Asia Pacific | UPDATE 1-ANALYSIS-Beef, chicken off the menu in South KoreaSE...

Asia Pacific

UPDATE 1-ANALYSIS-Beef, chicken off the menu in South Korea
SEOUL, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Lunar New Year's Day dinner tasted slightly different in many South Korean households this year, as outbreaks of bird flu in Asia and mad cow disease in the United States have changed consumers' purchasing patterns.

Australia livestock exports fall 20 pct in 2003
SYDNEY, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Rising Australian exports of dairy cattle and breeding goats to China helped buffer an overall decline in livestock exports in 2003, industry bodies LiveCorp and Meat and Livestock Australia said on Thursday.

Farmers concerned at live export proposals
Farmers are concerned they could be left exposed under new rules proposed by livestock exporters.

Americas

Mexico FTAA talks hit bumps in race for Jan accord
PUEBLA, Mexico, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Talks between Western Hemisphere nations to reach a free trade pact of the Americas ahead of a January deadline started to hit snags on Wednesday, raising doubts about whether they would succeed.

USA

U.S. CFTC says mad cow trading probe to take longer
WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's enforcement director said on Wednesday the agency's investigation into whether there was manipulation of the U.S. cattle futures market just before the December mad cow scare will take longer than thought.

Reactions To Int'l Panel's Report on U.S. BSE Case Continue
U.S. government and livestock industry groups and officials have been making their views known about the report by the international team of experts relative to the case of BSE in the United States.

Mad cow panel urges testing
An influential panel of international experts warned Wednesday that there are likely more cases of mad cow disease in the country and urged the Bush administration to further tighten safeguards on meat and animal feed.

NCBA, AMI pan committee's BSE report
An anticipated report released Wednesday by a subcommittee of the Agriculture Department's Foreign Animal and Poultry Disease Advisory Committee that questioned U.S. safeguards to prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy garnered cool reaction by beef industry groups, who argued that the report reaches inappropriate conclusions.

USDA slams would-be whistle blower's BSE testimony in Washington state
In unusually blunt and sometimes forceful terms, the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service refuted sworn testimony and public claims that the agency conspired to falsify the slaughterhouse veterinary report of the Holstein culled Dec. 9 and discovered Dec. 23 to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Smithfield buys share in Spain's largest meat operation
Smithfield Foods has purchased roughly 8 million shares of Campofrio Alimentacion, S.A., Spain's largest meat processor for approximately $87.8 million, giving the Smithfield, Va.,-based company control of 15.2 percent of Campofrio's outstanding share capital.

BSE Briefing Highlights
American Meat Industry Foundation forum updates the beef industry on the continuously developing BSE situation.

Asia Pacific

UPDATE 1-ANALYSIS-Beef, chicken off the menu in South Korea
SEOUL, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Lunar New Year's Day dinner tasted slightly different in many South Korean households this year, as outbreaks of bird flu in Asia and mad cow disease in the United States have changed consumers' purchasing patterns.

Australia livestock exports fall 20 pct in 2003
SYDNEY, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Rising Australian exports of dairy cattle and breeding goats to China helped buffer an overall decline in livestock exports in 2003, industry bodies LiveCorp and Meat and Livestock Australia said on Thursday.

Farmers concerned at live export proposals
Farmers are concerned they could be left exposed under new rules proposed by livestock exporters.

Americas

Mexico FTAA talks hit bumps in race for Jan accord
PUEBLA, Mexico, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Talks between Western Hemisphere nations to reach a free trade pact of the Americas ahead of a January deadline started to hit snags on Wednesday, raising doubts about whether they would succeed.

USA

U.S. CFTC says mad cow trading probe to take longer
WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's enforcement director said on Wednesday the agency's investigation into whether there was manipulation of the U.S. cattle futures market just before the December mad cow scare will take longer than thought.

Reactions To Int'l Panel's Report on U.S. BSE Case Continue
U.S. government and livestock industry groups and officials have been making their views known about the report by the international team of experts relative to the case of BSE in the United States.

Mad cow panel urges testing
An influential panel of international experts warned Wednesday that there are likely more cases of mad cow disease in the country and urged the Bush administration to further tighten safeguards on meat and animal feed.

NCBA, AMI pan committee's BSE report
An anticipated report released Wednesday by a subcommittee of the Agriculture Department's Foreign Animal and Poultry Disease Advisory Committee that questioned U.S. safeguards to prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy garnered cool reaction by beef industry groups, who argued that the report reaches inappropriate conclusions.

USDA slams would-be whistle blower's BSE testimony in Washington state
In unusually blunt and sometimes forceful terms, the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service refuted sworn testimony and public claims that the agency conspired to falsify the slaughterhouse veterinary report of the Holstein culled Dec. 9 and discovered Dec. 23 to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Smithfield buys share in Spain's largest meat operation
Smithfield Foods has purchased roughly 8 million shares of Campofrio Alimentacion, S.A., Spain's largest meat processor for approximately $87.8 million, giving the Smithfield, Va.,-based company control of 15.2 percent of Campofrio's outstanding share capital.

BSE Briefing Highlights
American Meat Industry Foundation forum updates the beef industry on the continuously developing BSE situation.