Industry News Update - June 25, 2008
Current Association News – June 25, 2008
Supreme Court Decision Ends U.S. Horse Slaughter
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday refused to hear an appeal by the last U.S. horse slaughter plant against its forced closure. Until last year, there were three horse abattoirs in the United States—two in Texas and one in Illinois. But they closed after both states, under pressure from animal rights groups, passed laws banning killing horses for human consumption. The Illinois slaughterhouse, run by Cavel International, an affiliate of a Belgian company, had employed about 60 people and killed between 40,000 and 60,000 horses each year. Cavel had fought the ban, arguing that since almost all of its meat was exported to Europe and Japan, the Illinois law encroached on federal regulations on international commerce. But an appeals court rejected Cavel’s argument in September, saying the company had failed to show that stopping its operations risked affecting the global horse meat market. On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case any further appeal. A story is available here.
USDA Suspends NAIS Implementation
The U.S. District Court forced the USDA to suspend indefinitely its plan to establish a new Privacy Act system of records titled “National Animal Identification System (NAIS).” In April, USDA proposed to establish the NAIS system of records, which was to become effective June 9, 2008, and had published a notice soliciting public comments. The court-ordered suspension was a result of the Mary-Louise Zanoni v. United States Department of Agriculture case and the suspension notice was published in Federal Register and can be viewed here.
Salmonella Testing of Selected Raw Meat and Poultry Products
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has posted on its web site the Preliminary Results of its latest Quarterly Progress Report. FSIS is implementing a risk-based approach for verification sampling, including increasing the testing frequency in establishments that exhibit highly variable or variable process control, testing of turkey carcasses, and posting quarterly results to the FSIS web site. FSIS is classifying establishments into three process control categories (Category 1, 2 and 3) according to their performance in completed sample sets relative to the regulatory performance standard or guidance for their product class. The report is posted here.
MEETINGS
AAFCO Annual Meeting
The Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO) 99th Annual Meeting at the Nashville Downtown Hilton, July 31-August 4, is the time at which the AAFCO membership considers new feed ingredient definitions, new model rules and new changes to its Model Feed Bill, adopted by nearly all states. Click here for meeting information.
IPE Offers a World of Opportunities
International Poultry Expo (IFE) will be held in Atlanta, GA on January 28-30, 2009. For the first time, it will include a rendering section where there will be opportunity to showcase products, equipment, and services to key decision-makers and prospective customers from all segments of the poultry industry around the globe. The AFIA International Feed Expo is held at the same time and place.
NRA to Co-sponsor Environmental Agriculture Sustainability Summit
This Summit will be held in conjunction with the International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo, January 27-28, 2009 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Among the items that we will be considering for the program:
• Elements of Environmental Sustainability
• What Every Manager Should Know
• Building Blocks for Programs
• Scorecards, Assessments, Other Tools
• What is Carbon Footprint?
• Company Sustainability Program Importance/Overview
OTHER ISSUES
BSE Case Confirmed in British Columbia, Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow in the Province of British Columbia. This case poses no risk to human or animal health since Canada’s stringent BSE safeguards prevented any part of the animal’s carcass from entering the human food chain or any potentially infective parts of the animal’s carcass from entering the animal feed chain. The animal was detected through Canada’s national BSE surveillance program. The CFIA has launched a comprehensive investigation in an effort to determine the birth farm of the animal. As the level of BSE continues to decline, the periodic detection of a small number of cases is fully expected in line with the experience of other countries. The national surveillance program, which targets the highest risk animals, has tested more than 220,000 cattle since 2003. The detection of this animal does not affect Canada’s status as a BSE controlled risk country as recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The CFIA notice is here.
Export Carrier Vessels are Reaching Full Capacity
Surging exports across the board make it harder to find space aboard vessels, and to obtain reefer containers on a timely basis. The outbound capacity crunch is caused by the higher levels of export cargo demand, but also because containerized imports are lagging across the country. Base on USDA projections, things will only get worse this year with agricultural exports estimated values to hit $101 billion in the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30th. USDA also expects the high value animal and horticulture exports to increase significantly as well. The USDA forecast that livestock, poultry and dairy products will total $18 billion in fiscal 2008 up from $16.3 billion in fiscal 2007.
