July
28, 2004 |
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Check out our website: www.FarmedAnimal.net Farmed
Animal Watch is sponsored by Animal
Place, Animal
Welfare Trust, Farm
Sanctuary, The Fund
for Animals, Glaser
Progress Foundation, and People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 1. VETERINARIANS AND SCIENTISTS FORM AUDITORS' GROUP; AVMA NEWS A coalition of groups representing veterinarians and animal scientists
who work with farmed animals is forming a new certification program for
animal auditors. The Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization
(PAACO) has as its mission "to promote the humane treatment of animals
through education and certification of animal auditors and to promote
the profession of animal auditors." The effort is said to represent
the first time that veterinarians and animal scientists have organized
under one group to focus on the humane treatment of farmed animals. Officials
from the coalition's member groups say that the program will result
in a more highly trained force of inspectors who conduct on-farm audits.
The coalition's first board of directors meeting was held in St.
Louis, Missouri on July 24. 2. NEW REPORT: USDA BEING "HIJACKED" BY AGRIBUSINESS INDUSTRY A
new report from a coalition of farm industry and consumer groups strongly
criticizes the US Department of Agriculture for allowing its regulatory
policy to be "taken over" by former industry representatives. The report
draws from five "case studies" to illustrate the influence of industry
on USDA's policymaking. Specific examples from the report include the
department's support for factory farms, weakened slaughterhouse inspections,
mishandling of national BSE testing, and other issues. The report suggests
a review of employment ethics rules for all government officials, increased
congressional oversight, and analysis of USDA's dual role as both promoter
of US agribusiness and regulator of the safety of the US food supply.
The report issued by the Abribusiness Accountability Initiative (AAI)
is entitled, "USDA, Inc.: How Agribusiness has Hijacked Regulatory Policy
at the USDA." 3. FARMED ANIMALS AND WILD PREDATORS About
a dozen ranching companies have signed onto a new program for "predator-friendly"
certification of meat products. Under the program administered by the
Predator Conservation Alliance, ranchers must not use any lethal methods
against predators. The program has also prompted some producers to discontinue
dehorning cows and keep both cows and chickens mobile to avoid easy predation.
The program, initiated by conservationists and ranchers in 2003, is also
meant to be used as a marketing tool for qualified producers to appeal
to wildlife- and environment-conscious consumers. Predation of farmed
animals is estimated to have cost farmers more than $51 million in 2000,
while producers are said to have spent about $185 million on non-lethal
methods of predator control. The primary wild predators of farmed animals
include coyotes, mountain lions, wolves, and grizzly bears. 4. FALLOUT CONTINUES FROM CHICKEN ABUSE INVESTIGATION The
recent undercover investigation of a Pilgrim's Pride plant in Moorefield,
West Virginia continues for the company and one of its major customers,
KFC Corp. Admitting culpability for the incident that involved intense
abuse of "broiler" chickens, Pilgrim's Pride says that it has increased
monitoring at the plant and hired veterinarian Temple Grandin. Grandin
is an industry consultant specializing in "humane" slaughter and an advisor
to KFC. Additionally, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
sent three investigators to the West Virginia plant to interview employees.
As of July 26, Pilgrim's Pride's stock was trading at 10% below its level
prior to release of the undercover video. 5. SPOTLIGHT: THE U.S. CHICKEN INDUSTRY The
US chicken industry is booming while experiencing consolidation around
the operations of a few very large producers, including Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's
Pride, Perdue Farms, and Gold Kist. Together these four producers and
their contract growers make up more than 50% of the US chicken market.
More than 8.6 billion chickens were slaughtered for meat in 2003, for
a retail market estimated to be worth $44 million. Given the market power
of companies like Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride, the thousands of contract
chicken producers in the US are finding it difficult to make a profit.
A 1999 survey by Perdue University indicated that half of the poultry
producers are at least $100,000 in debt. The largest producers are doing
well by comparison. On July 27, 2004, Tyson Foods reported a quarterly
increase in sales of 5% and earnings growth of 60%; the company's chicken
sales increased approximately 13%. For Pilgrim's Pride, sales for the
same quarter were up more than 122%, although the company's earnings fell
by 65% compared to the same quarter of 2003. "Voluntary
COOL Bill Moves to Full House; Senate Opposition Likely," Meatingplace.com,
Bill McDowell, July 26, 2004
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