Global pet industry news and analysis.
Defra and APHA on 11 September 2026 authorised private vets in Great Britain to confirm BTV-3 on-farm without lab confirmation, as the bluetongue outbreak passed 1,000 premises (England 916, Wales 111, Scotland 21). The decentralisation moves first-responder disease-notification power to every APHA-registered vet in GB.
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The Texas Animal Health Commission designated parts of Presidio and Jeff Davis counties as Infested Zone 21 on 9 September 2026 after the first equine New World Screwworm case, banning movement of all warm-blooded animals including pets without state veterinary permits. 16 Texas counties are now under quarantine in the 49-case U.S. outbreak.
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Two binding EU regulations are reshaping how pet products reach European consumers in 2026: PPWR (Regulation (EU) 2025/40, applicable from Aug 12) imposes PFAS and heavy-metal limits in food-contact packaging with no transition relief, and ECGT (Directive (EU) 2024/825, enforceable Sep 27) bans unsubstantiated green claims with fines of at least 4% of relevant annual turnover. Both regimes apply to non-EU sellers.
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Vet Plus, Inc. voluntarily recalled Fi Calming (lot 26118) and Fi 8-in-1 Formula (lot 26159) dog supplements on September 3, 2026 due to potential Salmonella contamination from a supplier ingredient. FDA published the recall on September 8. Affected lots were sold direct and via Amazon and Chewy. No illnesses reported.
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Regulation (EU) 2026/1818 on dog and cat welfare and traceability entered force on August 30, 2026, with general application from August 31, 2028. It mandates microchipping, bans cosmetic mutilations and spiked collars, requires interoperable national databases, and imposes staggered compliance deadlines from 2030 (operators) to 2041 (private cat owners).
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On September 3, 2026, the FDA authorized Capstar (nitenpyram) and generic nitenpyram tablets for prevention of New World screwworm in dogs and cats weighing at least 2 pounds, marking the first FDA-authorized prophylactic option for the parasite in companion animals as 48 domestic cases including 3 dogs are confirmed.
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EU ECGT Directive becomes enforceable September 27, 2026. Pet brands must audit all environmental claims. Generic 'eco-friendly' and 'sustainable' claims banned without recognized ecolabels. Penalties start at 4% of EU turnover.
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The DOJ filed a lawsuit on August 7, 2026, against Arrow Reliance Inc. (Darwin's Natural Pet Products), seeking an injunction after FDA testing from 2017 to 2025 repeatedly found Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli in its raw pet food, causing infections in humans and pets.
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Lianyungang, China issued a three-year pet economy action plan targeting RMB 7 billion by 2028, with 15 tasks across industrial upgrading, e-commerce, pet-friendly city construction, and differentiated county-level specialization.
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Between August 28 and September 3, 2026, the U.S. FDA triggered four pet food recalls — Northwest Naturals, Foodynamics, Raw Bistro, and Consumers Supply Distributing — covering more than 2,000 lbs of raw, freeze-dried, and biscuit products contaminated with Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been confirmed to date, but the enforcement pressure on raw pet food is at a multi-year high.
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Four US states have enacted pet-industry laws: Washington expands veterinary telehealth from July 2027, Colorado bans pet-store dog and cat sales from January 2028, Alabama sets dog tethering standards from October 2026, and Maryland protects vets who discuss CBD for animals.
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RCL Foods reported a 27.1% drop in FY2026 underlying headline earnings after a Salmonella detection forced a nationwide recall of dry pet food and wiped out market share for Canine Cuisine, Catmor and other brands.
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Fromm Family Foods voluntarily recalled 5,825 cases of two canned wet dog food lines on August 21 2026 due to potential metal contamination, and Oma's Pride recalled 639 six-pound bags of Woof Complete Canine Chicken Recipe frozen raw dog food on August 17 2026 after FDA testing confirmed Salmonella. Together the two recalls cover roughly 6,460 cases and bags distributed across the US and Canada.
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Northwest Naturals of Portland, Oregon, voluntarily recalled 1,956 lbs of frozen raw cat and dog food after FDA testing detected Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. The recall affects Lot B-5 (Frozen Chicken Recipe cat food) and Lot B-19 (Frozen Raw Diet for Dogs), distributed nationwide. No illnesses reported.
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Fromm Family Foods recalled 5,825 cases of two canned dog food products (Turkey Pate and Milo's Meatloaf Pate) due to potential metal contamination. No illnesses reported. The recall underscores that safety risks transcend brand tier, even affecting premium manufacturers.
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The EU authorized taurine as a pet feed additive (EU 2026/1859) and simplified Chinese pet food exports (EU 2026/1428), reducing formulation ambiguity and trade friction.
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AAFCO warns that FDA's proposed mandatory GRAS notification rule for animal food leaves the 2024 OP exemption unresolved and ignores state ingredient approval pathways.
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FDA proposes replacing voluntary GRAS notifications with mandatory filings for animal food substances, with 120-day comment period ending December 9, 2026.
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