Livestock and Meat Groups Ask for Ethanol Mandate Reduction
Meat and poultry industry groups and members made a large push recently in an effort to get the Environmental Protection Agency to cut the ethanol mandate as the agency’s comment period on the issue closed. The American Meat Institute, National Pork Producers Council, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation all submitted comments Monday in support of Texas Governor Rick Perry’s request to cut the federal ethanol mandate by 50 percent in an effort to reduce the diversion of corn from food to fuel. Agricultural economists submitted two separate studies Monday also in support of the effort. Dr. Thomas Elam of Farm Econ LLC and Keith Collins, former chief economist at USDA, submitted analyses that showed the effects of ethanol on food prices. Learn more at the following links:
Food Before Fuel
Article entitled NPPC Asks EPA For Ethanol Waiver
University of Hawaii Tests Vinasse as Animal Feed
University of Hawaii researchers are developing technology to convert what is now a waste product from sugar cane ethanol production into a substitute for imported fishmeal. Manoa scientist Samir Khanal said his team is looking at converting residue called vinasse from sugar cane ethanol production. Khanal was co-investigator of an Iowa State University project that won the 2008 Grand Prize for University Research from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. The Iowa researchers grew a fungus in fermentation leftovers from corn-produced ethanol. They said it saved energy, recycled more water and improved livestock feed. A story is here.
U.S. Agreement with China on Food and Feed Safety
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mike Leavitt signed a Joint Progress Statement with the Honorable Li Changjiang, Minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People’s Republic of China. The document outlines steps taken by both nations in implementing the 2007 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on food and feed safety. Among other things, officials will focus efforts on inspections and supervision and laboratory testing standards to ensure food and feed safety. The United States agreed to conduct training for Chinese officials on U.S. regulatory standards and requirements. For more information on the December 2007 MOA on the Safety of Food and Feed, click here.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown Wants Relaxation of GM Feed Rule
Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants relaxation of the EU rules on importing genetically modified animal feed into the UK. According to Brown, these GM feed crops are needed to control the price increase of food. Ministers who support GM crops believe there are no convincing arguments against them. They want to turn the tables on environmental groups who campaigned successfully against widespread GM production in Britain during the last government review in 2004. A story is here.
Possible Relaxing of BSE Feed Rule in EU
Europe might consider allowing cross-feed of animal protein between pigs and poultry at some stage in the future. Experts at the EU’s executive arm are compiling a report on the feasibility and risk of relaxing rules so that some animal proteins may be used in animal feed. The study’s results are due in late 2009 and the Commission will decide accordingly. Whatever the outcome will be, the EU however will never lift the ban on feeding animal protein to ruminants. The EU banned the use of meat and bone meal (MBM) in cattle feed in 1994 after scientists concluded that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, was spread by feed contaminated by ruminant protein in the form of MBM. Last year, EU scientists concluded that the BSE-related public health risks of using certain animal proteins in animal feed, particularly pig protein being fed to poultry and vice-versa would be negligible. The EU has already taken a first step towards relaxing its overall BSE restrictions: in April, national EU experts agreed to lift a seven-year ban on using fishmeal in animal feed and allow it to be used as a milk replacement for calves and lambs. Providing the European Parliament agrees, that new provision would probably come into force in September. There is no plan to extend it to adult animals. The story is here.
FDA Food Defense Activities
FDA conducted a review of protein sources being imported into the U.S. because “ … the same protein sources being used for pet foods could also be used as protein sources for human food … This was the first food defense related FDA field activity that concurrently looked at both the food and feed supply ..” The Protein Surveillance Assignment (PSA) was designed as a proactive effort to review protein sources being imported and in response to the investigations of the pet deaths in the United States (U.S.) that were associated with the consumption of pet food contaminated with melamine, cyanuric acid, ammelide, and ammeline. Overall, the PSA demonstrated the collaborative ability and willingness of all participants to respond to an identified food safety concern. The complete FDA report is available here.
USDA Food Defense Plans – FSIS Will Conduct Survey
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will conduct a survey on August 1, 2008 to determine how many FSIS-regulated slaughter and processing plants have voluntarily adopted functional food defense plans. There are no regulatory requirements for an establishment to develop a plan; however, FSIS strongly encourages establishments to maintain a food defense plan. Ultimately, FSIS is expecting industry to reach a goal of at least 90% of plants adopting functional food defense plans in order to stave off the agency’s move forward with rulemaking that will mandate functional food defense plans.
A story in USDA’s Constituent Update is here.
A Food Defense Self Assessment Checklist for Slaughter and Processing Facilities is here.
A Food Defense Plan Worksheet for Slaughter and Processing Facilities is here.
FDA Food Protection Plan
FDA has posted on its website the testimony of FDA’s David Acheson, M.D., who appeared on June 12, 2008 before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Energy and. Here is the testimony.
