Asia Pacific | Nippon Meat Packers incinerated beef before inspectors could c...

Asia Pacific

 

Nippon Meat Packers incinerated beef before inspectors could check it
With government inspectors breathing down its neck, Nippon Meat Packers Inc. burned a load of beef it had initially claimed was eligible for a taxpayer-funded buyback program, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.

 

Europe and Middle East

 

Italy Unveils Cattle Database to Cut BSE Risks
Italy unveiled a new online national cattle database on Tuesday aimed at reducing the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, officials said.

 

Americas

 

Mexico to enter free trade deal
A team of businessmen is to travel to Mexico this month aiming to increase trade between the countries. The shoes, meat, machinery, bicycles, pharmaceutical, plastic, chemical, furniture, personal hygiene, perfumery, cosmetic, car, airplanes, electrical and electronics, textile, chocolate, confectionery and others are negotiating to export to that country.

 

Cdn Ag Minister Says New Marketing Plan for Beef Markets Underway
Canada's Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief announced that work will soon begin on a new marketing strategy to help promote Canadian beef and pork to overseas markets like Japan.

 

USA

 

McDonald's defending foreign beef purchases
When McDonald's sneezes, the cattle industry collectively runs for a handkerchief - and with good reason. McDonald's buys 1 billion pounds of beef a year in the United States.

 

Trade Bill Rewards Special Interests
President Bush hailed last week's House vote on trade promotion authority as a major victory for farmers, ranchers and American consumers. But he left a few other winners off the list: StarKist, FedEx and nuclear power plant companies.

 

Deaths Prompt Deer Disease Probe
The deaths of three outdoorsmen from brain-destroying illnesses are under investigation by medical experts who want to know whether chronic wasting disease has crossed from animals into humans, just as mad cow disease did in Europe.