TheMeatSite Newsletter - 28 March 2012

TheMeatSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 28th March 2012

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Critical Decisions Impact US Meat Industry

Critical legal decisions have been taken in the US over the last week that could have a lasting impact on the country's meat industry.

A federal court judge issued a landmark ruling that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must act to limit the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought last year by a coalition of consumer of advocacy groups suing the FDA over its inaction in addressing the growing public health threat posed by the daily dosing of antibiotics in livestock feed and the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The lawsuit came on the heels of an FDA report released to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter confirming that 80 per cent of antibiotics are sold for use in agriculture.

The US is also to appeal against the decision of the World Trade Organisation over its ruling on country of origin labelling on meat and meat products.

The US introduced the COOL regulation in 2009 stipulating that all meat in grocery stores had to have the country of origin on the label. Canada and Mexico in particular felt the regulation was unfair and a block to free trade and took their case to the World Trade Organisation disputes body.

The appeal has been applauded by consumer groups in the US but the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and pig producers in Canada has attacked the decision, believing the US should fall in line with World Trade Organisation compliance and not escalate potential trade disputes.

Also in the US, the outcry over "pink slime" and to have it removed from ground meat products has reached a new level.

More and more consumers and consumer groups are calling for an end to its use and supermarkets are now insisting that it should not be included in products on their shelves, while the meat industry is continuing to insist that it is safe and wholesome.

Benjamin England, Founder and CEO of FDAImports.com, a consulting firm that helps US and foreign companies navigate through and meet complex FDA regulations as well as researching food safety trends and legislation said that the processing methods and chemicals used in ground meat production have been in place for over 20 years.

“Campaigns against Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings, also known as Pink Slime, are thinly researched and stem mostly from gross-looking images scraped off the Internet without any context,” said Mr England.

The company at the centre of the publicity, Beef Products Inc., has announced the temporary closure of three of its four plants as public pressure has forced many food companies to cease using the ingredient.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 7 new features this week:

GLOBAL POULTRY TRENDS – Population to Top One Billion in the Americas
With an annual growth rate of a little below one per cent a year, the human population of the Americas will top one billion in 2017, representing 13.5 per cent of the world total, writes Terry Evans as he examines the trends in the human population and per–capita egg consumption in the Americas.

Killing Prions with Ozone
When it comes to infectious agents, it does not get much worse than prions.

Report Shows Rise in Salmonella Antimicrobial Resistance
Salmonella antimicrobial resistance in chicken breasts samples is on the increase in 2010, according to the US National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) retail meat surveillance programme.

Swine Epidemics Affect the Pork Market
Outbreaks of ‘blue ear’ disease (PRRS), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), classical swine fever, pneumonia, Streptococcus suis, circovirus, parasites and erysipelas are common in China’s pig industry, according to Fred Gale, Daniel Marti and Dinghuan Hu in a report entitled ‘China’s Volatile Pork Industry’ from the USDA Economic Research Service.

Fatty Acid Composition and Meat Quality
A major factor affecting the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue and muscle in pigs, sheep and cattle is the total amount of fat.

BPEX Annual Pig Meat Industry Survey 2012 Report
The pig sector is more optimistic this year about its financial situation across all parts of the supply chain. Optimism though is still below peak levels seen in 2009, according to the BPEX Annual Pig Meat Industry Survey 2012 Report produced by Promar International.

Bridging the US China Trade Gap
The growing US trade imbalance with China has been a major cause of concern for US policy makers, according to a study by Xiuzhi Wang, Edward A. Evans, and Fredy H. Ballen for the University of Florida.

Market Reports

» USDA GAIN: Australia Livestock & Products Semi-annual
» UK Slaughter Statistics - March 2012
» USDA Dairy Products Prices Highlights
» BPEX Export Bulletin – Week 12
» USDA Livestock Slaughter
» AHDB European Market Survey - 23 March 2012
» AHDB UK Market Survey - 23 March 2012
» USDA Poultry Slaughter: Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 4 Per Cent
» USDA GAIN: Mexico Poultry and Products Semi-annual
» USDA GAIN: Mexico Livestock & Products Semi-annual
» International Egg and Poultry Review: Turkeys
» Irish CSO Livestock Slaughterings February 2012

Company News

ANUGA FOODTEC - CFS Gets New Identity under GEA
GERMANY - Anuga FoodTec in Cologne saw food and drink processing equipment company GEA relaunch its meat processing division under a new name.

Global Meat Industry News