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News Update
July 20, 2005


Chile Opens Border

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns released a statement yesterday, announcing that Chile is lifting its ban on U.S. beef and beef products from animals less than 30 months of age. The move will mark the first time Chile will import U.S. beef and beef products since imposing a ban December 2003.

“I applaud the Chilean government for making trade decisions based on internationally accepted scientific standards,” Johanns stated. “This is one more step toward normalized international trade in beef. USDA (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) is working hard to normalize trade with all of our beef trading partners, both exporting and importing, based on scientifically sound, internationally recognized standards, which protect both human and animal health.”

According to the USDA statement, the United States exported $5.3 million worth of beef and beef products to Chile in 2003.


NRC Recommends Centralized Animal Health Entity, More Research Vets

The National Research Council (NRC) released a report July 18 calling for the creation of a centralized, high-level entity to coordinate and harmonize the “fragmented framework” of public and private groups safeguarding the nation’s animal health.

NRC noted in the release that the dozens of federal and state agencies, university laboratories, and private companies that monitor and maintain U.S. animal health actually perform similar functions, while some responsibilities fall by the wayside. A coordinated mechanism, it stated, would facilitate the sharing of information among agencies and connect key databases, as well as improve communication with the public.

NRC acknowledged the creation of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), which links diagnostic labs performing tests for USDA, as a “good start,” but said the network is limited. Better connections to the human health systems are needed as well, and the council urged U.S. agencies to coordinate with the international community to create a global system for preventing and detecting animal diseases.

Tightened regulations controlling possession of exotic, nondomesticated and wild animals was suggested, as well as a nationwide training program for farm workers and other animal handlers.

As a result of the NRC suggestions, the council also recommended, in a separate report, increasing the number of dwindling veterinary researchers and improving their training and facilities.

For more information visit www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf. Copies of the reports, titled “Animal Health at the Crossroads: Preventing, Detecting, and Diagnosing Animal Diseases” and “Critical Needs for Research in Veterinary Science,” will be available later this summer by calling 1-800-634-6343 or visiting www.nap.edu.


— by Crystal Albers, Angus Productions Inc., assistant editor

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