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News Update
Aug. 16, 2005


USDA Releases Records of Processing Violations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released information detailing more than 1,000 violations at beef processing plants that failed to comply with specified risk material (SRM) removal, CNN reported.

However, the violations, which took place from January 2004 to May 2005, represent less than 1% of all citations at the facilities, an agency source noted, and no meat containing SRMs — such as brain or spinal cord tissue — reached consumers.

USDA released the information in response to requests made by consumer groups citing the Freedom of Information Act.

Although American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation President Jim Hodges is quoted in the CNN.com article remarking on the meatpacking industry’s high levels of federal compliance, the information, nonetheless, garnered media attention.


More ‘Mad Cow’ in the News

The topic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known commonly in media as “mad cow disease,” has cropped up in other news venues as well.

According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), The New York Times published an editorial Aug. 13 criticizing USDA procedures and the safety of the beef industry. The editorial chastised USDA’s testing systems and packing plant techniques, stating, “American meatpackers use dangerous methods that other countries ban. And the United States Department of Agriculture does not require enough testing to ensure that American beef is completely safe.”

The article called for total BSE-testing of the U.S. herd, and the development of a food safety agency separate from the USDA.


South Korea Market Outlook Discouraging

Once a key U.S. beef market, South Korea will likely delay the resumption of U.S. beef imports until next year, according to an article released today in the Korea Times.

The country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MOAF) credited the delay to the United States’ “technical problems in proving its safety from mad cow disease.” A meeting to determine whether South Korea will resume trade had been postponed, the paper said, because requested information regarding the second U.S. BSE case had not arrived.

“We expect the information soon, but it may take several months for the government to make a decision on whether to reopen the market. We will ask for additional documents if the information doesn’t contain enough data to ensure the safety of U.S. beef,” Kim Chang-sup, MAOF official, stated.


— compiled by Crystal Albers, Angus Productions Inc.

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