Swine flu frenzy worries local pork farmers (The Peterborough Examiner) Local pork farmers say their products are safe, but some fear the global frenzy over swine flu could lead to a pork boycott similar to the mad-cow-disease crisis.[...] [News Source]

Aporkalypse not (Kingston Whig-Standard) Carl Kraglund sold a pork roast to a customer in his Market Square butcher shop last weekend and 24 hours later was on the phone reassuring the woman that it was perfectly safe to eat.[...] [News Source]

Swine Flu: Who Is Afraid Of It? (Science Daily) The new influenza A (H1N1), known as the swine flu, demonstrates the power of people's perceptions of risk. Sales of face masks are breaking all records not only in Mexico but also in other countries such as Sweden. Hotel guests are being isolated at a hotel in Hong Kong, and people with the sniffles are being isolated in airports around the world. But before the outbreak of the flu, this was a ... [News Source]

Animal-ID called inadequate. A sketchy animal identification system is a threat to national security because of its likely ineffectiveness in the event of a food safety threat, according to federal officials. [News Source]

Lawmakers review animal ID system. A mandatory animal identification system should be considered to protect livestock and prevent the outbreak of animal diseases, lawmakers and administration officials said Tuesday. [News Source]

Big Brother is watching you (and your livestock). The “land of the free” is becoming more and more restrictive for farmers and ranchers across the nation with the National Animal Identification System being pushed by federal and state governments. [News Source]

Livestock traceback participation disappoints -USDA. A disappointing one-third of cattle, hog and poultry farmers are enrolled in a livestock traceback system intended as a primary U.S. defense against mad cow and other diseases, an Agriculture Department official said on Tuesday. [News Source]

Carcass removal restrictions hurting KY farmers . New FDA regulations, intended to help prevent the spread of mad cow disease, have created some big problems for Kentucky Farmers, businesses, and county governments. [News Source]

Flu ‘not a food safety issue’. Jurgen Preugschas, president of the Canadian Pork Council, wants consumers to eat an extra helping of pork until the H1N1 scare blows over. [News Source]

Critics question self-inspections for flu in pigs. Kenny Brinker is on the front lines of the national drive to prevent an outbreak of swine flu on U.S. hog farms. But he's not a public health worker; he's a hog farmer in central Missouri. [News Source]