|
|
|
Want to know the definition of a hollow victory? The anticipated
European Union-U.S. agreement on hormone-treated beef is a good example.
How about the age fight regarding U.S. beef exports to Japan? One might
also consider the South Korean market, where we actually regained lost
markets only to find consumer confidence so shaken in the process that
it might be decades before we get back to the levels we once enjoyed.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
|
|
The Clean Water Restoration Act came out of committee last week
without a whole lot of fanfare. However, it sure sent shockwaves through
the cattle industry and others likely to be directly affected by this
bill.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
|
|
Monday saw the largest stock market losses in two months. That came
on the heels of the World Bank nearly doubling its estimate for the
anticipated annual decline in the global economy (a 2.9% decline vs. its
1.7% decline projected in March).
Amazingly even the growth in developing countries will come to a near
standstill, according to World Bank estimates. The Obama Administration
followed up by conceding it now expects the U.S. unemployment rate to
reach 10% or higher.
Still, the greatest reason for concern seems to be the 24-hour news
channels and the constant need to create a story whether one exists or
not. The problem is that the message we’re all receiving is that the
economy is terrible.
A relatively small percentage of the stimulus money has been spent, and
any effect from what has been allocated is still a ways off from being
felt. The good news is that it appears that it was largely unneeded, and
the comparisons to the Great Depression were overly exaggerated.
The cures may ultimately be worse than the original problems. While
we’ve set the stage for significant inflation and the devaluation of
the dollar, the economy is already showing signs of adjusting. Set aside
the debt and the unfunded liabilities, and the short-term actually looks
pretty good.
Of course, many are focusing on the increased regulations, the specter
of nationalized health care, cap and trade, increased taxes and the
like, and it seems like things could get pretty tough. But in the short
term, most of the indicators are pointing toward a bottoming out and the
potential for improvement.
What we’re now looking for is an improvement in attitudes that will
translate to improving demand, and will mark the beginning of a
recovery.
While we’re hard pressed to find good news on the global economy,
indicators remain positive in the cattle industry. Corn is moving lower
and is starting off in great position, grass is better than it has been
in many years in most parts of the country, supplies are historically
tight and demand is growing. The fact is that the cattle market has been
driven lower because of macro-economic troubles and it will rally on
them, as well.
-- Troy Marshall
|
|
Australia’s beef and veal exports the first four months of 2009
are up 14% over last year, reports mla.com.au. The lower Aussie
dollar has offset weaker export demand and beef prices due to the global
economic slowdown, with exports from January to April valued at A$1.47
billion – the second highest start to a year on record after 2007
(Global Trade Atlas).
Japan remains Australia’s highest value beef export market, with
returns up 9% for the first four months of the year, at A$635 million.
And the value of Aussie beef and veal exports to the U.S. jumped
significantly during the same period, up 68%, to A$400 million – the
highest start to a year since 2003.
But the value of Australia’s beef and veal exports to Korea has
contracted in 2009, thanks to competition from U.S. imports, sluggish
consumer demand and large beef stocks at the start of the year. The
value of January-April exports were 35% off 2008’s pace at A$152
million – the lowest level since 2004.
With a 48% increase in beef volumes to Indonesia between January and
April, export returns were up 81%, at a record A$51 million. Other
markets to record year-on-year increased returns so far in 2009 include
Canada, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines.
-- Muriel Elizabeth Hayes
|
The chain will not be broken.
The food chain in America is not about hide color. It’s about quality,
it’s about passion, it’s about people making a life-long investment
to feed a global population of more than six billion people. Our food
chain begins with an Angus genetic supplier in the nation’s
breadbasket and ends with a satisfied eating experience from the family
dinner table to the Waldorf=Astoria. The strength of our food chain
depends on the quality product with sustainable value from the pasture
to the center of the plate.
Angus, the power of people and progress. www.angus.org
|
|
Brazilian meat and poultry processor Marfrig Alimentos S.A. said
this week it will no longer buy cattle or sell beef derived from cattle
raised in deforested areas of the Amazon region.
"This decision…underlines Marfrig's commitment to the sustainable
development of cattle raising," the Sao Paulo-based company said in a
statement.
Marfrig said it will work with state governments to develop a "Cattle
Origin Guarantee Program" to ensure the company and its suppliers who
fatten cattle don’t acquire animals from areas embargoed by IBAMA,
Brazil's federal environmental agency, or from areas on the slave labor
list of the Ministry of Labor and Employment.
