United States | USDA Undersecretary Bruce Knight Visits USMEF Headquarters | ...
United States
USDA Undersecretary Bruce Knight Visits USMEF Headquarters
USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight met with USMEF President and CEO Phil Seng, other USMEF staff and U.S. beef industry representatives Tuesday (Feb. 6) at USMEF headquarters in Denver. This was to exchange information on animal identification (ID) in international markets and to gain insight on traceability guidelines currently issued by international retail and foodservice industries.
USMEF Senior Vice President, Export Services Paul Clayton discussed with the group different animal ID systems used worldwide and the uses of those systems. In addition to using animal ID to ensure animal health and food safety, many countries are also using it for marketing purposes to show differentiation between products.
Many international retailers such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour are requesting substantiation to marketing claims as they relate to food safety or animal welfare and animal ID can be used to provide that substantiation. As a result, some international ID standards are already being set.
John Saunders and Leann Saunders of IMI Global, a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agricultural/livestock industry, led an exchange of information on current animal ID or traceability programs implemented in the United States, such as USDA export verification and production verification programs, private branding and production branding, such as “organic.” These programs are driven by economics and require a traceability system that can at the least identify a group of animals raised together in the same manner.
Colorado Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Terry Fankhauser talked about current cattle-raising practices in the United States, the application of animal identification techniques and also producer concerns regarding traceability.
Swift & Company Vice President, International Division Dan Halstrom, who also serves as USMEF chair-elect, shared information from a U.S. packing prospective by identifying the current programs domestic packers are using to ship product domestically and internationally.
The discussion was active and the exchange of information valuable as the United States continues to move forward in setting its procedures to ensure traceability.
Knight served as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service at USDA for four years and as vice president of government relations at the National Corn Growers Association prior to his appointment in August 2006.
United States
USDA Undersecretary Bruce Knight Visits USMEF Headquarters
USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight met with USMEF President and CEO Phil Seng, other USMEF staff and U.S. beef industry representatives Tuesday (Feb. 6) at USMEF headquarters in Denver. This was to exchange information on animal identification (ID) in international markets and to gain insight on traceability guidelines currently issued by international retail and foodservice industries.
USMEF Senior Vice President, Export Services Paul Clayton discussed with the group different animal ID systems used worldwide and the uses of those systems. In addition to using animal ID to ensure animal health and food safety, many countries are also using it for marketing purposes to show differentiation between products.
Many international retailers such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour are requesting substantiation to marketing claims as they relate to food safety or animal welfare and animal ID can be used to provide that substantiation. As a result, some international ID standards are already being set.
John Saunders and Leann Saunders of IMI Global, a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agricultural/livestock industry, led an exchange of information on current animal ID or traceability programs implemented in the United States, such as USDA export verification and production verification programs, private branding and production branding, such as “organic.” These programs are driven by economics and require a traceability system that can at the least identify a group of animals raised together in the same manner.
Colorado Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Terry Fankhauser talked about current cattle-raising practices in the United States, the application of animal identification techniques and also producer concerns regarding traceability.
Swift & Company Vice President, International Division Dan Halstrom, who also serves as USMEF chair-elect, shared information from a U.S. packing prospective by identifying the current programs domestic packers are using to ship product domestically and internationally.
The discussion was active and the exchange of information valuable as the United States continues to move forward in setting its procedures to ensure traceability.
Knight served as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service at USDA for four years and as vice president of government relations at the National Corn Growers Association prior to his appointment in August 2006.