The National Pork Producers Council is urging the Obama administration and Congress to resolve the debate over the U.S. Country-of-Origin-Labeling Law. The office of the U.S. trade Representative is appealing a ruling made by the World Trade Organization that COOL provides less favorable treatment to Canadian and Mexican livestock producers. NPPC wants to avoid damaging retaliation from Canada and Mexico against U.S. pork products.
NPPC opposed the country-of-origin-labeling law when it was being considered by Congress because of potential trade implications as well as costs, which, according to NPPC, far outweigh any benefits.
Correcting Misconceptions about LFTB
The beef industry argues that Finely Textured Lean Beef has gotten a bad rap from the media calling it pink slime. At Texas A & M - Center for Food Safety Director Gary Acuff says it is 100-percent beef and 100-percent safe…
“It’s not pink slime, it’s just lean beef. It’s Finley textured as the name says because it has been separated from fat trimmings.”
The controversy has resulted from the addition of ammonia when the material is used as a filler in ground beef…
“It’s an ammonia gas, it’s not a liquid ammonia or anything. It’s just a small amount that’s puffed into the meat to help raise the pH, and that makes it very uncomfortable for any pathogens to live.”
Acuff says it will take 1.5-million cows to replace the loss
MF Global Claims have Informal Market
Reuters reports that most former clients of MF Global have received about 72 cents for every dollar they had invested with the futures broker. MF Global filed for bankruptcy last October and investigators have been working to find up to 1.6 billion dollars in frozen funds. But, investors are growing more optimistic about the prospects for recovering their money. For more information on selling claims, visit our website, SFNToday.com for the full story.
Price of Beef Continues to Rise
The gas pump may not be the only place where you have to open your wallet wide. The price of beef continues to rise. One reason we’re seeing is that the number of beef cattle in the US is shrinking, to levels not seen in more than 50 years. USDA livestock analyst Shayle Shagam:
“And the reality is, as cattle supplies tighten as the year goes on, we’re going to see prices go up.”
And Shagum says the average price for choice beef could top $5.00 a pound this year:
“And that compares to about a $4.83 in 2011.”
USFRA Creating Dialogue about Agriculture
The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, a collaboration of more than 75 farmer and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners, is creating new ways for farmers and ranchers to reach consumers. USFRA chairman and president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Bob Stallman says - we're changing the conversation about how food is grown and raised. Farmers and ranchers are telling their own stories and leading the dialogue on some of the hottest topics about food.
Today’s Farm Fact:
U.S. farm policy costs Americans just 2.3 cents per meal of 6.9 cents a day.
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