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Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is urging the Food and Drug Administration to vigorously enforce food standards regarding the labeling of dairy products and prohibit the misleading labeling of nut-based and plant-based food products as “milk.” “Products identified as almond milk, soy milk and similar items are not being held to the same FDA standards as milk and dairy products that come from healthy cows, yet they still benefit by using the term ‘milk’ on their packaging,” said PFB President Rick Ebert. “Through their packaging, labeling and location in the refrigerated dairy section, these imitation products directly compete with and are marketed as substitutes for beverage milk products. It’s time for FDA to enforce its existing rule and forbid imitation nut and …

A case of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, has been detected on a farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, officials have revealed. A statement issued by Scottish authorities said “precautionary movement restrictions” had been put in place at the farm. Experts stressed it was a case of classical BSE, so posed no harm to human health. Investigations are underway to determine the origin of the disease, which has not been seen in Scotland in 10 years.   Read more here >>>

Prepared by Dennis J. Murphy, Distinguished Professor, Pennsylvania State University   Few farming operations provide as many different opportunities for accidents to happen as filling the silo. High powered equipment, working in close quarters, and the potential of silo gas formation combine to produce numerous injury incidents throughout the late summer and fall. Read safety information here >>>

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $1,837,861 in fines against Didion Milling Inc. following a May 31, 2017, explosion that killed five workers and injured 12 others, including a 21-year-old employee who suffered a double leg amputation after being crushed by a railcar. OSHA found that the explosion likely resulted from Didion’s failures to correct the leakage and accumulation of highly combustible grain dust throughout the facility and to properly maintain equipment to control ignition sources. OSHA cited Didion’s Cambria facility with 14 willful – including eight willful per-instance egregious– and five serious citations, most involving fire and explosion hazards. The company has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. “Didion Milling …

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has expanded the quarantine zone, created to halt the spread of the invasive spotted lantern fly. With the latest expansion, the state has shifted to imposing quarantines at the county, rather than municipal, level and including areas where the insect’s presence has not yet been confirmed but there’s a high risk of spread. The quarantine area now covers 13 entire counties: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Carbon, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill. “This invasive insect threatens to destroy $18 billion worth of agricultural commodities here like apples, grapes and hardwoods, inflicting a devastating impact on the livelihoods of our producers and businesses,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. Businesses in the quarantine area …