TheMeatSite Newsletter - 11 July 2012

Welcome to this week's newsletter

EDITORIAL: International Row Brewing as Codex Clears Use of Ractopamine

Last week Codex Alimentarius set maximum levels for the use of the drug Ractopamine, which the commission says the meat will be safe for human consumption.

The Commission voted 69-67 in favour of establishing the MRLs of 10 parts per billion in beef and pork.

Adoption of the MRLs was supported by the US, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ghana, the Philippines and the majority of the rest of the world outside of Europe in an effort to send a message that Codex is a science-based body and that inaction is not an option in an increasingly globalised world.

The move has been welcomed by the governments of the USA, Canada and Brazil.

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said: "After five years of hard work by the Codex Commission, including the US Department of Agriculture and our federal agency partners, the United States welcomes the Commission's adoption of standards for the veterinary drug ractopamine. This action by Codex affirms the pre-eminent role of science in setting international standards for food safety.

"Currently, American producers face trade restrictions due to unjustified bans on the use of ractopamine, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and used safely in the United States for 12 years as well as 25 other countries. These standards provide clear guidance to countries about safe use of ractopamine, which promotes lean meat production.

"The whole supply chain will benefit because they already use this technology and now we have our parameter as an international benchmark. It was an important achievement and the Ministry of Agriculture participated actively so that these standards were adopted," said the head of the Division of Control of Additives, Suzana Bresslau.

"This marks an important step forward for science-based trade, an approach this government has constantly advocated with trading partners around the globe," said Canadian Agriculture Minster Gerry Ritz.

However, the European Union is standing firm in its opposition to the use of ractopamine and is still raising safety concerns.

The European Union's risk assessment body, the European Food Safety Authority, has concluded that there is insufficient data upon which to make a proposal for maximum residue levels for ractopamine and that risks to human health cannot be ruled out.

The EU said that given its outstanding safety concerns, the European Union's current legislation will remain in place.

Chris Harris

The MeatSite Book Focus

Lambs for the Freezer
In an age that has seen unparalleled interest in personal food production, Lambs for the Freezer is a timely and comprehensive introduction to breeding and rearing lamb for home consumption. Writing for the small-scale sheep keeper with little or no knowledge of rearing livestock, Sue Kendrick draws on her own extensive experience of keeping farm animals to guide the new shepherd through the whole process of breeding, rearing and ultimately filling their freezer with home produced lamb.
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Pigs for the Freezer
Small-scale pig keeping is expanding, not only in the countryside but also in urban areas. However, at the outset the prospect of owning pigs can be frightening for the uninitiated. The book is aimed at the small-scale producer in a suburban or urban environment as well as smallholders who want to keep a few pigs for the first time. It guides the reader through the day-to-day routine of looking after pigs and provides essential information.
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This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

More Slaughter Plants Needed for Locally Sourced Meat
More Slaughter Plants Needed for Locally Sourced Meat Demand for locally sourced products in the US has increased in recent years, but producers often claim that a lack of slaughter facilities is a key reason that it is not expanding more quickly, writes Chris Harris.

GLOBAL POULTRY TRENDS 2012 - Poultry Increases its Share of Global Meat Production
Forecasts point to a further two per cent increase in poultry meat output worldwide this year, writes seasoned industry watcher, Terry Evans. Our Global Poultry Trends series for 2012 starts with his analysis of chicken meat production trends in Asia.

What Europeans Think of Food Security, Food Quality
More than 90 per cent of EU citizens find quality and price an important factor when buying food according to a new EUROBAROMETER survey.

New Study Maps Hotspots of Human-animal Infectious Diseases and Emerging Disease Outbreaks
A new global study mapping human-animal diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and Rift Valley fever finds that an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year. The vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries.