pork
Pork disappears from federal prison menus
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, in charge of 122 federal penitentiaries with 206,000 inmates, eliminated pork from prison menus at the start of the month, says the Washington Post. A spokesman told the Post the decision was based on a survey of food preferences.
Hog inventory rebounds from deadly epidemic
U.S. farms hold 68.4 million head of hogs, up 4 percent from a year ago when the sector began to recover from the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus that killed millions of piglets and drove pork prices to record highs, said the USDA in a quarterly report.
Retail beef price up 15%, pork up 12% since last summer
Beef prices are up 15 percent from a year ago and pork prices are up nearly 12 percent due to short supplies, said the Agriculture Department in a look at food inflation. Some relief is expected in the remaining months of the year, so USDA forecasts the average beef price this year to be 9 percent higher than last year. Pork would be 8 percent higher.
Concerns over ‘The Other White Meat’
A U.S. Court of Appeals has allowed a lawsuit to go forward over payments between two pork organizations for the use of the iconic tagline, “Pork: the Other White Meat,” Politico reports.
U.S. appeals court overturns dismissal of pork checkoff suit
The U.S. appeals court in Washington "is breathing new life into a previously dismissed lawsuit alleging pork checkoff funds were indirectly used to benefit the lobbying efforts of the National Pork Producers Council," said Agri-Pulse.
U.S. pork exports fall 17 percent on strong dollar, competition
Exports of U.S. pork are down by 17 percent for the first half of this year compared to 2014, due to the strong dollar and to increased competition for sales to Asia, says the U.S. Meat Export Federation, a trade group based in Denver.
U.S. says COOL costs Canada and Mexico only $91 million
Canada loses only $43.2 million and Mexico $47.6 million from the U.S. law that requires packages of beef and pork to say where the meat was born, raised and slaughtered.
Senate chairman asks for antitrust review of JBS-Cargill deal
Senate Judiciary chairman Charles Grassley asked the Justice Department for an antitrust review of an agreement for JBS, the giant Brazilian meatpacker, to buy the pork operations of agribusiness rival Cargill for $1.45 billion.
Tapeworms top a global list of food-borne pathogens
Three types of tapeworms found in pork and fresh produce take the three leading places in a list of the 10 "food-borne parasites of greatest global concern" issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. "The parasites affect the health of millions of people every year, infecting muscle tissues and organs, causing epilepsy, anaphylactic shock, amoebic dysentery and other problems," says FAO.
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.
Crucial House vote near on repeal of meat-origin labeling
The House could vote as early as Wednesday on repeal of mandatory country-of-origin labels (COOL) on packages of beef, pork and chicken sold in grocery stores. Meatpackers and the largest cattle and hog groups, who opposed COOL from the start, have their best chance in years to get rid of it. The World Trade Organization has issued a final ruling against COOL as a barrier to imported meat and livestock.
Canada, Mexico ask $3.7 billion in retaliation for U.S. label law
Canada and Mexico said they will ask the WTO approval for $3.7 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural and manufactured goods in their latest response to a U.S. meat-labeling law. "The only way for the United States to avoid billions in immediate retaliation is to repeal COOL," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz of Canada, referring to the country-of-origin labeling law. The U.S. House could vote as early as next week on a bill to repeal COOL for beef, pork and chicken, the three most widely consumed meats.
Prices lower for pork, higher for eggs, at supermarket
After hitting a record high in 2014, the supermarket price of pork will drop by 3.5 percent this year, the government said in updating its forecast for food price inflation. Hog farmers have expanded production at the same time the strong dollar discourages exports, so the pork supply for Americans is getting larger. It was the second month in a row that the USDA lowered its forecast for pork prices.
A year of flat pork prices after 2014’s skyrocket
Pork prices in the grocery store are forecast to increase hardly at all this year, up 0.5 percent, says the USDA's Food Price Outlook, a relief for consumers after record-high prices last year. "However, pork prices [this month] are still 5.9 percent higher than last year," according to the monthly report. Hog farmers are expanding production and hog prices this year are expected to be lower than in 2014. Poultry meat is forecast to increase in price by 3 percent this year and beef by 3.5 percent.
Key senator proposes voluntary origin labels for beef and pork
The United States can avoid billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs by switching to voluntary country-of-origin labels (COOL) for beef and pork, said the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.
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.
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.