Marfrig also said it will exclude from its list of suppliers all farms
owned by proprietors who have had a single farm embargoed and will
continue to bar them until they come into compliance. Meanwhile,
initiatives included in the company's sustainability policy will include
developing "good socio-environmental practices" in association with
cattle producers and implementing the "Cattle Raising Encouragement
Program" to teach best practices for improving pasture productivity.
Brazil's largest retailers also are beginning to shun beef produced in
the deforested areas of the Amazon, a trend that began after
environmental advocacy group Greenpeace published a three-year study
stating, "The cattle sector in the Brazilian Amazon is the largest
driver of deforestation in the world."
-- mercopress.com
|
|
While consumer confidence is at its highest level since November
2008, that doesn’t mean consumers are spending more. Consumers who
once focused on premium products now place a premium on value – and
are unlikely to revert once the recession recovers, says Stephen
Rannekleiv, Rabobank’s food & agribusiness research and advisory (FAR)
executive director.
“An economic recovery would help loosen up consumer purse strings, and
improve some of the consumer confidence levels,” he says. “But many
of the pre-recession spending trends were somewhat unsustainable. I
think consumers have changed.”
Food and beverage companies need to be prepared for more frugality from
consumers, says Rannekleiv, who estimates frugality could be an
important consumer trend for the next five years.
In addition to higher unemployment rates, much of this change can be
attributed to the loss of wealth U.S. households have experienced from
the declining stock market and housing values. From the third quarter of
2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008, U.S. households have lost nearly 20%
of their wealth and those losses continue to decline.
“Moving forward, consumers are starting to replace some of that lost
wealth by increasing their savings, and some of this increase in savings
is often cited as one of the causes in the dip in consumer spending,”
Rannekleiv says.
Savings rates had dipped to unsustainable lows before the recession –
reaching into negative numbers in 2005. Today, that number is around 4%,
but still less than half of savings rates in the 1980s, around 9%. “I
think this increase in savings rate is something we can expect longer
term, and wouldn’t expect it to drop dramatically any time soon,”
Rannekleiv says. “So, I think we can expect this to stay on as a more
permanent trend.”
As the economy turns around, consumer confidence may increase further
and the level of spending may also increase. However, we may not return
to past levels of spending. “Even an improvement in the economy may
bring back consumer confidence, but I don’t think … a strong level
of consumer confidence (will) bring back some of those spending patterns
prior to this recession,” Rannekleiv says. “I think consumers have
changed.”
For more, go to: news.rabobankamerica.com/.
-- Rabobank release
|
|
The country’s financial meltdown and recession led to tight credit
markets in rural America, with banks raising credit standards on farm as
well as nonfarm rural loans. In fact, 41% of small business owners
reported seeing their 2009 credit limits reduced, according to Brian
Briggeman, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
While federal credit programs have been expanded, he says, credit
conditions remain tight and rural business owners worry about credit
access. With rising default rates, farmers and rural business owners
should be prepared to bear some additional risk to receive credit, he
adds.
“However, federal and state agencies, banks and other credit market
participants are collaborating on new ways to ensure credit is flowing
to rural America. Indeed, credit markets are still tight, but gauges of
the credit market indicate some recent improvement.”
For a look at how to monitor credit conditions in rural America, go to:
www.kansascityfed.org/regionalaffairs/mainstreet/mainstmain.htm.
-- Kansas City Fed “Main Street Economist”
|
|
If you’ve noticed an abundance of yellow sweet clover in your
pastures this summer, the result could be good or bad for your pastures,
hay and cattle, says Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska Extension
forage specialist.
Sweet clover is a legume and produces its own nitrogen. In fact, because
it can provide more nitrogen for adjacent grasses than most other
legumes, your pastures might get a production boost following a heavy
sweet clover year. Sweet clover also provides good quality grazing
similar to alfalfa before plants bloom heavily.
After blooming, though, sweet clover plants get stemmy and woody,
reducing both feed value and palatability. Even young plants are quite
bitter, so if other plants are available to graze, cattle eat only
limited amounts of sweet clover. This greatly reduces bloat hazards,
which is a risk when sweet clover is abundant.
But the biggest risk from sweet clover is in hay; specifically, in moldy
hay. Spoiled sweet clover produces a chemical called dicoumarin that
interferes with metabolism and synthesis of vitamin K. Without vitamin
K, blood won’t clot properly after an injury; blood can even seep out
of otherwise healthy blood vessels. That’s why sweet clover poisoning
also is called sweet clover bleeding disease.
