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1. Industry Showing Concern for Farmed Animal
Welfare and Handling
The welfare and humane handling of farmed animals
is a growing concern in the industry due in large
part to pressure from animal and consumer rights activists.
The animal advocacy group People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals (PETA) and others have successfully convinced
food companies to adopt minimum animal welfare guidelines,
including McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, and Safeway.
Such pressure has resulted in acknowledgement by the
industry that animal handling and welfare are serious
concerns held by their customers; a manager at Burger
King says he has "known for years that animal welfare
was a growing issue for consumers." Retailers, supplies,
and now producers of farmed animal products are increasingly
required to complete third-party audits of animal
welfare programs, although currently there is no standard
audit for any farmed animal species. A "non-exhaustive"
list of animal welfare programs can be found on the
following website: http://www.vancepublishing.com/fsi/special/audits.htm
Regarding pig welfare and handling in particular, the Prairie Swine Centre (Canada) is urging pig farmers to minimize the use of electric prods for transporting pigs. According to Dr. Harold Gonyou, a lead scientist with the Centre, the "stresses of handling these animals can reach the point where some will become severely fatigued… in some cases to the point they end up being lost." Gonyou said that up to 5% of pigs in each truckload are fatigued and may end up dying or being euthanized as a result of immobility, but that the average is closer to 1% or 1.5%. According to Gonyou, "almost all of the instances of these fatigued pigs were related to the use of electric prods," which is the cause of the Centre's recommendation that producers minimize the use of such prods.
The American Meat Institute will hold its "Animal Care and Handling Conference" on February 9, 2005 in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference will feature three tracks, including one on "Management and Policy," another on pig handling, and a third on cow handling. The conference speaker list includes Professor Bernard Rollin, a bioethicist and instructor of philosophy, physiology, and animal science at Colorado State University. Dr. Rollin will address farmed animal welfare in general, as well as the "need for a new ethic that goes beyond simple concerns about 'kindness' and 'cruelty' to animals."
"Consumer's Talk: Food Chain Listens," Pork Magazine 11/1/04
http://www.vancepublishing.com/FSI/articles/0411/0411consumerstalk.htm
"Swine Producers Encouraged to Minimize the Use of Electric Prods," Farmscape 11/16/04
http://www.farmscape.ca/FSA_showarchive.asp?id=2269
"Bioethicist Bernard Rollin to Speak at AMI's Animal Care and Handling Conference," American Meat Institute, 11/10/04
http://www.meatami.com/SubscriptionRedir.cfm?News=1&ID=2196
2.
US Agriculture Secretary Veneman Resigns; Replacements
Discussed
US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman has joined several other cabinet members in resigning from the administration of President George W. Bush. Veneman, who had previously worked in the Agriculture Department under Presidents Reagan and Bush (the elder), received mixed reviews from the agriculture industry and animal and environmental activists. While some characterize Veneman's record on conservation as "lackluster," others in the meat industry praise the outgoing Secretary for her role in maintaining and even growing consumer confidence in the US beef supply after the discover of BSE in late 2003. A number of names have been mentioned as possible replacements for the position of Agriculture Secretary, including administration insiders Allen Johnson, William Hawks, and Chuck Conner. Also said to be under consideration is Representative Charles Stenholm, a long-time Texas Democrat who recently lost his seat in Congress. According to the political action committee Humane USA, Stenholm "was the leading voice in Congress against the Downed Animal Protection Act" (see http://humaneusa.org/article.asp?article_key=130&n=1). Industry trade group and small farming advocates R-CALF also criticized Stenholm, saying he "has been closely aligned with his state's large feedlots."
"A Legacy Defined by Mad Cow and Mixed Land-Use Reviews," New York Times, 11/16/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/16/politics/16agriculture.html
"Veneman Presided Over Wary Food Supply," Star Tribune / Associated Press, 11/15/04
http://www.startribune.com/stories/721/5087502.html (Subscription required)
"Ag Secretary Veneman Resigns, Replacement May be Named Today," Meatingplace.com, 11/15/04
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/init.asp?iID=13403
3.
US Farm Data: Income, Expenses, Profits, and Government
Payments
The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) has compiled a comprehensive set of statistics related to farming, such as average income by type of farm, government subsidies by type of farm, and other measures. In 2003, the total value of all farmed animal production was $106 billion, comparable to the total value of all crop production ($108 billion). According to ERS, in 2004 the "value of livestock production is forecast to exceed the previous record from 2001 by $15.1 billion," to a total of $122 billion. In 2003, government payments or subsidies to farms were much larger than in 2002, increasing from $11 billion to $16 billion. Estimates provided by ERS indicate that farms primarily identified as "beef" cow operations received $1.6 billion in government payments in 2003. By comparison, dairy farms received nearly $1.3 billion, pig farms received $258 million, chicken and turkey operations received $60 million, and those farms classified as "general livestock" received just over $300 million in payments.
