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To the surprise of many, the Larry King show this week that focused
on E. coli and food safety – on the heels of damning articles
in TIME magazine and the NY Times – was actually pretty
fair and evenhanded. For one thing, the industry was allowed to state
its case and its viewpoints were well articulated; historically, the
industry has been ambushed and non-beef agendas pushed in these type of
forums.
In truth, the statistics are impressive when one looks at the progress
that’s been made to eliminate food-borne illness in this country, and
particularly those caused by E. coli O157:H7. Conversely,
everyone recognizes that still more needs to be done.
Yet, the one tool that could dramatically resolve the problem –
irradiation – has been available for years and sits ignored on the
shelf because of its unfortunate label. The packing industry, even
cattlemen’s associations, have refused to push the technology in any
big way. This is particularly surprising in the case of packers, who
must go to bed at night in fear of an E. coli outbreak. But,
they’re apparently just too concerned about the potential impact of
the word “irradiation” on demand.
Not unexpectedly, reaction to the NY Times article has lead to
the introduction of legislation. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
introduced a bill that would require more sampling, called the E.
coli eradication act, this week. No matter how well-intentioned,
however, the harsh reality is that no amount of testing can eliminate
E. coli. At the same time, however, any illness caused by our
product is not acceptable, either.
The beef checkoff and the industry have invested millions in a
monumental effort to develop legitimate solutions; the best and only
true remedy waits on the shelf, proven safe and effective in decades and
decades of research. Still, we must do more to fix this problem before a
whole host of non-solutions are foisted on the industry to our
detriment.
-- Troy Marshall
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I know the dairy industry plays a significant role in the beef
industry, and I know that dairy producers share the same bond for
animals as our beef industry. Still, when I look at the BSE cows, videos
like the one at Hallmark, or contemplate the downer-cow problem, it’s
hard to escape the fact that I'm looking largely at dairy cows.
I vividly remember the seemingly endless days of limit down when the
government’s dairy buyout was announced in 1986. And a third dairy
buyout – this one underwritten by industry – was announced in
October.
I've always said that these later buyouts were different; they’re
industry funded, so it’s a fair game. Still, economists have estimated
that this buyout could lower cull-cow prices by as much as $3/cwt. or
roughly $40/head. The timing, of course, is horrendous – the market is
in a seasonal decline and in the midst of the heart of cull cow season.
Could the timing have been any worse?
Yes, I know of the losses the dairy industry has suffered, and I know we
have a lot of interests in common. But I can't help but feel that our
relationship has been extremely one sided. Beef may be a byproduct of
the dairy industry but I wish the dairy industry would embrace the fact
that beef isn’t a sideline for us.
-- Troy Marshall
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National Beef announced this week that it would seek an IPO. And,
JBS earlier announced it would seek an offering to raise $2 billion but
postponed the move due to uncertain economic times.
In addition, this week, JBS said the U.S. Department of Justice had
okayed its intention to buy 64% of Pilgrim’s Pride.
Depending on your perspective, this may or may not be a good thing, but
recent economic times have created opportunities. The trend towards
consolidation has not stopped.
-- Troy Marshall
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Preg-check time is really profit-check time. That’s why it’s so
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More than 30 speakers will address beef-production topics during the
XXI Range Beef Cow Symposium (RBCS) Dec. 1-3 in Casper, WY.
“The RBCS is a great opportunity to listen to nationally recognized
speakers on a wide variety of topics,” says Steve Paisley, University
of Wyoming (UW) Cooperative Extension Service beef cattle specialist,
one of the event organizers.
Set for the Casper Events Center, the RBCS features nine sessions over
its three-day run. These include: industry issues, developing and
managing beef females, selecting the “right” genetics with the
future in mind, outlook for beef demand, enhancing selection decisions,
range-management monitoring, adding value to the calf crop, management
and nutrition, and an economic outlook. Info on program is available at
www.rangebeefcow.com
and www.uwyo.edu/rangebeefcow.
Initiated in 1969, RBCS is held every other year and is organized by
animal science departments of Colorado State University, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, South Dakota State University and UW. The event
rotates between the four states.
-- University of Wyoming
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The Fourth National Conference on Grazing Lands, set for Dec. 13-16
at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno-Sparks, NV, features presentations
from producers and grazing-management experts for all species of
livestock from across the country.
Sponsored by the Grazing Lands Coalition Initiative (GLCI) along with
the Society for Range Management, the conference gets underway Dec. 13
with regional GLCI meetings in the afternoon and a trade show reception
that evening.
Dec. 14, National GLCI Chair Bob Drake will offer introductory remarks,
while USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar have
been invited to address the conference. Meanwhile, concurrent workshop
session highlights include:
- Missouri grazier and author Greg Judy discussing the benefits
of holistic, high-density grazing;
- University of Nebraska holistic grazing management specialist Terry
Gompert, the power of stock density;
- University forage specialists Don Ball and Garry Lacefield, forage
management that beats the odds;
- Animal behavior specialist Darrell Emmick, foraging behavior and
diet selection in the grazing dairy cow;
- Additionally, presentations on grazing with goats, focusing on
legumes, rotational grazing management and much more are on the
schedule.
And, an evening banquet on Dec. 14 features cowboy entertainer Dave
Stamey. For more info or to register, visit www.glci.org
-- Kindra Gordon
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Tammy's Hangin' Tree Cowdogs presents
Cowdogdays09
November 6-8 • Lohman, Missouri
- Cowdog & Handler School
- Cowdogs Worked & Available for Sale
- Call for Details & to Register
Learn more at
www.tammyscowdogs.com/cowdog_days09.html
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Producers looking to market or purchase elite Hereford genetics now
have a new online resource – BuyHereford.com. The new
marketing site gives Hereford breeders of any size operation the power
to reach potential customers worldwide.
Via the site, American Hereford Association (AHA) members can consign
females, bulls, steers, cow-calf pairs, donor dams, embryos, semen,
picks of the herd or flush rights. Commercial female lots and groups of
feeder calves can also be listed.
But offerings aren’t limited to Hereford genetics. Consignments can
also include equipment such as chutes, trailers, show tack and equipment
or feed supplies, AHA says.
The first BuyHereford.com online auction
is set for Nov. 3 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST). Other 2009 scheduled sale
dates are Dec. 1 and Dec. 29.
To consign to the online auction or for more info, contact Joe
Rickabaugh, AHA director of field management and seedstock marketing, at
816-842-3757 or any of the regional Hereford field staff. You can also
visit BuyHereford.com/FAQ.html
for information about the service, and BuyHereford.com/Contacts.html
for contact info.
-- American Hereford Association
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Hollinger Cattle Co., Camden, AL, has been named the recipient of
BEEF magazine’s 2009 National Stocker Award. An independent
judging panel selected Hollinger Cattle Co., owned by Leo Hollinger, Jr.
and his wife Jeannie, as the fourth recipient of the award developed by
BEEF magazine and sponsored by Elanco Animal Health. The award
annually recognizes stocker cattle operations that excel through
improved efficiencies, innovation and management.
As the national winner, Hollinger Cattle Co. receives a $5,000 grand
prize as well as recognition during the 2010 Cattle Industry Convention
in San Antonio, TX. You can read more about the Hollingers at beefmagazine.com/natural-beef/1001-hollinger/.
Also recognized were G-Three Cattle Company, Uniontown, KS, owned by
Gale and Darrel George (beefmagazine.com/natural-beef);
and Thomas Cattle Buying Services, owned by Brad Etheridge, Williston,
FL (beefmagazine.com/cattle-learning/).
As runners-up the two operations each were awarded $1,000.
Background about previous award winners and additional information on
the National Stocker Award are available at www.nationalstockeraward.com.
-- Lindsey Ruth
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The overall decline in U.S. beef exports is largely attributable to
a difficult global market for beef variety meat, says the U.S. Meat
Export Federation (USMEF). January-August exports of U.S. beef variety
meat have declined 20% in volume and 37% in value compared with the same
period last year, while muscle cut exports have declined by 4% and 8%
respectively, USMEF says.
Another major factor is that the top two destinations for U.S. beef –
Mexico and Canada – are performing well below last year’s level.
Beef exports to Mexico (201,970 metric tons or 445.3 million lbs. valued
at $636.7 million) have fallen below last year’s pace by 28% in volume
and 35% in value. Exports to Canada (96,676 metric tons or 213.1 million
lbs. valued at $425.8 million) are lower by 12% and 17%, respectively.
Partially offsetting these decreases was a 32% increase in beef exports
to the combined Asian markets.
Beef exports to Japan are running 22% ahead of last year’s volume and
have increased in value by 21%. Japan’s market potential continues to
be hampered, however, by the 20-month age limitation imposed on U.S.
beef. The Greater China region (plus Vietnam) is also performing
exceptionally well this year, with exports to Vietnam increasing by 28%
in volume and 41% in value and exports to Hong Kong rising by 121% and
81%, respectively.
U.S. beef exports to the Middle East have maintained a pace roughly
equal to 2008, but the region is showing an increasing appetite for U.S.
beef muscle cuts. While variety meat exports to the Middle East have
declined by 11% in volume and 23% in value compared with last year,
muscle cut exports to the region have nearly doubled in volume and
increased by about one-third in value.
Beef exports to the Caribbean have increased 5% in volume and value over
last year, with the Bahamas emerging as one of the region’s top
destinations. Exports to the Bahamas have increased by 31% in volume and
24% in value.
-- USMEF release
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A drop in calf prices has some folks thinking about feeding their
calves and selling the extra weight rather than marketing them this
fall. But before you leap, a number of variables should be considered,
says John Dhuyvetter, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension
livestock specialist near Minot. Two to consider are feed costs and the
anticipated marketing time.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
NDSU news release
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 The Alliance Yellow Pages is the industry's
most complete listing of marketing options for your calf
crop.
The annual listing of industry alliances is categorized by consumer
based programs, where the focus is on finding, feeding and marketing
cattle according to predefined consumer product specifications, or
calf-based programs, where calves are procured to fit specific value
requirements. The listings provide the contact information and
specifications for the industry's top value-based marketing programs.
The Alliance Yellow Pages are sponsored by Elanco Animal Health.
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Circle A Feeders, Huntsville, MO, continues to rewrite Certified
Angus Beef® (CAB®) records. From 2007 to 2008, during its inaugural
year in the feeding business, Circle A posted an acceptance rate of
61.4% CAB and USDA Prime on 917 enrolled cattle, CAB says. During the
current award year – June 2008 through May 2009 – the feedyard
increased to 78.6% CAB and Prime on 1,285 head enrolled.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
CAB release
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Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last week announced a proposal to
create wild horse and burro preserves in the Midwest and East to help
manage growing populations in the West.
“The current path of the wild horse and burro program isn’t
sustainable for the animals, the environment or the taxpayer,” Salazar
said in a letter outlining his proposals to Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid and eight other key members of Congress with jurisdiction over wild
horse issues.
In four decades under Bureau of Land Management (BLM) protection, wild
horses that were fast disappearing from the American scene have returned
to rapid growth. “As wild horses have no natural predators and herds
grow quickly,” Salazar said in his letter, “more than 33,000 wild
horses live in 10 western states. Unfortunately, arid western lands and
watersheds can’t support a population this large without significant
damage to the environment.”
BLM works to achieve an ecological balance on the range by removing
thousands of wild horses and burros from public rangelands each year and
then offering them for adoption. Unadopted animals are cared for in
short-term corrals and long-term pastures. With the sharp decline in
wild horse adoptions in recent years because of the economic downturn,
BLM now maintains 32,000 wild horses and burros in holding, including
more than 9,500 in expensive short-term corrals.
In FY 2008, the cost of holding and caring for these animals exceeded
$27 million – or three-fourths of the FY 2008 enacted funding level of
$36.2 million for the entire wild horse and burro program. In FY 2009,
which ended Sept. 30, holding costs were $29 million, or about 70% of
the total 2009 enacted wild horse and burro program budget of $40.6
million.
A key element of Salazar’s plan, designed to address concerns raised
by the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Government Accountability
Office, would designate a new set of wild horse preserves across the
nation. Citing limits on forage and water in the West because of
persistent drought and wildfire, Salazar said the lands acquired by BLM
and/or its partners “would provide excellent opportunities to
celebrate the historic significance of wild horses, showcase these
animals to the American public, and serve as natural assets that support
local tourism and economic activity.” The wild horse herds placed in
these preserves would be non-reproducing.
Go to www.doi.gov/LettertoHarryReidon.pdf
to view the letter. For more on the national wild horse and burro
program, visit www.blm.gov.
-- Department of Interior release
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Producers can now easily access Angus sale reports, a list of
upcoming registered Angus sales and online breeder sale books by
visiting www.angus.org.
Featured prominently on the American Angus Association®’s (AAA)
website, producers can gain easy access to finding and purchasing Angus
cattle.
“We’ve simply put the information we’ve provided for years in a
user-friendly, easily accessible format to assist both members and
nonmembers in conducting business,” says Eric Grant, director of AAA
communications and public relations.
