Industry News
Sept. 10, 2008

Mexico meat exports to U.S. suspended

Mexico has suspended meat exports to the United States while producers check conditions at their plants to comply with U.S. sanitary regulations, U.S. officials and Mexican meat producers said.

Amanda Eamich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), said Friday, Sept. 5 that Mexico informed U.S. authorities on Aug. 29 it was suspending exports voluntarily.

“While they’re implementing the corrective action that they identified, (last) Friday they said they would self-suspend and stop shipping all meat and processed poultry products to the U.S.,” Eamich said.

The export suspension came after USDA inspectors in Mexico revoked exporting licenses from seven pork and beef processing plants in recent weeks due to concerns about hygiene.

The decision by Mexican authorities to stop exports of all meat, including chicken, will give inspectors time to inspect plants one by one on a systematic basis, said Enrique Dominguez, the head of Mexico’s pork producers association.

“Mexican sanitary officials suspended certifications to export all types of meat to the United States,” Dominguez told Reuters.

“In reality, what the USDA is doing is putting in doubt Mexico’s sanitary inspection system,” he said.

The United States and Mexico have been embroiled in disputes about food safety this year after U.S. authorities linked Mexican tomatoes and fresh chiles to a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,300 people in the United States and Canada.

Only about 2% of total meat and poultry imported by the United States comes from Mexico, and the pork producers said they would continue exporting to Asian markets.

— release provided by Reuters.

Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns

Friday, Sept. 5, representatives from the livestock and meat industries briefed USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight on a standardized affidavit that can be used throughout the cattle marketing chain to verify animals’ origin.

“Our goal was to create a simple, efficient and effective means of declaring livestock origin from conception to consumer, and we believe this affidavit does exactly that,” said Andy Groseta, Arizona cattle producer and NCBA president. Producers can fill in information specific to their cattle and assert the origin of any animal being sold. Livestock marketers further along the ownership chain can use individual affidavits to create a single, combined affidavit for a group of animals.

“Representatives from every point in the supply chain unanimously agreed to use this standardized affidavit, which will greatly ease the burden that mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) places on producers,” Groseta explained.

Industry representatives will also discuss the problem of so-called “gap cattle,” which are cattle that were in the country prior to July 16, 2008, and thus automatically considered of U.S. origin, but have since changed hands without being accompanied by an affidavit.

Groseta acknowledged the problem, saying, “We are well aware that owners of these animals would be very hard pressed to recreate the paper trail documenting origin.” The industry consensus is that owners should be considered to have firsthand knowledge of those cattle and animals should be allowed to move from those premises on that same standard affidavit.

“NCBA will continue to work on behalf of our cattlemen to put in place an effective and accurate labeling system,” Groseta stated. “Additionally, we will be leading the effort to educate producers on how to comply with the new rule.”

For more information about the industry consensus, please read the stakeholder letter at http://www.beefusa.org/uDocs/countryoforiginaffidavitcoverletter.pdf.

The interim final COOL rule was published in the Federal Register Aug. 1, 2008. USDA) issued the rule to allow for industry comment prior to issuing a final rule, while simultaneously meeting the Sept. 30, 2008, COOL implementation deadline. The interim final rule contains definitions, requirements for consumer notification and product marking, and the responsibilities of both retailers and suppliers for covered commodities.

The full rule is available online at http://federalregister.gov/page2.aspx.

— Release provided by NCBA.

Predator management workshop slated Sept. 22 in Ozona

Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a multicounty predator management workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 22 in the Fair Park Convention Center in Ozona.

“Predators are an increasing concern across West Texas, and in our area, which is the heart of sheep and goat country, the problem is fast becoming critical,” said Chase McPhaul, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Crockett County. “This workshop is being done in an effort to get this growing menace under control.”

Topics will include interpreting physical evidence of predation, predator biology, trapping techniques and disease dangers for humans. Coyotes, bobcats and feral hogs will be the main species discussed.

Scheduled speakers are Jim Gallagher, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Uvalde; Mark Mapston and Hoppy Turman, with Texas Wildlife Damage Management Service in Uvalde and Fort Stockton respectively, and Tim Leary, Texas Animal Health Commission, Marfa.

The workshop is being conducted by the AgriLife Extension offices in Crockett, Sutton and Edwards counties.

Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered.

Registration is $10 by noon Sept. 19 and $15 thereafter.

For more information and to register, call the AgriLife Extension office in Crockett County at 325-392-2721.

— release provided by Texas AgriLife Extension Services. 

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