So make sure hay containing sweet clover is extra dry before baling or
storing to prevent mold. And remember – mold can develop on perfectly
dry bales if they get wet, so outdoor storage is risky.
If you must feed moldy sweet clover, alternate by feeding moldy hay for
a week followed by alfalfa or other non-moldy forage for a week. This
intermittent feeding is safer than mixing good and moldy hay together.
-- Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska
|
 Checkoff Investment Highlights Now on YouTube
It’s not always easy to track all of the valuable returns your beef
checkoff investment delivers — until now. YouTube, a free
video-sharing Web site, now features brief and concise video interviews
highlighting how your checkoff investment helps build beef demand. From
beef exports and beef safety research to summer grilling and middle
meats — get to know your checkoff, go to http://www.youtube.com/BeefBoard.
|
|
Milk and meat from the progeny of cloned animals could soon hit
European supermarket shelves after European ag ministers approved the
sale of milk and meat from the direct offspring of cloned animals on
Monday. Such food products will still have to receive approval by the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) before they can be sold in the EU,
however, but the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals themselves
isn’t permitted.
A scientific committee set up by the EFSA came to the conclusion in a
July 2008 report that there were no convincing arguments against
permitting the sale of food products from cloned animals.
"There is no indication that differences exist in terms of food safety
for meat and milk of clones and their progeny compared with those from
conventionally bred animals," the EFSA report said. "Such a conclusion
is based on the assumption that meat and milk are derived from healthy
animals, which are subject to relevant food safety controls."
Peter Liese, a German member of the European Parliament, told reporters
Monday that the ag ministers' decision was "not the last word" on the
issue, adding that the Parliament was against the cloning of animals for
food production. While food from cloned animals isn’t necessarily
harmful to humans' health, "its risks also cannot be ruled out," he
said.
Meanwhile, Germany's Deputy Agriculture Minister Gert Lindemann said he
doesn't expect many foods from cloned animals to be landing on tables.
"At the moment, a cloned animals costs about 50 times as much as a
non-cloned animal," he said.
-- meatinfo.co.uk
|
|
The Alamo in San Antonio was the setting for the signing of a Texas
constitutional amendment on eminent domain (HJR 14) that would limit the
taking of private property to only public uses and require a two-thirds
vote of the legislature to grant future eminent domain authority. On
hand with Gov. Rick Perry for the signing were representatives of the
Texas beef, farming and wildlife industries.
“This constitutional amendment is a good first step toward protecting
landowners' private property rights, and TCFA urges all Texans to vote
for its ratification during the November election,” said the Texas
Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) in a release.
TCFA also urged Perry to further strengthen the protections by allowing
eminent domain reform to be considered during the upcoming special
session. Such reforms should include requirements that authorities
involved in the taking of property provide accurate and timely
information, negotiate in good faith, provide adequate compensation for
impairment of access and allow previous property owners to repurchase
taken property (at the original sales price) if not used for the stated
purpose within 10 years.
-- TCFA newsletter
|
|
The English beef industry is facing low profitability, with
producers receiving lower real prices for cattle than they did two
decades ago, reports the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX). Among
the reasons, EBLEX cites high input costs, the withdrawal of direct
production subsidies, and the effects of BSE and foot-and-mouth disease.
Other factors include a lack of transparency and strong retail pressure
on suppliers along the supply chain which has squeezed margins,
distorted information and led to inefficiencies and higher costs,
according to EBLEX.
The deteriorating returns have led to a consistent reduction in the
breeding herd over the years, reports mla.com.au. And the
combination of factors has shaken confidence in the industry, decreasing
investment in production, systems and skills development.
-- Muriel Elizabeth Hayes
|
|
McDonald's Europe has launched a new Flagship Farms program designed
to promote sustainable ag practices by showcasing exemplary farms in its
supply chain. Developed in conjunction with Food Animal Initiative, the
program is an extension of the McDonald's Agricultural Assurance Program
(MAAP) launched in 2001 with a goal of broadcasting ethical,
environmental or economic farming practices to other and potential
McDonald's suppliers.
Launched June 18, the Flagship Farms program will showcase seven
McDonald's Europe suppliers that have "demonstrated economically viable
beef production with high standards of animal welfare and good
environmental management," McDonald’s says. McDonald's Europe says
about 400,000 farms supply 200,000 tons of beef every year to its 6,600
restaurants in 40 countries.
The MAAP program enables McDonald's to monitor its suppliers in the
areas of environmental management, good agricultural practices, animal
welfare, animal health, transparency and genetics.