Angus producers can view sale reports from sales attended by AAA reps,
including prices paid for individual lots, gross numbers and average
prices for sale offerings. The sale book option features Angus
Production Inc.’s flip-through sale book feature for upcoming Angus
sales, and the upcoming sales listing posts sales by date. Visit www.angus.org.
-- American Angus Association
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The U.S. average price for regular gasoline increased for the first
time (week ending Oct. 12) since the week of Aug. 10, 2009. Meanwhile,
the national average price of diesel fuel increased for the first time
in six weeks, moving up 2¢ to $2.60/gal., or $1.06 less than last year.
Although regular gasoline at retail rose 2¢ to $2.49, the national
average remained 66¢ below the year-ago price. Regionally, the East
Coast remained flat at $2.41, while the Midwest jumped 8¢ to $2.44, and
the Gulf Coast 3¢ to $2.32. The Rocky Mountains slipped 2¢ to $2.48,
and the West Coast and California plunged 5¢ to $2.90 and $3.02,
respectively.
Diesel for the week was up 2¢ on both the East Coast and Midwest to
$2.61 and $2.58/gal., respectively. The Gulf Coast was up 1¢ to $2.53,
the Rocky Mountains up .5¢ to $2.65, and the West Coast gained 1¢ to
$2.73. California was unchanged at $2.79.
-- U.S. Energy Information
Administration
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The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) “All Creatures” nationwide
music tour will hit more than 35 clubs and Christian Universities across
the nation before wrapping up the first week in November. Christine
Gutleben, director of the HSUS faith outreach program, will accompany
the tour and speak to audiences about HSUS.
The faith outreach program seeks to engage people and institutions of
faith with animal-protection issues on the premise that religious values
call upon us to act in a kind and merciful way toward all creatures,
HSUS says.
-- HSUS release
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Via their whinnies, horses convey specific info about their
identities, including sex, height and weight, say French researchers.
Acoustic analyses of whinnies and horses’ reactions to various
recorded whinnies also suggest the vocal calls play an important social
role and are unique to each horse.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by www.thehorse.com
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National Beef Packing Co. LLC plans to conduct a public stock
offering that could generate $300 million. In its Securities and
Exchange Commission filing this week, the firm said it plans to go
public as National Beef Inc. and intends to apply to have its common
stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange as NBP.
National Beef is a Kansas City, MO-based firm owned primarily by U.S.
Premium Beef LLC, a member-owned beef marketing cooperative that
supplies National Beef, the nation’s fourth-largest beef processor,
with 20% of its raw product needs, reports the Kansas City
Star.
National Beef has operations in Liberal, Dodge City and Kansas City, KS;
Brawley, CA; Hummels Wharf, PA; Moultrie, GA, and St. Joseph, MO.
-- Media reports
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Patrick K. Goggins has been named the inaugural recipient of the
Livestock Marketing Association’s (LMA) Industry Icon Award.
Recognized for his “grand impact” on LMA and the betterment of the
livestock market and marketing industry, the presentation was made
recently at Public Auction Yards (PAYS) in Billings, MT, one of
Goggins’ three Montana markets.
Goggins served on the LMA Board from 1994-2006 and as president from
2001-2002. He bought PAYS in the early 1960s, followed by Billings
Livestock Commission Company in 1983 and most recently, Western
Livestock Auction, in Great Falls. In addition, he owns Northern
Livestock Video Auction in Billings, and conducted the first-ever video
auction in the early 1970s. He also originated the first ring scale in
the U.S.
Goggins has been a stalwart and vocal advocate of the auction-based,
competitive livestock marketing system, LMA says. And, he’s had a
national platform for his views, as the veteran publisher and weekly
columnist for the Western Livestock Reporter and Agri-News
– two papers he recently combined into the Western Ag Reporter.
Goggins was born in 1930 in California, but his family moved to
Montana in the mid 1930s. His professional career began in the newspaper
business, eventually landing him an advertising sales job at the
Western Livestock Reporter, where he taught himself to be an
auctioneer.
In 1965, Goggins purchased the Vermilion Ranch east of Billings, and
built it into a nationally-known, registered Angus operation. He helped
found the annual Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) in
Billings, was NILE’s first president and a board member for almost 15
years. He and his wife Babe will celebrate their 58th anniversary in
December.
-- LMA news release
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The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s (UNCE) annual
Cattleman's Update is set to run Jan. 4-8 in various Nevada communities
and through interactive video. Ron Torell, UNCE livestock specialist,
says the info will help Nevada ranchers remain successful in "a global
market currently experiencing turbulent economic times.”
