milk Producers Federation, in comments submitted Friday (March 9) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is opposing the resumption of cattle exports from Canada for breeding or herd replacement purposes. [News Source]

Newly Discovered Antibody May Be Body’s Natural Defense Against Alzheimer’s (Science Daily) In an important advance in the battle against Alzheimer's disease, physician-scientists have identified naturally occurring antibodies in human blood that may help to defend against this form of dementia as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. [News Source]

Report may lead to looser beef import rule (Asahi.com) A report due out this week likely represents an initial step toward the government relaxing its stringent conditions on beef imports from the United States. [News Source]

Nonorganic exceptions ruffle enthusiasts of organic food. Some say that the proposed list of ingredients is the latest example of big business trying to water down organic standards in an effort to cash in on the increased demand for organic products. [News Source]

Theater review: Mad Cow misses in ‘American Voices’ (Orlando Sentinel) [News Source]

U.S. regulators assess the use of nonorganic ingredients in organic foods. (International Herald Tribune) Manufacturers argue that a certain nonorganic ingredients are irreplaceable, but some consumers are not convinced. [News Source]

State touts mobile animal laboratory (Observer-Reporter) To respond more quickly to potentially dangerous animal health emergencies, the state Department of Agriculture has begun using a new mobile laboratory. [News Source]

Humane Society of US again scaring people away from good diets? (AG Weekly) The Humane Society of the U.S. has, for years, been trying to frighten people away from consuming meat, milk and eggs -- but its recent testimony before a congressional committee reached a new low when the HSUS president, Wayne Pacelle, made the unsupported claim that pigs could be harboring the infamous and deadly British ‘mad cow” disease. [News Source]