-- independent.ie
|
|
Just in time for Independence Day. According to reports, McDonalds
will introduce its first new burger in eight years on July 2. The
1/3-lb. Angus burger will debut in McDonald's Chicago-area restaurants.
It will be McDonald's largest and most expensive burger at just under
$4. This is the only major national rollout, but there has been a steady
stream of new products on the beef side the last several weeks, which
has to be considered a good sign long term.
-- Troy Marshall
|
|
A study supported by the American Meat Institute, “The Meat and
Poultry Industry Economic Impact Study,” concludes that the U.S. meat
and poultry packing and processing industries (including meat
distribution and retailing), contribute $832 billion to the U.S.
economy, or just under 5.8% of gross domestic product. In addition, the
industry directly employs 1.8 million people, pays out $45.5 billion in
wages and benefits, and provides more than $81.2 billion in revenue to
federal, state and local governments in traditional direct taxes. Also,
the consumption of meat and poultry in the U.S. generates $2.4 billion
in state sales taxes.
With the Environmental Protection Agency proposing to raise the
allowable limit of corn-based ethanol in gasoline from 10% to 15%, the
meat industry says the resulting rise in grain price would have dire
consequences on the meat and poultry industry in the U.S.
The complete study, including state-by-state and congressional district
breakdowns and a methodology report, can be found at: www.meatfuelsamerica.com/.
-- Muriel Elizabeth Hayes
|
|
Feeding peas to beef cattle is among the topics of a field pea tour
scheduled for July 10 at the North Dakota State University (NDSU)
Carrington Research Extension Center. The tour begins at 9 a.m. and
concludes at noon. The event is sponsored by NDSU, the Northern Pulse
Growers Association and pulse agribusinesses.
Those attending the tour will hear presentations and be able to view
research trials on field pea production topics, including variety
performance, benefits of peas in cropping systems, plant nutrition, weed
and disease management, options on using peas as a cover crop, and a
discussion on feeding peas to beef cattle.
Refreshments will be available before and a sponsored meal will be
served after the tour.
For more info, call 701-652-2951 or visit: www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/carringt/.
-- NDSU Agriculture Communication
|
|
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called on Pres.
Barack Obama to change his fly-killing ways. During a televised
interview at the White House last week, Obama smacked a pesky fly dead
with his hand, following up the handiwork by saying to CNBC interviewer
John Harwood: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the
sucker."
PETA responded by saying it will send Obama a humane bug catching device
that traps house flies for later release outdoors.
"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least
sympathetic animals," says PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich. "We believe
that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all
animals."
While PETA says it’s pleased with Obama’s voting record in the U.S.
Senate on behalf of animal rights, "swatting a fly on TV indicates he's
not perfect," Friedrich says. The White House had no comment.
-- Townhall.com
|
|
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), chairman of the House Agriculture
Committee, wants to slow the pace of the debate over the Waxman-Markey
bill that would put carbon cap and trade legislation in place.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Ron Smith, Farm Press
|
|
The pork industry’s Producer Retirement Program (PRP), a sow herd
buyout program patterned after the dairy industry’s Cooperatives
Working Together program (www.cwt.coop/) to retire dairy cows, was
officially cancelled last week.
According to the CME Group’s Daily Livestock Report, the pork
program’s organizers cited the deterioration in hog markets in May and
June as leaving producers unable to pay the $20/sow membership fee that
hoped to generate the $50 million to compensate producers for retiring
sows for two years. The funds would have been distributed according to
the lowest bids by participating producers. U.S. sow slaughter figures
indicated that liquidation is underway without the program, however.
Part of the rationale for the PRP was to add some order to the reduction
to keep the decline from overshooting the mark and leaving the sow herd
below its optimal level.
-- CME Group Daily Livestock Report
|
|
Beef exports in the five months to May from Brazil, Argentina and
Uruguay are the lowest since 2004, totaling 680,000 million tons.
That’s down 4% from last year and 22% lower than 2007’s record
860,000 million tons, reports mla.com.au.
In addition to sluggish and intermittent demand from major importers
since the start of the financial crisis, Brazil has considerably reduced
shipments over the last three years due to tight supplies, higher cattle
prices and the decreasing competitiveness of the Brazilian real (until
the financial crisis). In addition, export restrictions to the EU have
stemmed Brazilian shipments. Like Brazil, Uruguay is still battling with
tight supplies (following the high slaughter in 2007) and high cattle
prices.