Featured speaker for the three-hour workshops will be USDA animal
scientist Tom Geary, who will discuss nutritional and reproductive
management of beef cows. In addition, UNCE veterinarian David Thain will
discuss animal health strategies for beef cattle, and UNCE beef
specialist Ben Bruce will discuss range management strategies that help
boost profits. Ron Torell, UNCE livestock specialist, will discuss
management strategies of beef cows that pay and adhere to the standards
of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. Current issues affecting
the beef industry in Nevada also will be discussed.
Meeting dates, times and locations include:- Jan. 4, 10 a.m. –
Washoe County Extension Office, Reno; with interactive video sites at
Extension offices in Eureka, Caliente, Tonopah, Logandale and Lovelock,
as well as Klamath Falls, OR. All sites are tentative. Call for
verification at 775-784-1377.
- Jan. 4, 6 p.m. – Multipurpose Building, Fallon.
- Jan. 5, 5 p.m. – White Pine County Convention Center, Ely.
- Jan. 6, 12:30 p.m. – Elko Convention Center, Elko.
- Jan. 7, 10:30 a.m. – Humboldt County Extension Office, Winnemucca
- Jan. 8, 10 a.m. – Wellington Community Hall, Wellington.
A
$20/ranch registration fee at the door includes a “Red Book” and
refreshments. For more info, contact Torell at 775-738-1721 or torellr@unce.unr.edu; David Thain
at 775-784-1377; or Ben Bruce at 775-784-1624.
-- University of Nevada Extension
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America's beef cattle industry has conjured up many male macho
images in its long history. Think The Marlboro Man or John Wayne. Yet
it's also been notable for having women in its leadership ranks. This is
in part a reflection of cattle ranching, where husband and wife are
often business partners.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
article by Steve Kay
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One sector that will have to improve before meat demand in general,
and beef and chicken demand in particular, bounce back is restaurants.
But, according to the monthly Restaurant Performance Index from the
National Restaurant Association (NRA), that’s not happening yet.
The August index fell 0.2% from July and now stands at 97.9. Index
numbers below 100 indicate contraction while those over 100 would
indicate expansion. The index has been below 100 since October 2007 and
bottomed at 96.4 last December. Four months of gains ended in May and
the index has moved more-or-less sideways since that time.
The Restaurant Performance Index is actually a combination of two
indexes – the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index. The
Current Situation Index stood at only 96.0 in August, down 0.9% from
July. That drop, the largest in nearly a year, was driven by
deteriorating sales and traffic, according to NRA.
The percentage of operators reporting same-store sales growth from
August 2008 to August 2009 was only 17%, the lowest figure in the
seven-year history of the index. The Expectation Index measures
operator’s six-month outlook for major industry indicators. It gained
0.5% in August and stands at its highest level since April at 99.9%.
NRA’s monthly Performance Index report can be found at www.restaurant.org/pdfs/research/index/200908.pdf.
-- CME Group Oct. 9 Daily Livestock Report
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Japanese inspectors discovered bovine spinal columns in one of more
than 700 boxes delivered in September by Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.,
Japanese government officials said. The 35 lbs. of chilled loins with
spinal bones weren’t released commercially, and the suspension only
involves the Tyson plant in Lexington, NE., one of 46 meatpacking plants
officially sanctioned to export beef to Japan, the Associated
Press reports. The Japanese ministry also called on USDA to
investigate how the banned beef products, also known as specified risk
materials, made it into the shipment.
Japan allows only U.S. beef products from cattle younger than 20 months
of age for import, and only with the brain, skull, eyes, trigeminal
ganglia, spinal cord, vertebral column, dorsal root ganglia, tonsils and
distal ileum removed.
The Japan Times reports there have been 13 U.S. violations of the
bilateral beef import protocol since the resumption of U.S. beef imports
to Japan in July 2006. The recent incident was reported within the same
week U.S. trade officials requested the full removal of the current
import protocol.
-- japantines.com
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Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said this week that the U.S. and
Taiwan are “very close to an understanding” over resumption of all
beef imports from the U.S. Later in the week, however, Vice Premier Eric
Chu pledged that consumers' health will be safeguarded, and the
government would demand that retailers sell U.S. beef in special
sections. Chu said Taiwan's market reopening for U.S. beef products
would not be larger than that of South Korea. South Korea currently
allows only boneless meat products from cattle less than 30 months of
age.
