Asia Pacific.South Korea delays Canada meet after new mad cow caseSouth Korea...

Asia Pacific

.South Korea delays Canada meet after new mad cow case
South Korea said it has decided to delay a working group meeting with Canada to discuss resuming Canadian beef imports, after Canada confirmed a new case of mad cow disease.

South Korea '06 beef imports seen up 40 percent on U.S. trade
South Korea is expected to boost beef imports by 40 percent in 2006 with renewed purchases from the U.S. after a two-year ban due to concerns about mad cow disease, the state-run news agency said on Tuesday.

Russia keeps Brazilian meat ban
Meat imports from eight Brazilian regions, which were banned on December 13, 2005, will not be resumed in the near future due to the danger of foot-and-mouth-disease.

Americas

Positive perception of hog farms good news for pork producers
Separating the perception of hog producing from the reality is a key to better attitudes towards hog production in rural communities, says an associate professor from the University of Guelph.

Canada's new mad cow case draws mixed reactions in U.S.
While some U.S. cattle industry groups called for halting cattle and beef trade with Canada after a new case of mad cow disease was confirmed there, the U.S. secretary of agriculture said suspension of trade is unlikely.

USA

USDA responds to Canadian BSE announcement
"I appreciated the opportunity to speak with Canadian Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell today, who apprised me of the new BSE detection in Canada. I assured him that based on the information he supplied, I anticipate no change in the status of beef or live cattle imports to the U.S. from Canada under our established agreement. As I've said many times, our beef trade decisions follow internationally accepted guidelines that are based in science.

U.S. says beef inspection system is safe
The recent U.S. beef shipment that violated Japanese import controls was an isolated incident and not a sign the American food system is unsafe, U.S. agricultural officials said Tuesday after meeting with their Japanese counterparts.

New leader of R-CALF's wants to expand group
The new leader of R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America wants to change perceptions of the group that some in the cattle industry describe as protectionist or out of the mainstream, because of R-CALF's stance on trade issues.

More cattle moved to U.S. feedlots
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.8 million head on January 1, 2006. The inventory was four percent larger than the January 1, 2005 inventory, and five percent above the January 1, 2004 inventory.

Positive perception of hog farms good news for pork producers
Separating the perception of hog producing from the reality is a key to better attitudes towards hog production in rural communities, says an associate professor from the University of Guelph.

Canada's new mad cow case draws mixed reactions in U.S.
While some U.S. cattle industry groups called for halting cattle and beef trade with Canada after a new case of mad cow disease was confirmed there, the U.S. secretary of agriculture said suspension of trade is unlikely.

Asia Pacific

.South Korea delays Canada meet after new mad cow case
South Korea said it has decided to delay a working group meeting with Canada to discuss resuming Canadian beef imports, after Canada confirmed a new case of mad cow disease.

South Korea '06 beef imports seen up 40 percent on U.S. trade
South Korea is expected to boost beef imports by 40 percent in 2006 with renewed purchases from the U.S. after a two-year ban due to concerns about mad cow disease, the state-run news agency said on Tuesday.

Russia keeps Brazilian meat ban
Meat imports from eight Brazilian regions, which were banned on December 13, 2005, will not be resumed in the near future due to the danger of foot-and-mouth-disease.

Americas

Positive perception of hog farms good news for pork producers
Separating the perception of hog producing from the reality is a key to better attitudes towards hog production in rural communities, says an associate professor from the University of Guelph.

Canada's new mad cow case draws mixed reactions in U.S.
While some U.S. cattle industry groups called for halting cattle and beef trade with Canada after a new case of mad cow disease was confirmed there, the U.S. secretary of agriculture said suspension of trade is unlikely.

USA

USDA responds to Canadian BSE announcement
"I appreciated the opportunity to speak with Canadian Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell today, who apprised me of the new BSE detection in Canada. I assured him that based on the information he supplied, I anticipate no change in the status of beef or live cattle imports to the U.S. from Canada under our established agreement. As I've said many times, our beef trade decisions follow internationally accepted guidelines that are based in science.

U.S. says beef inspection system is safe
The recent U.S. beef shipment that violated Japanese import controls was an isolated incident and not a sign the American food system is unsafe, U.S. agricultural officials said Tuesday after meeting with their Japanese counterparts.

New leader of R-CALF's wants to expand group
The new leader of R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America wants to change perceptions of the group that some in the cattle industry describe as protectionist or out of the mainstream, because of R-CALF's stance on trade issues.

More cattle moved to U.S. feedlots
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.8 million head on January 1, 2006. The inventory was four percent larger than the January 1, 2005 inventory, and five percent above the January 1, 2004 inventory.

Positive perception of hog farms good news for pork producers
Separating the perception of hog producing from the reality is a key to better attitudes towards hog production in rural communities, says an associate professor from the University of Guelph.

Canada's new mad cow case draws mixed reactions in U.S.
While some U.S. cattle industry groups called for halting cattle and beef trade with Canada after a new case of mad cow disease was confirmed there, the U.S. secretary of agriculture said suspension of trade is unlikely.