TheBeefSite Newsletter - 29 April 2009

Wednesday 29th April 2009

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: One Dispute Begins to Close as Another Opens

History was made this week with the announcement that scientists had sequenced the bovine genome for the first time.

For all the light that this news will give researchers, it will also open the doors to a darker area of science. The US has already paved the way for how GM animals will be sold as food within its domestic market, but this week the Scottish government announced that it was standing firm against all GM foods. Market conflicts over GM products are likely to be a future agenda.

The current big food debate, centering on beef hormones and fought over at the World Trade Organisation, took a fresh twist on the 22nd. Via a telephone call, the US and the EU were reported to have agreed to resolve the debate. What price will be paid for this process is yet to be discovered.

Adam Anson

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 5 new features this week:

UK Beef Production on the Slide
UK beef production is expected to fall by about three per cent this year with a similar decline anticipated for 2010, writes Chris Harris, TheCattleSite senior editor.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Novel Technologies Improve Detection and Control
Scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are using infra-red technology to identify cattle infected with foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus. The same group has developed the world's first molecular-based FMD vaccine, which has been effective in pigs, writes Laura McGinnis, ARS staff.

Increasing Calf Crop Through Tests and Examinations
Percent calf crop weaned is influenced more by management decisions than by any other single factor in a cow herd, and therefore can be a very important factor in annual returns for a cow-calf operation, says this South Dakota State University, Extension Extra publication.

Beef Grades and Carcass Information
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses a dual grading system for beef carcasses: a Yield Grade for estimating cutability and a Quality Grade as a comprehensive evaluation of factors that affect beef palatability, says this Mississippi State University Extension Service, report.

Cattle and Veal World Markets and Trade
For the first time in over a decade, global imports of pork, beef, and broiler meats are all forecast to decline in a single year, reports the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.