News Update

News Update
Jan. 16, 2008

FDA OKs Food From Cloned Animals

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement Jan. 15 declaring that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine and goats — and the offspring of clones — are as safe to eat as food from traditionally bred animals.

The findings, which have received mixed reactions, were derived after years of detailed study and analysis, FDA officials report. The agency released three documents Tuesday outlining its findings, providing a risk assessment, a risk-management plan and guidance for the industry.

Within the newly released information, the agency does not require labeling or other measures to identify food from cattle, swine or goat clones or their offspring. However, the FDA stated it would consider, on a case-by-case basis, instances where a producer wanted to provide “clone-free” labeling.

(The FDA suggested that food from clones of other food animals, such as sheep, not yet be introduced into the food supply since there was “insufficient information for the agency to reach a conclusion.”)

Until FDA’s announcement yesterday, U.S. producers were under a voluntary moratorium, withholding meat or milk from clones from the U.S. food supply. Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will convene key industry participants to facilitate the marketing of meat and milk from clones. Until marketing procedures surface, however, USDA officials are encouraging producers to withhold milk and meat from clones from the food supply.

The transition period could take months, Bruce Knight, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, told The Associated Press (AP).

However, even after the transition, neither agency expects a significant number of clones to enter the food supply. According to USDA, there are only 600 animal clones in the U.S., most of which are used as breeding animals, “so few clones will ever arrive in the marketplace.”

In a statement released yesterday, USDA referred to cloning as “another breeding technique that has evolved and has now been demonstrated to be safe,” comparing it to artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET) and in vitro fertilization to produce superior breeding stock.

According to AP, some government officials worry FDA’s assessment could carry economic trade implications. USDA and FDA plan to implement the report language in the 2008 omnibus appropriations bill, suggesting a study of the FDA’s assessment on domestic agriculture and implications for international trade.

Knight told AP that the agency has already begun discussing the topic with U.S. trading partners.

Meanwhile, bovine genetics companies are weighing in on the issue. In a statement released by Bovance — a company formed in 2007 as a joint venture between ViaGen and Trans Ova Genetics — Trans Ova Genetics President David Faber points out, “While the USDA has requested that Bovance and its clients assist with an orderly transition on clone animals, it has clearly given the green light for the offspring to enter the marketplace.”

Anticipating requests from some processors wanting to identify food from cloned animals, Trans Ova Genetics and ViaGen introduced a program in December 2007 offering a national registry to track cloned animals from birth to death.

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

Audit Analyzes Meatcase Selection

An extensive nationwide audit of retail meatcases shows fresh meat’s share of the case has increased, according to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB).

The 2007 audit, conducted by the beef checkoff, Sealed Air’s Cryovac Food Packaging and the National Pork Board, also showed that growth of branded programs for meat increased, while store brands gained predominance in the meatcase. Boneless product interest also grew — with whole muscle beef having the largest overall share. Value-added packages (products with flavorings or ingredients added) continued to grow, while enhanced beef saw a decline. While natural and organic packages remained a niche category, their share did grow.

The in-stock condition for case-ready meats was generally better. Retailers also appear to be finding it easier to keep those items in stock, and nutrition labeling increased.

More than 120 retail supermarkets and 10 club stores were audited in 48 metro markets across the country. Detailed information from more than 157,000 packages representing more than 281,000 pounds (lb.) of meat was captured to help further understand the growing transformation seen in the retail meatcase during the last five years.

For more information, visit www.beefretail.org.

— Adapted from a CBB release.

U.S. horse slaughter exports to Mexico increase 312%

Since all three U.S. horse slaughter operations were ordered closed last year, the number of horses exported to Mexico for slaughter has exploded. As of Dec. 20, 2007, 44,475 horses had been shipped to Mexico for processing for human consumption compared with 10,783 shipped at the same time in 2006 — a 312% increase.

In addition, American horse exports to Mexico for purposes other than slaughter, such as for breeding or recreation, have nearly doubled in the same period. This increase is raising concerns that many of these horses are actually being sent to slaughter but shipped under false pretenses to circumvent U.S. transport regulations governing the animals’ welfare.

Despite the shutting of the three U.S. horse slaughter plants, exporting horses for processing remains legal. Horse enthusiasts, however, have for years been pushing for a federal ban on what they say is an inhumane and un-American practice. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA), currently pending in Congress, would prevent any horse slaughter facility from operating in the United States as well as prohibit the shipment of horses to other countries for processing.

The AVMA and other AHSPA opponents contend that the assault of the anti-horse-slaughter coalition, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), on the federally regulated horse slaughter industry has, in fact, led to the current welfare crisis. Unwanted horses fared much better when they were transported under government supervision to U.S. regulated facilities and humanely euthanized, they say. (Cavel International Inc., the foreign-owned operator of the Illinois slaughter plant, is appealing the state ban to the U.S. Supreme Court.)

Opponents of the federal ban say its supporters should instead focus their energies on addressing what to do with the some 100,000 horses relinquished by their owners each year to slaughter.

What would happen to all those horses whose owners no longer want them or can afford to keep them? Ban supporters say the nation’s equine rescue and retirement facilities can absorb many of them. Additionally, owners can opt for humane euthanasia by a veterinarian.

Ban opponents respond that this isn’t realistic. Without the humane slaughter alternative, countless horses would be neglected or abandoned because there won’t be enough homes for them. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) estimates an additional 2,700 rescue facilities would be needed in the first year of the ban to care for the thousands of surplus horses. The costs of euthanasia and environmentally safe carcass disposal can run as much as $400 and may be more than some owners are willing to pay. Making matters worse is a hay shortage, brought on by droughts, which is making it more expensive to feed horses.

Then there’s the strength of the international horse meat market. Considering the demand for horse meat and a surplus of unwanted horses in America, even under a federal transport prohibition preventing horses from crossing into Canada and Mexico for slaughter would be a challenge.

— adapted from an article written by R. Scott Nolen for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA). Visit www.avma.org/onlnews/default.asp for the complete article.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.