News Update

News Update
Nov. 14, 2007

Japanese Ministers Won’t Bow to U.S. Beef Demand

Only days before President Bush meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Kyodo News reports Japan won’t unconditionally accept Washington’s demand that it lift the age limit on U.S. beef imports, according to MeatingPlace.com.

Bush is expected to press the issue with Fukuda during a summit scheduled for Friday in Washington.

Japanese officials, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Masatoshi Wakabayashi say the government should base such a decision on “scientific evidence,” MeatingPlace reports.

Japanese officials have been studying data supplied by Washington to decide whether U.S. beef from cattle of all ages is safe — the same data the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reviewed before deeming the United States a “controlled risk” region for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in May. Controlled-risk regions can ostensibly export beef from cattle of all ages.

— From a MeatingPlace.com release.

Organic Meat Sales Show Huge Gains

Sales of organic meat have increased more than tenfold in the past five years, to an estimated $364 million in 2007, compared to $33 million in 2002, according to new research from Chicago-based Mintel.

The research cited high production costs, lack of certified harvest facilities and processing plants and inadequate distribution infrastructure as challenges for the U.S. organic meat industry, according to a report on MeatingPlace.com.

Organic food sales overall have grown 132% since 2002, and together the organic food and beverage markets now account for nearly $6 billion annually, according to Mintel.

“This isn’t a niche market full of environmental health nuts and affluent yuppies anymore,” says Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst at Mintel. “Organic is now part of the picture for everyone from the Hispanic immigrant mother to the hip suburban teen next door.”

Growth in the segment will not continue at its current pace, however, Mintel predicts. Organic food sales are expected to rise 59% by 2012.

The research found that higher prices for organic food and beverages still deter many consumers, with two-thirds of Americans saying they would buy more organic products if they cost less.

— Adapted from a MeatingPlace release.

British AI Outbreak Highly Pathogenic Strain

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed Nov. 13 that an avian influenza (AI) outbreak on a turkey farm in eastern England is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.

About 22,000 turkeys on four premises are being culled as a precaution, according to the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC).

A cull of 6,500 birds, about 5,000 turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese, is also taking place at Redgrave Park farm where the infection was discovered on Sunday, Nov. 11.

A 3 km (1.9 mile) protection zone and a 10km (6.2 mile) surveillance zone have been established around Redgrave Park, where movement of birds is restricted and poultry must be isolated from wild birds.

There are four million registered poultry within the surveillance zone, with a further 25 million within the restricted zone, according to DEFRA.

British officials said no source for the outbreak has been identified as yet, though early indications suggest it might be related to outbreaks in the Czech Republic and Germany, which would mean a wild bird source.

The United Kingdom last faced an outbreak of H5N1 in February when 159,000 turkeys were culled. Although a report by DEFRA into that outbreak initially blamed wild birds, it later concluded the most likely source of infection was imported turkey meat from Hungary.

— Adapted from a BBC report.

USDA Sponsors NAIS Outreach and Education Conference

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Nov. 8 joined representatives from Hispanic serving institutions and community-based organizations, along with state officials and producers to forge partnerships within Latino communities for outreach and education on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

The conference, hosted by the Texas/Mexico Border Coalition and the University of Texas Pan America, gave participants an opportunity to learn more about NAIS, as well as to jointly develop NAIS outreach strategies tailored to the needs of Hispanic producers.

The meeting was the third in a series sponsored by USDA to provide representatives of minority groups with NAIS education and outreach.

— From an APHIS release.

USDA Leads Efforts to Streamline Procurement of Biobased Products

Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner said Nov. 7 that USDA is updating the federal procurement of biobased products under the BioPreferred^SM program. The update will clarify the preference process in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), which will in turn make it easier for procurement officials and manufacturers to participate in the program.

The BioPreferred program, managed by USDA, requires federal buyers and their contractors to give preference to qualified biobased products. The program was enacted as part of the 2002 Farm Bill. Biobased products are made from agricultural, forestry or marine materials. USDA’s Assistant Secretary for Administration and the Office of the Chief Economist are jointly responsible for the USDA’s procurement activities and BioPreferred implementation.

The FAR, which outline the uniform policies for federal procurement, are the single most important guidelines to procurement officials and contractors.

According to USDA research, more than 10,000 biobased products are commercially available for purchase. USDA rulemaking will seek to speed the qualification of as many of these products as possible for federal procurement preference.

To review the new BioPreferred program, or for more information visit www.biopreferred.gov.

— From a USDA release.

USDA Streamlines Forms and Rules for Farm Loan Programs

Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner said Nov. 8 that the forms and rules for USDA’s Farm Loan Programs will be modernized by Jan. 1, 2008, to make it easier for America’s farmers, ranchers and producers to apply for loans.

During the past few years, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has streamlined specific areas of its farm loan programs, such as the Guaranteed and Emergency Loan Programs, by revising loan making and servicing requirements and procedures to better serve applicants and borrowers.

Direct Loans Programs streamlining includes:

Reducing the number of pages in the Code of Federal Regulations necessary to administer the Farm Bill Programs by more than 80%;
Modifying requirements to more closely conform to those used by other lenders;
Ensuring all forms are available online;
Cutting nearly in half the number of forms required; and
Making guidance more manageable by replacing nearly 40 instruction manuals with six handbooks.

The program rules and forms will officially change Dec. 31, 2007. This will allow employees of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers the program, time for nationwide training on the new forms and rules. Until then, FSA will follow current procedures.

The streamlining rule can be viewed via the Federal Register at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont07.html.

— From a USDA release.

— compiled by Linda Robbins, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc. (API)