TheMeatSite Newsletter - 28 July 2010

TheMeatSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 28th July 2010

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: New Strategy to Tackle Campylobacter

A new research strategy to tackle the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK has been launched this week.

The UK’s main public funders of food safety research have joined together to publish a co-ordinated strategy to investigate the food bug campylobacter. This is the first time these organisations have agreed to a common set of objectives to tackle the problem.

The Food Standards Agency, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Northern Ireland Department for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Scottish Government have all agreed to support the strategy.

In the long running debate between the EU and Brazil over the safety of Brazilian beef, the latest reports show that the EU is unlikely to change Brazilian beef import regulations.

Even after a recent visit by the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture to discuss the EU's stringent certification procedures, the restrictions are likely to remain.

Since February 2008, Brazilian farms need to be individually audited by Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) technicians and later approved by the EU.

For Ireland, the Moroccan market, which has been closed to the country for almost a decade and a half, has been reopened to Irish beef and live cattle.

The reopening follows a successful visit by a delegation of senior Moroccan veterinarians to Ireland last March.

For US exporters, the Russian market is opening up with Pilgrim's Pride Corporation receiving formal approval from the US Department of Agriculture to resume exporting chicken products.

The company said USDA has approved exports to Russia from Pilgrim's processing facilities in Boaz, Alabama, Russellville, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 6 new features this week:

EU's Measures for Safe Meat Production
The European Union has a comprehensive system of legislation to assure the safe production of meat, writes TheMeatSite senior editor Chris Harris.

Residue Testing Shows Low Positive Level
In 2009, just 0.3 per cent of samples from Irish animals and products were positive for residues according to the the National Residue Control Plan for 2009.

Lactobacillus Sakei – the Meat Specialist of Lactic Acid Bacteria
Lactic acid bacteria are useful bacteria that have been associated with the fermentation of food throughout history, writes Wenche Aale Hægermark at teh Norwegian food research centre Nofirma.

BPEX Export Bulletin - July 2010
The British Pig Executive's (BPEX) Export Bulletin for June/July 2010 reports pig industry trends from around the world.

US Poultry Outlook Report - July 2010
Broiler production continues to expand at a moderate pace in the US but turkey production so far this year is below that of 2009, according to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) July 2010 Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook.

Philippines Chicken Industry Updates
According to the Philippine Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, domestic chicken production increased by 1.53 per cent in 2009 and is projected to continue to expand again this year, writes the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Demand for chicken meat is also forecast to rise this year as a result of projected improvements in the Philippine economy and a growing population.