Farm Income and Costs, USDA / ERS, 11/9/04
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FarmIncome/
Farm Income by Sector, USDA / ERS
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FarmIncome/Data/VA9803US.htm
Farms Receiving Government Payments, USDA / ERS
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FarmIncome/govtpaybyfarmtype.htm
4.
Consumer News: Vegetarian Food Choices and Low-Carb
Trends
Institutional acceptance of vegetarian and vegan diets is evident in two recent articles covering food labeling in the UK and the availability of vegetarian products at US airports. In the UK, the country's Food Standards Agency has announced it will draft "best practice advice" for labeling of products said to be suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The decision was agreed to at a stakeholder meeting held on October 12, and will be subject to a public comment period beginning in summer 2005. In the US, vegetarian and health advocacy group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has released findings from research on the availability of vegetarian and vegan products in US airports. According to PCRM's report, of the twelve airports surveyed, nearly 85% offer a vegetarian entrée and three-fourths of the airports improved their scores over last year. Miami's airport received the highest score, with 85% of its restaurants offering a vegetarian entrée; by comparison, Las Vegas received the lowest score, with only 33% offering vegetarian options. Finally, a report from the NPD Group issued last April predicted the current decline of the "low-carb" food market and cited several interesting causes. NPD Group's study of more than 11,000 people found that low-carb dieters "report health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol at above average rates." The study also found that those who eat a higher than average amount of carbohydrates are most likely to be at or below their optimal weight.
"UK: FSA to Draft Advice on Vegetarian and Vegan Labeling," Just-food.com, 11/12/04
http://www.just-food.com/news_detail.asp?art=59194
"Survey Shows More Low-Fat and Vegetarian Choices Available at Top US Airports," PCRM, 11/15/04
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39763
"Report on Low-Carb's Impact on America's Diet," NPD Group, 4/5/04
http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_040405.htm
5.
Resource Site: Environmental Protection Agency on
Farming Operations
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on October 12 launched a "virtual information center" with a comprehensive set of information on animal feeding operations. Topics covered by the new EPA website include state and federal regulations for concentrated animal feeding operations, with links to the actual regulations for all states, as well as environmental policies and issues, trade associations, and other research. The website offers an inclusive set of links by topic for anyone interested in researching the environmental regulations that cover raising and slaughtering animals for food.
"Animal Feeding Operations (AFO) Virtual Information Center," US Environmental Protection Agency
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/virtualcenter.cfm
"EPA Offers Internet Guide for Livestock Information," Meatingplace.com, 11/11/04
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/init.asp?iID=13387
6. Other Items of Interest
A US Department of Agriculture task force in July recommended the establishment of a National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), a USDA equivalent to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIFA concept has received significant support for its would-be objectives, including emphasis on international marketing, human health and obesity, and food safety.
"A USDA Basic Science Institute?" The Scientist, 11/16/04
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20041116/02
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is calling on the country's Agriculture Minister to support reestablishment of Ireland's live export trade. IFA's president cites Ireland's live exports, worth about 150 million Euros annually, are "highly regulated with veterinary inspections and operates to extremely high standards of animal welfare."
"Live Export Fight," Meat News, 11/15/04
http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=PArticle&artNum=8541
A guest editorial in a Texas newspaper notes that "although Texas is home to two of only three US horse-slaughter plants, horse slaughter for human consumption has been illegal in Texas since 1949." The writer cites Texas Agriculture Code Section 149 which bans the possession, sale, and transport of horsemeat.
"Old, Sick Horses? Not Hardly," The Augusta Free Press, 11/4/04
http://www.augustafreepress.com/stories/storyReader$28156
AUSTRALIA: Animal protection advocates are criticizing Australia's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) for not taking a stance against "mulesing" of sheep to facilitate wool production. Following the recent actions taken by PETA and others, local activists are increasing the pressure on the country's largest animal welfare group using more confrontational tactics.
"RSPCA's Support of Farming Industry - A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing?" The Age, 11/11/04
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/10/1100021873406.html (Registration required)
The world's leading suppliers will export a record amount of meat products in 2004, up 5.4% from last year to a total of nearly 18 million tons. The leading supplier of beef and poultry products is Brazil, with China and the US also among the leaders for those and other types of products.
"Brazil Expected to Remain a World Leader in Beef & Poultry Trade," USAgNet, 11/10/2004
http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.cfm?Id=1179&yr=2004
Known to occur as a result of eating BSE-infected meat or through occasional sporadic cases, researchers have now identified a third, even rarer form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). The findings are based on laboratory mice and have not been found in humans, and the implications are currently unknown.
"Mad Cow Variant Suspected," News Observer / Associated Press, 11/12/04
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1821543p-8131090c.html
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