Argentine shipments are up for the year (2008 export levels were
affected by a prolonged agricultural strike in March), as the government
has eased export restrictions. In addition, herd liquidations due to
last summer’s drought have increased marketings of cattle, as many
producers switched from livestock to more profitable agricultural crops.
Russia remains South America’s main market, accounting for 31% of
total exports.
-- Muriel Elizabeth Hayes
|
|
U.S. beef returned to shelves in South Korean department stores in
April expecting to grab the market dominated by homegrown "hanwoo" and
Australian beef. But sales have fallen short of expectations in the
ensuing months and some retailers are poised to remove U.S. product from
their shelves.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
article from koreatimes.com
|
|
The Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) and the National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association sent letters to the U.S. House Committee
on Agriculture and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce opposing
the America Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454).
“While assurances were made that this legislation would not apply to
confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) emissions, including enteric
fermentation, the exemption language in the bill is not explicit and
could likely be interpreted differently by EPA in the future. There also
is concern that the bill would require EPA to develop performance
standards to reduce greenhouse gases such as methane, which would likely
include animal agriculture. In addition, it is widely believed that the
bill would significantly increase farm and ranch input costs (like fuel
and fertilizer) without providing agricultural producers with an
effective carbon credit trading program to offset those increased
costs,” TCFA says.
Economists have estimated that this legislation would cause farm income
to drop between $8 billion in the short term to $50 billion long term.
To read the letters sent by TCFA and NCBA, go to: www.tcfa.org/Letter_2009-06-18.pdf
and www.tcfa.org/_2009-06-18.pdf.
-- TCFA
|
|
Taiwan and the U.S. are in final negotiations on a full opening of
the Taiwanese market to U.S. beef, according to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MOFA). Harry Tseng, director-general of MOFA's Department of
North American Affairs, says he’s optimistic the issue can be resolved
this year. The U.S. currently supplies 32% of Taiwan's beef, but only
boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months of age are eligible for
import.
All of Taiwan's scientific review and technical work indicates that U.S.
beef does not pose a threat of BSE, says Stephen M. Young, the top U.S.
envoy to Taiwan.
Taiwan banned U.S. beef in 2003 when a case of BSE was diagnosed in
Washington State. The ban was lifted in April 2005 to imports of U.S.
deboned beef from cattle under 30 months, but the ban was re-imposed two
months later when a second BSE case was discovered in the U.S.
-- Straitstimes
|
|
Wet soils in alfalfa fields right after cutting help weedy grasses
like foxtail grow. So how do you reduce the amount of foxtail and other
weedy grasses in your hay?
The best way to start is to keep your alfalfa thick and thrifty so it
competes aggressively with invading foxtail. That means thick initial
stands and good soil fertility. In addition, harvest alfalfa only after
it begins to bloom or when new shoots appear at the base of the plants.
Then alfalfa should regrow rapidly so foxtail doesn't get much time to
become a problem.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, and it sacrifices some
forage quality since harvest occurs after bloom begins. So this method
may not solve all your problems.
Herbicides are another option. Roundup works great for Roundup Ready
varieties. In regular alfalfa, two chemicals that control annual grasses
are Select Max and Poast Plus. These herbicides work well on seedling
grasses that are less than 4-in. tall, and alfalfa tolerates both
herbicides very well.
A more risky herbicide option is Gramoxone Extra. Gramoxone burns back
top growth of all green plant material. This will kill most annuals like
foxtail, but it also can injure alfalfa regrowth that’s already
emerged. So, only use Gramoxone immediately after harvest and before new
regrowth shoots appear.
None of these herbicides have any soil residual activity, so good plant
coverage is necessary and you may need to repeat the spraying if new
weeds emerge.
-- Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska
Extension forage specialist
|
|
The Clean Water Restoration Act (S. 787), which was approved by the
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on a party line
vote, could be problematic for livestock producers.
The legislation deletes the word "navigable" from the definition of
"waters of the U.S." in the Clean Water Act (CWA). It also grants
unprecedented and far-reaching authority to EPA and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers over all wet areas including ponds, playas, intermittent
streams, creek beds, ditches and mud holes.
Several attempts were made to amend the bill to exclude livestock and
other agriculture operations from federal CWA regulation, but those
efforts were rebuffed.
The Texas Cattle Feeders Association recently sent a letter on the topic
to members of the committee. Read it here: www.tcfa.org/Newsletter/CWRA-Letter-061709.pdf.