The House Energy & Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations held a hearing. Committee mnmbers said FDA was still not providing clear strategy on how to use additional funds. Dr. Acheson, FDA’s associate commissioner for food protection, testified before the panel and promised to work with the committee to provide this information. The committee was looking for FDA to explain the specific implementation strategy for the Food Protection Plan, including measured goals, priorities and a funding breakdown. In January 2008, GAO expressed concerns about FDA’s capacity to implement the Food Protection Plan and noted that more specific information about the strategies and resources needed to implement the plan would facilitate congressional oversight. This testimony focuses on (1) FDA’s progress in implementing the Food Protection Plan, (2) FDA’s proposal to focus inspections based on risk, and (3) FDA’s implementation of previously issued GAO recommendations intended to improve food safety oversight. To address these issues, GAO reviewed FDA documents, such as FDA’s operations plan, and FDA data related to the plan. GAO also interviewed FDA officials regarding the progress made. GAO also analyzed FDA data on domestic and foreign food firm inspections. GAO also analyzed the status of past recommendations.
Full text of this 14-page GAO report can be found here.
Bacteria Strain Shows Promise as Natural Meat Preservative
The lactic acid bacteria strain Enterococcus faecalis CECT7121 can provide a natural preservative for craft dry-fermented sausages, according to a new study published in Food Microbiology, demonstrates the protective benefits the strain has against harmful bacteria without compromising on the taste and texture of the sausage. The story is here.
Rosemary Extracts to Receive Antioxidant Status
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said rosemary extract is safe for use as an antioxidant in food, expanding application opportunities and increasing its natural appeal. Rosemary extracts are derived from Rosmarinus officinalis L and contain several compounds proven to have antioxidative functions, thus slowing down or preventing the oxidation of molecules. This can help increase product shelf life and stability when added to food. Click here for a story.
Current Control Measures Effective Against Microbes in Plant Air
The current control measures to limit the levels of microbes in the air of pork processing plants are sufficient and effective, according to Irish scientists. Aerial counts of bacteria, including Staphylococcus Listeria and Salmonella species were all in acceptable levels. The study, published in Food Control, is an important vindication of the current control measures employed. The most effect system to control food safety within a meat processing plant is hazard analysis critical control point which is reliant on other programs, including good manufacturing practices (GMP), good hygiene practices (GHP) and standard operating practices (SOP). A story with more detail is here.
Higher Food Prices Ahead for U.S. Consumers
According to this report, recent flooding in the Midwest has exasperated already tight domestic corn and soybean supplies, limiting U.S. farmers’ ability to produce enough to meet growing domestic needs.
Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook
USDA ERS has issued its latest monthly report on changing conditions in the U.S. livestock, dairy, and poultry sectors. Topics include current production, consumption, trade, and prices received. The USDA ERS Outlook Newsletters on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry are here.
ERS Oil Crops Yearbook
This annual report examines world and U.S. production, consumption, trade, stocks, and prices for oil crops (focusing on soybeans and products) and is a supplement to the Oil Crops Outlook.
Feed Grains Database
The latest USDA ERS update contains statistics on four feed grains (corn, grain sorghum, barley, and oats), foreign coarse grains (feed grains plus rye, millet, and mixed grains), hay, and related items. The Feed Grains Database is here.
KFC Canada and PETA Reach Agreement
PETA has announced a “major victory” for the organization – following 5 years of pressure, fast-food chain KFC in Canada is to “give in to their demands.” Consequently, PETA will end its Kentucky Fried Cruelty boycott. PETA said “Following months of closed-door negotiations between PETA and KFC Canada, we are thrilled to announce that KFC Canada has agreed to a historic new animal welfare plan that will dramatically improve the lives and deaths of millions of chickens killed for KFC Canada.” The company will take the following actions:
• Phase in purchases of 100% of its chickens from suppliers that use controlled-atmosphere killing.
• Add a vegan faux-chicken item to the menu of 461 restaurants.
• Improve its animal welfare audit criteria.
• Urge its suppliers to adopt better practices.
• Form an animal welfare advisory panel to monitor the changes.
Fighting the Copper Theft Epidemic
Increased demand from China and India for non-ferrous metals and a weakening dollar have combined to increase the price of copper. Over the past eight years, the price of copper has risen from around 80 cents a pound to over $3.50 a pound. The high price of copper makes the metal a target for criminals. Utility companies and the construction industry have both been hit hard by copper theft, which cost AT&T an estimated $6.7 million in 2007. In addition to the high cost of replacing copper stolen from grounding wire, the theft puts the safety of company employees at risk. Scrap metal recyclers are also being hurt by copper theft, as they spend man hours working with policy and money on new security measures. An article about this is here.