In the US, President Obama has been re-elected for a second term. Industry watchers, Steve Meyer and Len Steiner say that the new administration's fiscal and monetary policies will have their most profound impacts on the meat and poultry sectors through their impact on demand, both domestic and foreign.

The Danes have set out ambitious plans on further improving animal welfare and reducing antibiotics in farm animals.

At the end of last week, the Danish Parliament ratified an agreement on new strict rules for the use of antimicrobials in production animals and on animal welfare – both in the barn and during transport.

The new rules are supplemented by the allocation of more resources for inspections.

Denmark is known not only for a high standard in the field of animal welfare but also for awareness with regard to the use of antimicrobials. Now, the Danish Parliament has resolved to strengthen further both the rules and the inspections.

On welfare, the Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries said: "Improved animal welfare is a cornerstone of the new agreement. We are obliged to take care of the animals we raise. We have agreed upon initiatives to improve welfare for animals and we have secured the provisions through strengthened inspections."

To promote the development of its agricultural sector, the China invested more than six trillion yuan (CNY; US$930 billion) in the decade from 2003 to 2012 - the highest in the country's history.

In Pakistan in the last week, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences said that the poultry sector has attracted so much investment that it is now the country's second industry.

And finally, turning to news of bird flu, one new outbreak of the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic bird flu has been reported in central Nepal, the first outbreak since August. No new cases have been confirmed in India.

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