Details of US-Korea beef deal now emerging
Officials are still wrapping up details, but it appears that a new beef trade agreement with South Korea could be implemented by the end of the first week in July.
In April both nations arrived at an agreement that would allow the US to fully resume exports of beef. Before the deal could be implemented South Korea backed out under extreme pressure from Korean citizens concerned about risks associated with BSE and US beef derived from older cattle.
It now appears that USDA has agreed to set up a system under which product from cattle under 30 months of age will be labeled as such. Under the plan, South Korean importers can still buy beef from older cattle but the product must also be labeled. Labeling isn't something USDA wanted to do because the agency contends that beef from both age groups is safe under current harvesting regulations. USDA officials say labeling is just a temporary transition to unfettered trade.
Five-year-old Canadian Holstein confirmed BSE-positive
On June 27 the Canadian government confirmed that country's latest case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a five-year-old Holstein cow located in British Columbia. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said no part of the animal's carcass entered the human food supply and no risk materials from the carcass entered the animal feed system. CFIA officials say an investigation is underway to trace the animal's herdmates at birth, and they will also conduct an investigation into how the animal became infected.
Canada implemented a national BSE surveillance program in 1992, which was ramped up in 2003 when the Canadian government announced that the number of samples tested would be dramatically increased. The program tests samples from the national cattle herd on higher-risk animals most likely to be affected by the disease. The program's objective is to determine and monitor the level of BSE present in the Canadian cattle herd and to confirm the effectiveness of measures implemented to protect human and animal health.
According to the CFIA website, so far in 2008, 30,000 test samples from Canadian cattle have been collected. In 2007 58,177 cattle were tested with three cases of BSE confirmed. In 2006 55,420 samples turned up five cases of the brain-wasting disease, and in 2005, 57,768 samples showed two cases of BSE. (Each sample represents one animal.)
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Humane Society reveals more videos of downer cattle abuse
A video showing cattle being mistreated and tormented at a livestock auction in New Mexico was released on June 25 by the Humane Society of the United States - the latest evidence of what the organization claims is widespread abuse of livestock across the country.
The video showed sick and injured cattle - so-called downer animals - at the Portales Livestock Auction being kicked and slapped and given shocks to get them to walk. In one instance, a cow with a hyper-extended leg is shown being dragged by a tractor. The footage was collected during visits in May.
The HSUS said its investigator reported at least three of the downed cows were later sold. However, there is no evidence to show if the meat went into school lunch programs or any other part of the food supply.
Alison Baue named Montana's new Beef Ambassador
The Montana CattleWomen Beef Ambassador Contest was held in Lewistown July 19 during the Beef Expo, and this year's winner was Alison Baue. She is the daughter of J. Allen and Ruth Baue of Hysham. Alison will compete for the title of 2009 National Beef Ambassador in Oklahoma City October 9-11. There Alison will have the opportunity to win one of five $1,000 scholarships in the contest sponsored by the American National CattleWomen and the Cattlemen's Beef Board.
Alison graduated from Hysham High School in May as valedictorian of her class. While in high school she participated in volleyball, basketball and track. She has been active in 4-H and FFA, serving as president of her club and vice president of her local FFA chapter. Alison serves on the Montana 4-H Council and was the 2008 FFA state winner in Diversified Livestock Production Proficiency. She also is a member of the Montana Jr. Red Angus and American Jr. Red Angus Associations. She will be attending South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City in the fall majoring in industrial engineering.
The National Beef Ambassador Contest has changed in recent years. Today the contest features four areas of evaluation: Media interview, consumer promotion, classroom presentation and issues response.
