meat
Record profits for pork producers this summer
Hog farmers made a record profit of nearly $70 a hog this spring and are on track for much larger profits this summer, says economist Chris Hurt of Purdue University at farmdoc daily. He says "third quarter profits are expected to be over $100 per head due to continued high market prices and declining feed costs. Hog farmers have been slow to expand their herds, so the the supply of slaughter hogs remains tight.
WTO moves closer to decision on U.S. meat-labeling rules
The World Trade Organization has sent an interim report to the three North American nations - Canada, Mexico and the United States - sparring over country-of-origin-labeling rules for cuts of poultry, beef and pork, says a spokesman for the U.S. trade representative's office.
The giant food company you’ve never heard of
By annual sales figures, Brazil-based JBS is one of the largest food companies in the world. The multinational is the world's largest processor of beef, chicken and lamb and is No. 3 in pork.
U.S. to give preference for meat raised with fewer antibiotics
President Obama directed the government to support "the emerging market for meat that has been produced according to responsible antibiotic-use policies" by serving the meat in federal cafeterias and, by 2020, giving routine preference to vendors selling the meat.
COOL repeal bill could get House vote in early June
After a landslide 38-6 vote in committee, Agriculture chairman Michael Conaway said the House might vote in early June on legislation to repeal mandatory country-of-origin labels (COOL) for beef, pork and chicken. The Agriculture Committee voted for repeal two days after the WTO ruled the labeling system is a barrier to livestock imports. COOL has been mandatory for U.S. meat since 2008.
COOL repeal will barrel through House in June, says Conaway
House Agriculture chairman Michael Conaway forecasts easy passage of a bill to repeal country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on cuts of beef, pork and chicken, beginning with his committee today and on the House floor in June. "If we can get a big vote in the House ... that will help" build momentum for Senate approval, Conaway told reporters on Capitol Hill. He said he was working with GOP House leaders to arrange a floor vote in early June. "The train is leaving the station, if not left the station."
Conaway sets meat-label repeal in motion after WTO loss
The House Agriculture Committee will vote on Wednesday on repeal of the U.S. law that requires cuts of beef, pork, chicken and lamb to carry labels that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. Chairman Michael Conaway, committed to repeal, called the meeting in the wake of a World Trade Organization ruling that the country-of-origin labels (COOL) are a trade barrier in disguise that suppresses imports from Canada and Mexico, which have fought COOL since 2008.
As WTO rules, a campaign to repeal meat-origin labels
U.S. manufacturers and foodmakers are pressing lawmakers for speedy repeal of the U.S. law that requires labels on packages of beef, pork, lamb and poultry meat to say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. So-called country of origin labeling (COOL) has been under challenge since December 2008 at the World Trade Organization, which has promised a final ruling on the matter by today. The United States lost three previous rulings and was expected to lose this one as well. WTO says COOL distorts trade by discouraging imports of livestock from Canada and Mexico.
Conaway’s committee is “prepared to lead” on repeal of meat-label law
"The House Agriculture Committee is prepared to lead" for repeal of the law requiring country-of-origin labels (COOL) on packages of beef, pork and chicken if the World Trade Organization rejects a final U.S. appeal, said chairman Michael Conaway. The WTO has ruled against the mandatory labels three times and says it intends to rule by May 18 on the last appeal allowed in the case. Canada and Mexico say COOL is a trade barrier in disguise that has reduced shipments of livestock into the United States.
“Hands off my hotdog!” says meat industry petition
In a bid to influence the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines, the meat industry launched a "Hands off my hotdog" petition at Change.org.
Longer comment period set for Dietary Guidelines
The government will allow an additional 30 days for comment on the report by a panel of experts on how to revise the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The report has drawn criticism because it says environmental sustainability should be taken into account in recommending a healthy diet. Farm groups, especially from the meat industry, say the report is wrong to say people should eat less meat.
Strong dollar impedes U.S. meat exports
The strong U.S. dollar will constrain beef, pork and poultry exports while encouraging imports, the USDA forecast in the monthly WASDE report.
Meat industry wants 120-day comment period on diet report
The North American Meat Institute filed a request with the government for a 120-day comment period on the report that the Agriculture and Health departments will use as the basis for the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Pork may briefly top beef in per-capita consumption
Hog farmers, long overshadowed by cattle producers, will expand production faster than the cattle industry, resulting in Americans eating more pork than beef in 2017, says the USDA in its long-term agricultural baseline. The department released the complete 97-page baseline on Tuesday; a trimmed-down version that covered crop projections was released in December. The USDA pegs pork consumption at 48.8 pounds per person in 2017 compared to 48.5 pounds of beef.
More cattle and hogs to ease meat squeeze
U.S. cattle, hog and poultry producers are expanding production, the government said in forecasting a sharp 3-percent increase in per-capita meat consumption this year. In its monthly WASDE report, the Agriculture Department raised its forecast of meat production by more than 1 billion pounds for this year. It estimated that the average American would consume 208.5 pounds of beef, pork and poultry in 2015, the equivalent of 9 ounces a day.
USDA research imposes “a steep cost” on animal welfare
USDA's Meat Animal Research Center in the Nebraska plains is re-engineering cattle, pigs and sheep "to fit the needs of the 21st Century...animals that produce more offspring, yield more meat and cost less to raise," says a front-page New York Times story.
Outlook for U.S. poultry is strong if bird flu doesn’t spread
The outlook for U.S. poultry producers for 2015 is strong, says Rabobank in a report on the industry around the world. Producers in the United States and Brazil "could benefit from ongoing bullish market conditions such as...
Newly created meat group hires Thompson as lead lobbyist
North American Meat Institute, the result of a trade group merger, said it hired Fred Thompson, as its senior vice president of legislative affairs.