Farmed
Animal Watch
A Project of Animal Place
April 25, 2002
(To Search This Page Press Ctrl F)
Issue #64
CONTENTS
1. EPA Moves to Close Down Buckeye Egg Farms
2. USDA Purchasing $10 Million Worth of Egg Products
3. Avian Influenza News
4. The Making of "Modern Meat"
5. Cattle Increasingly Being Found Shot
6. California's Changing Dairy Demographics
7. Thinking like a Cow
8. EVENTS: Florida Fly-In, Food Safety Seminar
1. EPA MOVES TO CLOSE DOWN BUCKEYE EGG FARMS
After flies became a problem "of biblical proportions" yet again for
neighbors (see back issue #2), the Ohio EPA announced it will revoke operating
permits for Buckeye Egg Farms. The company, with 15.5 million hens, is one of
the nation's largest egg producers. Despite having been repeatedly fined and
sued for environmental violations (see back issue #29), Buckeye continues to
pollute. Owner Anton Pohlmann was banned from owning animals in his native
Germany, in 1996, after an illegal spray was used on chickens to kill mites.
Prior to that, he had 60,000 chickens killed by shutting down the air
conditioning and depriving them of food and water. Since the ban, Pohlmann has
tripled his Ohio flock. If Buckeye appeals the decision, efforts to close the
company could be delayed for at least a year. A scathing editorial in The
Columbus Dispatch declares "The full resources of the state should be
brought to bear to shut down this outlaw operation as soon as possible."
2. USDA PURCHASING $10 MILLION WORTH OF EGG PRODUCTS
The USDA will purchase nearly $10 million in egg products for use in federal
food programs and to "provide some assistance for producers who have
faced difficult economic times."
3. AVIAN INFLUENZA NEWS
The current avian influenza (AI) epidemic has crossed Virginia's Blue Ridge
Mountains. Since its discovery last month (see back issue #62), over 1.1
million chickens and turkeys have been killed to keep the virus from
spreading, and more than 750,000 additional birds are slated for slaughter.
This surpasses the number of birds killed in the 1983-84 outbreak. Any flock
which tests positive for exposure is to be slaughtered, with most being either
composted or landfilled. In the last month, flocks in North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia have tested positive. All Delmarva
poultry companies have breeder operations in Virginia or North Carolina.
Genetic tests on the latest strain of AI to hit Hong Kong show it is based on
the same strain that caused the outbreak there last year. According to Chinese
scientists, this shows that the 2001 slaughter of the entire chicken
population (over 1 million birds) to eradicate the virus failed. In February
of this year, almost 900,000 chickens were killed due to the disease. One
researcher recommends getting rid of the farms in the region, closing poultry
markets, and banning the importation of live chickens from China. Hong Kong
authorities are strongly opposed to this.
"Avian Flu Spreads Outside Shenandoah Valley," Daily News, The
Meating Place, Bill McDowell, April 22, 2002.
http://www.mtgplace.com/meatingplace/DailyNews/News.asp?ID=9114
"Chicken virus requires strict controls," UPI, April 15, 2002.
http://www.meatandpoultryonline.com/content/news/newsindex.asp?bucket=latest+headlines
"Hong Kong chicken flu slaughter ‘failed,'" New Scientist, Emma
Young, April 19, 2002.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992189
4. THE MAKING OF "MODERN MEAT"
Doug Hamilton, the producer of "Modern Meat," the documentary that
aired last week on PBS (see back issue #63), participated in a lengthy
online discussion about the program on the Washington Post web site. Hamilton
said they acquired slaughter footage because no major slaughterplant would
allow him to film, nor was any major meat company executive willing to speak
on record. The Frontline web site contains extensive information about the
program, including slaughter issues and a link to the discussion.
Response to the documentary by the meat industry was, not surprisingly,
critical. Dan Murphy, editor of Meat Marketing & Technology Magazine,
commented that the "crockumentary" was "pretty much an
hour-long bitch-slapping of the meat industry." He complained at length
of the absence of meat industry representatives from the program, including
himself. The National Meat Association has posted a section on its web site
condemning the program. In contrast, Steve Bjerklie, editor of Meat Processing
Magazine, writes, "The media as an institution is not ‘against' the
meat industry, not that I've ever seen." His commentary gives recent
examples of "thorough and well-documented investigations" of the
meat industry. He warns that more will follow until the industry changes
itself into the industry it wants to be.
"Commentary: Frontline's Phony ‘Expose' as Fraudulent as it Gets,"
Dan Murphy, The Meating Place, April 19, 2002.
http://www.mtgplace.com/meatingplace/DailyNews/News.asp?ID=9112
"How Frontline Handled ‘Modern Meat," News & Info, National
Meat Association.
http://www.nmaonline.org/NEWS___INFO/files/_Modern_Meat_/_modern_meat_.html
"Perspective," Meat News, Steve Bjerklie, April 17, 2002.
http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Article&artNum=3057
5. CATTLE INCREASINGLY BEING FOUND SHOT
Industry audits present evidence that the incidence of gunshot in cattle is on
the rise. The 1999 National Market Cow and Bull Quality Audit found a 0.3%
incidence rate equating to 15,000 separate incidences per year (see back issue
#9). This is believed to be a conservative estimate and only accounts for
market animals in which shot has been detected during processing. Hunters,
vandals and ranchers are blamed for both intentionally and accidentally
wounding the animals. The article explains that one rancher, who is also a
veterinarian, admits to using shotguns to flush cattle out of brush or when
herding them by helicopter. Large, beef-based contracts are being turned down
because of the potential liability which imbedded metal fragments present.
Some companies are turning instead to imported beef.
6. CALIFORNIA'S CHANGING DAIRY DEMOGRAPHICS
Two huge dairies are planning to commence operations in northern California.
Both intend to keep about 6,000 cows. The average size of a dairy herd in the
state has grown more than 50% since 1990. The state's $4 billion industry is
the largest milk producer in the country and may soon surpass Wisconsin as the
largest cheese producer. This article, complete with maps, tables and a graph,
underscores the efforts of environmental and social justice organizations,
along with the California Attorney General, to limit and regulate the
industry.
7. THINKING LIKE A COW
Canadian animal behaviorists are trying to better understand the thought
processes of cows. One, Jon Watts, has a post-doctoral fellowship to study
social cognition and welfare in cattle. He thinks that cows in groups of more
than 200 on commercial feedlots get stressed. Since they can't keep track of
the other cows they live within such a large group, they don't form a stable
social structure and constantly fight for dominance. Little attention has been
paid to the welfare consequences of subjecting these animals to early weaning
and keeping them in large groups of the same age and gender. Watts hopes to
find out how cattle recognize each other. He notes, "We don't need to go
into outer space to look for alien intelligence because we have it right here
on Earth."
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service will be holding a public meeting
on food safety at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. on May 6-7th. The
symposium, "Pathogen Reduction: A Scientific Dialogue," will include
speakers from government and academia. The stated purpose of the meeting is to
stimulate thinking on enhancing the safety of meat, poultry and egg products.
How pathogens enter the food chain will be among the topics discussed. The
agenda is posted at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/news/2002/agenda_pr.htm
