News Update
Oct. 13, 2009

Reminder

The deadline to submit performance data for inclusion in the Spring 2010 National Cattle Evaluation (NCE) is Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. Please submit all performance data prior to the deadline.

AMI President and CEO Defends Safety of Meat Supply on ‘Larry King Live’

“(The meat industry) has invested tens of millions of dollars over the last ten years in research programs to make our products safer. And they’ve shared the results in a non-competitive environment, so we can spread the knowledge throughout the industry,” AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle said during an appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live” that aired last night.

The segment, entitled “Beef: Safe or Scary,” was prompted by the recent New York Times article on ground beef safety by investigative reporter Michael Moss that ran on October 4 (“Woman’s Shattered Life Shows Ground Beef Inspection Flaws”).

Boyle was part of a large panel of guests that included attorney Bill Marler; former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary for Food Safety Elsa Murano; Colin Campbell of Cornell University; Nancy Rodriguez, a professor at the University of Connecticut; and chef Anthony Bourdain.

During the segment, Boyle noted that while the industry has a great deal of sympathy and empathy for those affected by E. coli O157:H7, the positive development is that these kinds of tragic illnesses are decreasing in America.

“These illnesses are down 60% in the last 10 years,” Boyle said. “And the reason for that reduction in E. coli related illnesses is because the incidence of that pathogen in our beef products has dropped by 45% during that same 10-year period and that’s not just a random development. It’s because of investment, technology, research, more sophisticated process control. So we are making significant progress in taking a very safe food supply and making it even safer.”

Attorney Bill Marler agreed with King when he pointed out that the vast majority of people eat hamburgers without any incident. “Absolutely,” said Marler. “The industry has done a very good job.”

Boyle said there are two steps available to eliminate E. coli in the ground beef supply. One is through irradiation, which is not widely used. And the other is through proper cooking of the product.

During the segment, which included questions from viewers, Boyle also defended modern agriculture production, noting that low cost, efficient meat and poultry processing facilities give Americans an abundant variety of safe and wholesome products at the lowest price in terms of disposable income of any developed country in the world.

King said that USDA had been invited to participate, but declined. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack provided a statement in which he said, “Recognizing the importance of the food safety issue, President Obama established a Food Safety Working Group within 60 days of taking office. As chairs of that working group, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and I led a thorough review of the entire food safety system from top to bottom to look for gaps and failures in the system and identified improvements to prevent such foodborne illness tragedies. We issued our first findings on July 7 and immediately began to implement significant policy changes to reduce foodborne illnesses.”

King gave Boyle the last word on E. coli at the end of the segment.

“The beef supply is safer today in terms of E. coli incidents than it was five years ago,” Boyle concluded.” It was safer five years ago than it was ten years ago. We continue to make enormous investments in technology and process controls. The industry itself conducts millions of E. coli tests within our plants to better understand the effectiveness of our interventions. We need more interventions. For example, five years ago, the American Meat Institute petitioned USDA to allow us to use irradiation on the exterior carcasses. Five years later, the department has yet to commence a rule making to determine if we can utilize that technology. We need good responses from USDA.”

To view a transcript of this segment, click here: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0910/12/lkl.01.html.

— Release provided by AMI.

Group Suggests Undercover Activists Should Face Punishment

The Animal Ag Alliance (AAA) is suggesting undercover activists who witness and record animal mistreatment be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for not immediately reporting the incident. Alliance members made the recommendation in light of the growing number of activist groups hiring individuals to seek illicit employment at ranches, feedyards and processing plants solely for the purpose of capturing video that condemns animal agriculture. The video is frequently produced and released to the media months after the alleged mistreatment occurred as activists plan a strategic media campaign.

AAA is a coalition of producers, organizations, suppliers, processors and retailers communicating the important role of animal agriculture. The group emphasizes animal well-being is central to producing safe, high-quality, affordable food and other products essential to consumers around the world.

The alliance strongly encourages all food animal owners to implement care guidelines, provide worker training and establish policies holding all employees accountable for their actions. Employers should screen potential employees closely to protect against illicit employment by activists, according to AAA.

— Provided by the Kansas Livestock Association.

Frost a Danger for Grazing Livestock

Livestock producers should be cautious when grazing cattle on crops in the sorghum family immediately following a frost, says Dave Fischer, University of Illinois Extension dairy educator.

“Sudan grass, sorghum-Sundan grass hybrids, and grain/forage sorghum are members of the sorghum family and, after a frost, will produce a glucoside called dhurrin that breaks down to release a toxin called prussic acid. Intake of high levels may be lethal to cattle,” Fischer said.

Clinical signs of prussic acid poisoning include rapid pulse, labored breathing and eventual suffocation. Livestock producers should move cattle away from grazing these forages for several days following a frost.

“If the crop was safe to graze prior to frost it will again be safe to graze 3 to 5 days following the frost. Remember, Sudan grass should be greater than 18 inches (in.) tall or sorghum-Sudan grass greater than 24 inches before it is safe to graze under any conditions,” he said.

Baling or ensiling Sudan grass, sorghum-Sundan grass hybrids, and grain sorghum immediately following or shortly after a frost is safe because the prussic acid will breakdown and dissipate during the harvesting process.

“But wait 7-10 days after harvesting those crops to make hay or silage and allow the feed to cure or ferment in the silo or bale for 2-3 weeks before feeding,” Fischer said.

Grazing alfalfa, clover, and other perennial forages are not a concern following a frost because they do not produce toxins and can be grazed or baled and fed to livestock even after a frost. The only caution will perhaps be a slight chance for ruminants to bloat if grazing pure legume pastures and should be offered other feedstuffs to avoid overeating the succulent pasture.

“Harvesting alfalfa after a killing frost is acceptable only when the plant is going into dormancy. A killing or dormant frost occurs when temperatures reach 28° F or lower overnight or 4 hours or more,” Fischer said.

 If the plants are harvested pre-dormancy and regrowth occurs 1-2 weeks before going dormant, significant plant damage can occur during overwintering due to reduced food reserves in the plant to survive the cold temperatures. If the forage is not needed, it is advisable to leave the crop uncut through winter.

“Immature soybeans that are caught by the frost due to late plantings can be harvested for forage if the crop is free from applied pesticides. The soybean forage should be cut, wilted, and harvested at similar moisture levels as would be used for alfalfa or other legumes. It is best to begin harvest no later than when the bottom leaves turn yellow and begin to drop off. Since late fall drying conditions are very marginal, chopping as silage is preferred over baling,” Fischer said.

— Release provided by University of Illinois news.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.