Farm animals: microplastics in meat, "cruel" Parma ham and jet-set salmon

In memory of Guardian contributor Dom Phillips

Journalist Dom Phillips was killed alongside Indigenous affairs expert Bruno Pereira while researching a book on the Amazon in June . He had been a regular and successful investigative reporter for the Animals Farmed series for the past three years. Always helpful, Dom was a pleasure to work with. He will be missed.

News from around the world

Microplastic contamination has been reported for the first time in beef and pork, as well as in the blood of cows and pigs on farms. Scientists from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands found the particles in three quarters of meat and dairy products tested and in every blood sample in their pilot study.

France will become the first country to ban the application of words such as "steak", "saucisse" and "bacon" to foods of plant origin. It is the largest beef producer in the EU and the ban, announced in 2020, will take effect from October.

A ship stuffed with thousands of sheep sank in Sudan's Red Sea seaport of Suakin, drowning most of the animals on board but with all the crew surviving, officials said. The livestock vessel was exporting animals from Sudan to Saudi Arabia when it sank.

Extreme heat and humidity killed thousands of cattle in Kansas in mid-June...