-- TCFA newsletter
|
|
The future of the national cattle tuberculosis (TB) program will be
the focus of a July 20-21 symposium in Denver. The event will feature
updates from USDA on feedback from both their internal and external TB
listening sessions, key experiences from states dealing with TB and
breakout sessions that will provide multiple opportunities for dialogue
on program priority areas. Registration is $100/person. For more info,
go to: www.usaha.org/BovineTBSymposium.shtml.
-- U.S. Animal Health Association release
|
|
The national average price for regular gasoline rose for the eighth
straight week, adding 2¢ to $2.69/gal., for the week ending June 22.
Meanwhile, diesel was up for the seventh consecutive week, adding 4¢ to
hit $2.62.
Regular gasoline has jumped 64¢/gal. over the past eight weeks, but
remains $1.39 below the year-ago price. For the week, prices fell in the
Midwest, sliding 2¢ to $2.66, while all other regions saw an increase.
The East Coast rose 4¢ to $2.66, the Gulf Coast 3¢ to $2.56, the Rocky
Mountains 3¢ to $2.60, and the West Coast 4¢ to $2.93. California
added 3¢ to $3.01 to eclipse $3 for the first time in 2009.
Diesel, which is $2.03 below the year-ago price, was up in all regions
for the week. The East Coast added 3¢ to $2.63, and the Midwest and
Gulf Coast 4¢ to $2.59 and $2.58, respectively. The Rocky Mountains
climbed 9¢ to $2.61, and the West Coast jumped 7¢ to $2.72. California
rose 6¢ to $2.79/gal.
-- U.S. Energy Information Administration
|
|
The U.S. and Canada have agreed on organic equivalency standards,
says USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. The new rules mean that
both the USDA Organic seal and the Canada Organic Biologique logo –
which is due to be introduced June 30 – may be used on certified
products in either country, thus expanding organic trade opportunities.
There had been concerns about differences between Canada’s new organic
certification standards and American organic regulation. A major one was
the use on some U.S. organic farms of sodium nitrate in the soil, which
isn’t permitted on Canadian organic farms. A compromise allows
products certified as organic under U.S. rules to stay on the market,
but, as of July 1, crops from fields treated with sodium nitrate can’t
be shipped as organic to Canada.
Merrigan hailed the agreement between the world’s two largest organic
trading partners as “an important first step towards global
harmonization of organic standards."
The organic products industry is the fastest growing sector of Canadian
agriculture, with annual growth of 15-20% over the past decade, says the
Canadian Food and Drug Law Institute. Meanwhile, the organic sector in
the U.S. is forecasting “slowing but steady growth” of 19% to 2013,
according to market research organization Mintel.
-- Foodnavigator.com
|
|
Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Byron Dorgan
(D-ND), and Tim Johnson (D-SD) have introduced the Livestock Marketing
Fairness Act (LMFA). The bill would:
- Require that forward contracts for livestock (cattle, hogs and
lambs) be traded in public markets where buyers and sellers can witness
bids as well as make their own offers. This ensures the market is open
to multiple offers, the sponsors say.
- Require marketing agreements to have a firm base price derived from
an external source. This ensures that local contract prices are not
subject to manipulation by packer-owned herds.
- Exempts producer-owned cooperatives, packers with low volumes and
packers who own only one processing plant. This exemption targets the
source of price manipulation and ensures that the business practices of
small family-owned processors are not impacted by the law.
- Ensures that trading is done in quantities that provide market
access for both small and large livestock producers.
- The legislation would limit swine contracts to 30 head/contract and
beef contracts to 40 beef animals/contract.
Meanwhile, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says the Packers
& Stockyards Act has been successful in combating actions that harm the
cattle market while preserving producers’ rights to market cattle as
they wish. “The LMFA would take away that right by amending the P&SA
so that it limits producers' opportunities to participate in alternative
marketing arrangements – such as forward contracting – and negotiate
private business transactions. Producers would thus lose the ability to
compete in the free-market system which is fundamental to U.S.
entrepreneurship.”
Editor’s Note: Do you believe enactment of a law banning packer
ownership of cattle and forward contracts (as proposed in LMFA) would
be: good for the U.S. beef industry, bad for the industry, have no
effect, or don’t know? Go to www.beefmagazine.com to vote
in our latest online poll in the center column of the opening page.
-- Joe Roybal
|
|
Beef-producing states told the World Trade Organization (WTO) last
week that they fear a deal between the U.S. and the European Union (EU)
to open up European markets to high-quality beef will impact their
exports.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
article from meattradenewsdaily.co.uk
|
|
|
