News Update

News Update
May 15, 2006

Defining “grass-fed” livestock

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is trying again to come out with a formal rule defining what’s grass fed and what isn’t, the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) reported on www.lmaweb.com.

Four years ago, USDA said the term meant that an animal had to spend at least 80% of its life on a grass diet. The grass-fed livestock producers were upset at that definition, saying someone could put cattle in a feedlot for an extended period of time and still call the animal grass fed, the LMA article explained.

The new USDA rule, which may be out this week, is expected to say that an animal must spend at least 99% of its life on a grass or forage-based diet to be called “grass-fed,” the article continued. Groups such as the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition are demanding a tighter rule to protect the niche market from larger commercial feeding operations attempting to use the grass-fed label on their products. Meanwhile, the American Grassfed Association is pushing for a standard near 100%.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking comments on the revised proposed voluntary standard for grass-fed livestock marketing claims. The proposed voluntary standard would allow livestock producers to request that USDA verify a grass-fed claim, which would be accomplished through an AMS audit of the production process, the American Meat Institute (AMI) reported on www.meatami.com.

Comments on the rule must be received by Aug. 10. To review the proposal, go to http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-7276.htm.

US, China finish first round of trade resumption talks

A delegation from the U.S. and Chinese governments concluded two days of negotiations in Beijing to establish a protocol for the resumption of U.S. beef sales to China, the USDA reported.

“We’ve made considerable progress with China during these discussions to reopen their market to U.S. beef, and we will meet again soon to conclude the talks,” said Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services J.B. Penn. “We also developed and completed a memorandum of cooperation that provides a basis for addressing food safety issues on an ongoing basis.”

The discussions in Beijing follow the 17th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting in Washington last month at which China agreed to reopen its market to U.S. beef prior to June 30 with the development of a science-based trading protocol, consistent with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines.

USDA officials are now traveling to Japan to continue discussions on the resumption of U.S. beef sales to Japan.

— compiled by Meghan Soderstrom, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.