Industry News
Sept. 5, 2008

Association Requests Reporting of Abnormality

The American Angus Association today asked members and breeders using Angus genetics to be on the lookout for a certain type of calf, specifically calves born dead with bent and twisted spines. For additional information click here.

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USDA Downgrades Montana’s Brucellosis-free Status

The Montana Department of Livestock today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has officially downgraded the state’s brucellosis status from Class Free to Class A.

The interim rule downgrading Montana’s status was published today in the Federal Register.

Montana had been brucellosis-free since 1985, but the disease was found in a Bridger cattle herd in May 2007. Per APHIS rules, the state had to remain brucellosis-free for 24 months after that discovery to maintain Class Free status. The process of downgrading Montana’s status was initiated in June 2008 after a cow in Paradise Valley was found to be infected with the disease.

Zaluski said the department has been working on a brucellosis action plan, and will reapply for Class Free status as soon as possible, on May 27, 2009.

“We’ve been working internally, as well as with individual producers and producer groups, to develop a comprehensive brucellosis plan,” he said. “No one is happy about losing our brucellosis-free status, but we’re optimistic that, by working together, we can develop practical approaches that reduce the risks of transmitting the disease to cattle.”

The plan will include, among other items, vaccination of livestock, improved animal traceability and disease surveillance, and increased emphasis on maintaining spatial and temporal separation between livestock and wildlife known to carry the disease. The Montana Board of Livestock has also directed the department to create a brucellosis task force.

The department will additionally be working with state and federal wildlife managers to address disease concerns related to wildlife. Zaluski said more information is needed on the prevalence of brucellosis in Greater Yellowstone Area elk.

The downgrade means Montana’s livestock producers will, at a minimum, be required to test all sexually intact cattle more than 18 months of age within 30 days of export. Exempt from the testing requirement are cattle sent directly to harvest, from certified brucellosis-free herds and from ranch of origin to an approved market facility.

Producers who export cattle are also encouraged to check regulations in destination states.

The USDA has four classifications for brucellosis: Class Free, Class A, Class B and Class C. Restrictions on the interstate movement of cattle become less stringent as a state approaches or achieves Class Free status. Class C designation is for states with the highest rate of brucellosis, and requires a federal quarantine. Class A and Class B fall between the two extremes of Class Free and Class C status.

More information can be obtained from the Montana Department of Livestock’s web site at: http://mt.gov/liv/.

— release provided by Montana Department of Livestock

Federation Initiative Fund Awards New Beef Promotion Grants

The Federation of State Beef Councils (FSBC) has awarded 12 new grants through its Federation Initiative Fund to help underwrite beef promotions in states with high human populations but low cattle numbers and, therefore, limited beef checkoff collections.

Grants totaling just over $172,000 were awarded to state beef councils who will execute one or more targeted beef promotions in Michigan, New York, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The projects range from foodservice training, retail promotions and product sampling to a K-12 health education program designed to reach at least 350,000 teachers, students and parents.

The Initiative Fund is supported by the Federation and various state beef councils, who voluntarily contribute part of their 50¢ share of the $1 beef checkoff. Participating states include Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas. To date, states have given $620,000 to the grant fund.

The grant fund was established in 2006 with $200,000 in seed money from the Federation. States submit grant applications three times a year, with funding decisions made by the Federation chairman, vice chairman and seven regional vice presidents, representing the 45 councils that collect the checkoff dollar.

In addition to the Initiative grants, the Federation funds a portion of the national checkoff budget. In 2007, for example, Federation dollars accounted for $10 million, or about 19%, of that budget. Supporting national programs is one way the Federation works to ensure an effective state-national checkoff partnership.

The Federation is the checkoff division of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and has operated in various forms since 1963, when it was part of the National Meat and Live Stock Board in Chicago.

— release provided by NCBA

Industry Leaders Weigh in on COOL Meeting

Seventy representatives of more than 30 livestock industry, related groups and organizations gathered recently in Kansas City, Mo., in a meeting organized by the Livestock Marketing Association and co-hosted by the National Meat Association and the National Farmers Union, to tackle a key issue as the federal country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law takes effect Sept. 30.

That issue: agreeing on universal procedures and language for the documents necessary to move livestock origin claims along the custody/ownership chain to harvest, to ensure that meat, covered under COOL, is accurately labeled at the retail level.

That objective was reached with the development of three universal “Country of Origin Affidavit/Declaration” statements. These statements are being recommended to the livestock industry to establish and forward origin claims on livestock covered by the COOL law — cattle (including veal), swine, sheep and goats.

“This was an unprecedented meeting,” LMA President Bobby Smith said. ”And it made sense for LMA to be instrumental in putting it together, since America’s livestock markets already move millions of livestock every year, from one owner to another.

“We’re pleased to work with our industry partners to develop the language of the necessary origin documentation, so that the ultimate goal of COOL — telling consumers where their meat comes from — is reached.”

The three agreed-upon country of origin affidavit/declaration statements are:

• A continuous country-of-origin affidavit/declaration. This will allow producers to make a continuous origin affidavit, that would be kept on file by the market, stocker, feeder or harvesting facility, until revoked by the affidavit’s signer.
• A supporting declaration of origin for specific transactions involving livestock from producers with a continuous affidavit on file, or as a “stand alone” affidavit/declaration related to a specific transaction. This language could be used on check-in sheets, invoices and/or other sales documents.
• The third statement covers direct transactions to packers from producers, marketing businesses and feeders. The COOL law requires packers to maintain country of origin records for one year, and they must be able to obtain records from their immediate suppliers within that period, to substantiate COOL claims. This statement says the livestock supplier will maintain those records for one year from date of delivery of the livestock, and will make them available, as required by the COOL law.

Producers are reminded that, in addition to using this new affidavit/declaration of origin process, the USDA is permitting packers to rely on an official ear tag and/or marking on animals that are part of a National Animal Identification System (NAIS)-compliant system, or other official ID system, such as the Canadian or Mexican official systems.

Meeting participants agreed to encourage USDA to permit producers selling live animals to visually inspect their livestock for markings indicating foreign origin. It was agreed that the presence or absence of such markings would constitute “firsthand” knowledge of those animals’ origin, and would support an affidavit of origin.

This visual inspection is particularly important for the industry for the period between July 15, 2008, (all livestock in the U.S. prior to July 15 are considered to be of U.S. origin) and whenever the final regulation is published.

That’s because producers have moved livestock, particularly cattle, without all of the origin information that may be necessary, and it would be very difficult, if not impossible to recreate the paper trail on many of these animals, the group agreed.

A letter outlining the conclusions of the Aug. 26 meeting will be presented soon to USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight. He was present at the meeting and urged the group to “be bold” in developing ideas for implementing the COOL law.

LMA’s President Smith said the industry-wide initiatives emerging from the meeting “do just that, and will benefit both our industry and our consumer customers.”

The affidavit/declaration statements, and an “Industry Stakeholder Letter,” are available at www.lmaweb.com.

For more information about COOL, see www.countryoforiginlabeling.info.

— compiled by Tosha Powell, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.