This Thursday, February 5, the Washington House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources is scheduled to hear the bills (SB 5329 and HB 1406) that would impose a fee on petfood of US$57.50 per ton to fund spay/neuter programs in the state of Washington, according to the Pet Food Institute (PFI).

Dr. Gregory Reinhart, former vice president of research and development at Iams, spoke to the Pet Food Regulatory and Technical Conference in Atlanta, Ga., recently saying the $16.9 billion petfood industry can attribute its higher-than-inflation rate of growth on product segmentation that tailors petfood products to specific lifestyles/life stages, according to an article posted on www.Feedstuffs.com.

A new Web site, www.PetFoodDanger.com, claims that many types of petfoods and treats have toxins in them that are dangerous to pets. The site also claims that petfood companies don't share this information with pet owners due to a fear of market share losses with these toxic ingredients.

Canidae All Natural Pet Foods will award four individual $2,500 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Scholarships in 2009. The scholarships were established in 2008.

In an economy facing troubled times, one dog food manufacturer is experiencing growth.

Humane Society University, part of The Humane Society of the United States, offers online training and skills enhancement courses for pet industry professionals, business owners and pet service providers.

The Danish Food Minister Eva Kjer Hansen has visited Aller Petfood - part of the Danish company Aller Mølle Group - to talk about “simplifications of rules,” according to an article on www.AllAboutFeed.com.

A large number of visitors and buyers from more than 50 European and worldwide countries have already applied to take part in Zoomark International 2009, an important trade event in 2009 for the entire pet sector, according to the press release.

PetSmart hopes sale combats economic woes 2009 01 26 In a push to combat economic woes, PetSmart has cut prices on its stocked petfood in an effort to keep customers’ wallets full as well as their pets’ stomachs. Pet owners visiting PetSmart stores

The Charoen Pokphand Group has forecast a 30-40% growth in its petfood sales in Thailand in 2009 to THB 2280 million (USD 65 million), according to a news post on www.Asian-Agribiz.com.