TheBeefSite Newsletter - 4 August 2010

TheBeefSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 4th August 2010

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: The Big Debate

This week has seen much debate on the cloning of animals and the use of their products in the food chain, as well as the status of GM products.

Such debates highlight significant differences between the EU and the US.

Cloning: It has been confirmed this week that meat from the offspring of a cloned cow entered the UK food chain in July 2009.

Products from cloned animals or their offspring are not allowed to enter the food chain without prior authorisation from the Food Standards Agency.

To date, the Agency has not authorised the use of any products from cloned animals or their offspring in the food chain.

Back in July, the EU was pushing for a formal ban on the cloning of animals for food, as well as the importation of cloned animals.

The Agency is currently investigating this further, along with claims that milk from the offspring of a cloned cow has also entered the food chain.

GM: Despite the EU authorising six varieties of GM maize for food and feed uses last week, the US has retaliated over the EU's restrictions on genetically modified (GM) organisms.

The US accuses the EU of failing to comply with World Trade Organisation obligations, which are to provide for a science-based, timely and predictable process for reviewing ‘agriculture and food biotechnology products’.

The US also called for action over EU rules banning the sale of hormone-treated meat.

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

How Much Does Deforestation Cost US Producers?
Destrucution of the world's tropical forests by overseas timber, agriculture and cattle operations is seriously undermining the US's competitiveness in these areas, explores a new report produced by the Avoided Deforestation Partners and the National Farmers Union. Summarised by TheCattleSite junior editor, Charlotte Johnston.

Alternative Beef Production Systems – What’s in a Name?
Misperceptions about the definitions and claims of alternative beef production systems are growing about as quickly as interest in these systems and their resulting products, says a report by the US Economic Research Service.

The Effect of Transport On Weanling Heifers
In the present study, the inflammatory, adrenocortical, metabolic and behavioural responses of weanling animals to transport were studied in 40 transported and 20 control heifers. The results of the study showed that transportation of weanling animals from Ireland to Spain affected live weight, haematological and some physiological variables of metabolism.

Beef Production In Finland
In 2009 a total of 81 million kilograms of beef was produced in Finland. It was 15 million kilograms (–16 per cent) less than in 1996 but one per cent more than in 2008. Beef production has been falling rapidly so that in the past 15 years our self-sufficiency in beef has decreased from 100 per cent to 84 per cent.