--straittimes
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Yucca plants, called soapweed by some, have nearly overrun many
rangelands, particularly lately after several years in which drought
plus grazing weakened many plants, says Bruce Anderson, University of
Nebraska Extension forage specialist. And, dense stands of yucca, a
plant that can develop rapidly once established on drier rangeland
sites, can devastate grass production, he says.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska forage
specialist
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Lawyers have filed a petition with USDA’s Food Safety & Inspection
Service (FSIS) on the E. coli issue. The 470-page petition, filed
by the Seattle-based law firm Marler Clark, asserts that all Shiga
toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), not just E. coli O157:H7,
should be declared as adulterants under the Federal Meat Inspection Act
(FMIA).
The petition states that not to do so, “ignores the grave dangers that
scientific and medical research demonstrates...” and puts “the
safety of American consumers at risk.” Marler Clark represents victims
of food-borne illness throughout U.S.
Adulterants under the FMIA are defined as impurities that aren’t
tolerated. Under FMIA, FSIS declared E. coli O157:H7 an
adulterant 15 years ago following the 1993 Jack in the Box outbreak in
which more than 600 consumers became infected with E.coli O157:H7
and four children died.
The petition cites one study showing that non-O157 STEC is prevalent in
U.S. beef production at rates as high as 70%. It also claims the Centers
for Disease Control estimates that non-O157 STEC causes an estimated
36,700 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalizations and 30 deaths annually. Marler
Clark filed the petition along with several of the firm’s clients
whose family members have been injured or killed by non-O157 E.
coli serotypes.
-- Food Safety News
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When Canada launched its “official” World Trade Organization
(WTO) complaint against mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL), its
objection dealt specifically with the regulations regarding labels on
meat products which they claim in a press release to be “. . . so
onerous that they affect the ability of our cattle and hog exporters to
compete fairly in the U.S market.” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S.
Trade Representative Ron Kirk responded that they “…believe that our
implementation of COOL provides information to consumer in a manner
consistent with our [WTO] commitments.”
An interesting point in the U.S. press release is this: “Countries
have agreed since long before the existence of the WTO that country of
origin labeling is a legitimate policy. It is common for other countries
to require that goods be labeled as to their origin.”
That statement is true. But the real issue is in the debate over the
U.S. mandatory COOL law is the definition of “origin.” The past
labeling to which Vilsack and Kirk refer generally applied to the
country of final manufacture or the country of “substantial
transformation.”
A television manufactured in Japan using parts from China, Taiwan and
Korea was labeled “Product of Japan” not “Product of Japan, China,
Taiwan and Korea.” The mandatory COOL law has no such requirement.
With the exception of cattle that are sometimes transshipped through
Canada on their way to the continental U.S. from Hawaii, if an animal
has ever spent time outside of the U.S., product from that animal must
carry the other country’s name on its label, even if most of its body
weight was added in the U.S. or the final processing is done in the U.S.
And that is the issue that the WTO panel must decide: Is this new,
broader concept of origin legitimate under world trade rules?
-- CME Group Daily Livestock Report
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I found Troy Marshall’s Oct. 9 piece, “Not A Knockout Punch But
A Wobbler For Sure,” a discussion on the New York Times article
on E. coli in ground beef, to be well written; it directly
pointed out the deficiencies in the food-inspection system. But will
this be enough encouragement to bring the livestock industry together in
a united effort to cause change or will it result in just more business
as usual?
Between food production, processing and preparation, it would appear to
me that the production end stands to suffer the most with any decline in
demand due to food-safety fears. The cattle industry needs to unite on
this challenge and do what’s best for consumers and the survival of
the industry.
If this article doesn’t generate a grassroots campaign to change food
inspection at every level involving every local and state livestock
association, who is going to be responsible for the failure? Our
food-inspection system, once considered the class of the world, is now
in shambles due to overlapping agencies ruled by bureaucrats unwilling
and unable to enforce routine regulations. Compound that with
incompetent inspectors and we have a system destined to fail.
Why is a public utility such as a gas company allowed to evacuate and
shut down a building because of a potential threat, but a serious
violator in the food sector is given a warning and allowed to continue
in business? We need a get-tough policy. Processors who operate with
more consideration toward profit and who don’t follow their own
written rules need to be shut down.
Our current bureaucracy-riddled system ensures that none of this will
occur. We need people willing to make and defend decisions; if the
industry doesn’t take the lead and demand a modernization and
accountability of food inspection with one single agency in charge from
national to local, can the industry survive long term?
-- Don Cobb DVM , Casper, WY
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