TheMeatSite Newsletter - 22 February 2012

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Wednesday 22nd February 2012

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Moves to Open Up US and EU Organic Markets

From June this year organic products certified in Europe or in the United States may be sold as organic in either region.

This partnership between the two largest organic-producers in the world will establish a strong foundation from which to promote organic agriculture, benefiting the growing organic industry and supporting jobs and businesses on a global scale.

The organic sector in the United States and European Union is valued at roughly €40 billion combined, and rising every year.

For the European Union, the US joins a list including Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, India, Israel, and New Zealand in the list of third countries that can trade with the EU labelling their products as organic.

The move irons out some of the previous conflicts in definition that existed between the two regions over what exactly constitutes organic, including animal feed constituents.

In the EU for example, the regulations stipulate that "Foods may only be marked as "organic" if at least 95 per cent of their agricultural ingredients are organic."

In the US, the guidance notes show a similar standard accepting at least 95 per cent organic ingredients in products to fulfil the standards.

Both regions also prohibit the use of genetically modified ingredients within the organic standards.

However, there are still some differences in the standards, mainly in the use of antibiotics.

The USDA organic regulations ban the use of antibiotics except to control invasive bacterial infections (fire blight) in organic apple and pear orchards. The European Union organic regulations allow antibiotics only to treat infected animals.

To get over this disparity, the latest agreement lays down that antibiotics cannot be used for any reason in order to gain the certification.

The agreement was signed last week in Nuremberg, Germany, at the BioFach World Organic Fair by Dacian Ciolos, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development and Kathleen Merrigan, US Agriculture Deputy Secretary and Ambassador Isi Siddiqui, US Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator.

Before the agreement, organic producers in the US and EU had to qualify under each other's certification scheme in order to enter the market.

In the US last week, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter stepped up her battle over the use of antibiotics and the potential for antibiotic resistance through their use in meat production.

She has written to more than 60 fast food companies asking them to provide a breakdown of the percentages of beef, pork and poultry, which they serve raised "without any antibiotics," raised with antibiotics only for "therapeutic reasons," or raised with "routine use of antibiotics."

She said that consumers have a right to know what is in their food.

Meanwhile, another group of US senators has called on the administration to put in place a comprehensive rule on BSE in order to ease trade negotiations.

Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ben Nelson of Nebraska are pressing for the rule to be published showing the measures the US is taking to ensure complete safety in the country's beef supply chain.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 5 new features this week:

Clear Slap Marking - a Step to Accurate Traceability
If a meat production and processing operation is to institute a traceability system, it needs to be accurate, efficient and comprehensive, writes TheMeatSite editor in chief Chris Harris.

Robot and 3D Imaging to Automatically Debone Poultry
Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are developing an Intelligent Cutting and Deboning System that uses 3D imaging and a robotic cutting arm to automatically perform precision cuts that optimise yield while eliminating the risk of bone fragments in finished product.

GLOBAL POULTRY TRENDS - Record Egg Output but Growth Slows in Asia
Economic pressures on producers' margins and in some instances, disease outbreaks, have markedly cut the rate of expansion in global egg production since 2009, according to seasoned industry watcher, Terry Evans.

Welfare–Friendly Husbandry through Genetics: Animal Well-Being
Gene polymorphisms influencing stress reactivity open the way to marker-assisted selection to reduce stress and improve robustness of animals, contributing to animal well-being as well as improved product quality, according to the final scientific report from the EU group, Sustainable Animal Breeding (SABRE) subtitled 'Cutting Edge Genomics for Sustainable Animal Breeding'.

Impact of Canadian Ethanol Policy on Canada’s Livestock and Meat Industry 2012
Ethanol has already contributed to the downsizing of the Canadian livestock industry through its impact on margins and livestock prices, and expansion of the ethanol industry will amplify the negative consequences, according to Kevin Grier (Senior Market Analyst), Al Mussell (Senior Research Associate) and Irena Rajcan (Research Analyst), all with the George Morris Centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Market Reports

» Canadian Cattle Statistics February 2012
» Utilisation of Milk by Dairies in England and Wales February 2012
» USDA Dairy Product Prices Week 8
» Catfish Processing Down 26 Per Cent from Last Year
» January 2012 Catfish Feed Deliveries Up 420 Per Cent
» BPEX Export Bulletin - Week 7
» USDA International Meat Review - 16th February 2012
» International Egg and Poultry Review: US Egg and Poultry Product Imports
» USDA Milk Production - February 2012
» USDA GAIN: Poultry and Products - Ukraine Update - February 2012
» USDA GAIN: Russian Federation Poultry & Products Semi-annual - February 2012
» USDA GAIN: Agricultural Situation - Russian Federation - February 2012

Company News

New Starter Culture Meets Versatile Demands
GERMANY - Frutarom Savory Solutions GmbH offers a new starter culture, BITEC Advance LD-20, for the manufacturing of firm and fresh raw sausages as well as sausage spreads.

Global Meat Industry News