News Update

News Update
Oct. 13, 2008

ILC-USA 2009, Global Beef–Meating the Demand set for Jan. 13, 2009, Denver, Colo.

The 2009 International Livestock Congress-USA (ILC-USA) will take place Jan. 13 in Denver, Colo.

Beef producers, packers, retailers, students and other industry leaders will hear firsthand how the world’s largest retailers are meeting the protein demands of their consumers and, in turn, what those retailers are demanding of the suppliers of protein.

“Producers today need to know how to produce for the global market,” said Clint Peck, program committee co-chairman. Peck also serves as a director of Montana Beef Quality Assurance, Montana State University.

Lowell Catlett, world-renowned futurist will set the stage with his presentation on the “Globalization of the Beef Business.” This will be followed by a panel discussion, “Global Beef Market Drivers,” with speakers representing the largest food retailers in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Mexico outlining supply, demand and marketing strategies used to reach their customers.

Additional sessions will address critical issues facing today’s livestock industry, including:

complying with country-of-origin labeling (COOL);
new-generation growth technologies;
where to save and where to spend on the ranch; and
the state of global trade.

Two optional pre-congress tours are offered Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Tour 1 will visit a packing plant and either an ethanol plant or a feedlot. Tour 2 will visit a major retail case-ready processing plant and new product demonstration at NCBA headquarters.

ILC-USA 2009 will be at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, 3801 Quebec St., 303-399-7500. A special room rate of $87 has been secured for conference attendees who specify ILC-USA. The cost of registration is $165 through Dec. 12, and $195 thereafter. Students may attend for $100. Registration includes the conference, grounds admission to the National Western Stock Show facilities, and all Jan. 13 activities, including a beef tasting experience. For schedule and registration information, visit www.theisef.com or call 303-777-5662.

— Release provided by NWSS/ILC.

Two Texas Horses Test Positive for EEE

Texas has joined at least five other states this year in reporting cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) infection in horses. In Houston County, in the southeast corner of the state, a horse with clinical illness has tested positive for the disease. In north-central Texas, in Denton County, a vaccinated horse also tested positive and exhibited clinical signs of disease.

EEE, which can be transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, also has been reported this year in horses in Georgia, Florida, Maine, Tennessee and New Hampshire — and in Ontario, Canada.

“Infected horses are a ‘sentinel’ or warning that infected mosquitoes are in the area, and measures should be taken to protect humans against exposure to the dangerous pests,” said Andy Schwartz, state epidemiologist for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. “Protect yourself and your horses with a mosquito spray containing DEET, get rid of stagnant water and avoid being outside at night, when mosquitoes are more active.

“Horses with mosquito-borne encephalitic viruses, such as EEE, Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) or West Nile Virus (WNV), may stagger, appear confused, and act erratically. Owners should contact their veterinarian immediately if their equine animals exhibit clinical signs of these diseases. About half of infected animals may be saved with the appropriate supportive care,” Schwartz said. Although EEE, WEE and WNV are not regulatory diseases, they are reportable to the TAHC and to the Texas Department of State Health Services, due to their potential to cause human disease.

“Vaccines are readily available to protect equine animals against mosquito-borne encephalitic diseases, but they must be given according to the manufacturer’s directions, and it takes at least a week to 10 days after vaccination for protective antibodies to develop. Booster shots also must be given as needed. Heed your veterinarian’s advice,” he said. “As good as vaccines are at protecting against infection, there are rare times when a vaccinated animal will still contract disease. That is no reason to avoid vaccinating your animals.”

Schwartz noted that, in 2002, when WNV was first detected in Texas, 1,699 equine animals were stricken with infection. West Nile vaccine has helped cut those case numbers from 716 in 2003 to only two cases in 2008.

“Vaccinating against mosquito-borne diseases has to be a part of routine equine health care,” he said. “Don’t stop, just because case numbers drop.”

— Release provided by Texas Animal Health Commission.

South Korea to resume beef talks with Canada

South Korea will resume talks with Canada on beef imports in early November, according to Yonhap News.

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said working-level officials from both countries will initiate technical talks in Seoul Nov. 3.

The news comes nearly a year after the two countries suspended bilateral beef talks after failure to reach any agreement.

“With the beef talks with the U.S. concluded, the government cannot delay negotiations with Canada any longer,” a ministry official was quoted as saying. “We expect Canada to accept a proposal to allow the import of bone-in beef less than 30 months old, with certain specified risk materials (SRMs) excluded.”

Canada has urged South Korea to lift all restrictions based on the World Organization for Animal Health’s (OIE’s) determination in May last year that Canada was a “controlled-risk” region for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Such a classification technically allows for the export of all beef parts except certain SRMs.

— Release provided by Meatingplace.com

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