Judge nixes faster line speeds: A federal judge in Minnesota voided a USDA provision allowing pork plants taking part in a new inspection system to run slaughter lines at higher speeds, ruling that the government did not consider the risk of injuries to workers. (Public Citizen)
EPA purges panels: EPA administrator Michael Regan will remove more than 40 outside experts, appointed by President Trump, from two key advisory panels in a move he says will restore the role of science at the agency. (Washington Post)
Stiff penalties for filming: An Iowa Senate committee is advancing a bill that would make it a crime, possibly a felony, to use a camera while trespassing at a large-scale livestock farm. The bill was already passed by the Iowa House. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
United Fresh, PMA merger: Two trade groups, the United Fresh Produce Association and the Produce Marketing Association, agreed in principle to create a new global trade association that would begin operations on Jan. 1, 2022. (United Fresh)
Small farms, big yields: Small farms, which rely on family labor, tend to have higher yields and more crop diversity than the larger operations that produce most of the world’s food, says a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia. (Nature Sustain)