USA | Bush administration defends beef checkoff | Edwin Kneedler, a Bush admi...
USA
Bush administration defends beef checkoff
Edwin Kneedler, a Bush administration attorney, defended the beef checkoff program as "government speech," not subject to the First Amendment. Speaking in front of the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday, Kneedler said that the program is generic — a general message about the desirability of eating beef — and that the law passed in 1985 to charge cattle growers $1 per head of cattle to subsidize the advertising campaign is not only legal, but highly effective.
Speaking for dissident ranchers, Laurence Tribe, a Harvard law professor and constitutional expert, said that the government speech argument was specious and his clients were being forced illegally to support speech with which they disagreed. He pointed to a 2001 decision by the Supreme Court that found a similar program in the mushroom industry unconstitutional.
Tribe broadened the argument to point out that a decision in favor of the government would have a chilling effect on all dissidents.
Dissident ranchers point out that the real beneficiaries of the program are retailers and processors, who don't contribute to the program, as well as foreign beef producers selling beef in the United States.
A decision on the case is not expected until mid-2005.
Kosher plant agrees to change slaughter process after PETA challenge
Following accusations of inhumane treatment of cattle by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, AgriProcessors Inc., the world's largest kosher slaughterhouse, has agreed to make minor changes to its slaughtering process.
The changes were announced after the Postville, Iowa-based company met with regulators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Orthodox Union, the organization that certifies the company's products as kosher.
Alterations in the slaughtering process include giving a stun gun to rabbis who perform the kosher slaughter to knock steers unconscious if they continue to thrash after their throats have been slit. In those instances, the animals will be removed from the kosher processing line.
Controversy erupted over AgriProcessors' slaughtering process when PETA made public a clandestinely recorded videotape that showed the allegedly inhumane treatment.
South Dakota backs away from animal ID
The South Dakota state legislature's appropriation committee turned down a request from the state's Animal Industry Board to use a federal grant to develop a new animal identification system for cattle.
The request was voted down on a 6-7 vote, but lawmakers said they would revisit the issue during the next session, which gets underway Jan. 11.
The Associated Press reported that those opposed wanted more details about how the state and private interests will participate in the plan, which will cost $290,000 out of a federal grant of $505,000. Putting off the expenditure until January will allow the legislature to hear from all interested parties, the chairman of the appropriations committee told AP.
European Union
EU: OLAF reveals fraud in agricultural spending
Ongoing investigations by the European Union’s (EU) anti-fraud office OLAF into financial crimes involving EU agricultural spending have discovered the swindling of an estimated €61.8m (US$81.8m), said the agency’s latest annual report.
It noted that sugar, meat, fruit and vegetable production accounted for more than half of these 116 cases. The report includes studies of recently solved scams, such as €3.4m of export refunds being paid for the sale of beef to Turkmenistan when in reality only 30,000 tonnes of this EU meat arrived over six years.
Another cited the illegal declaration of Chinese shrimps as from the Philippines to evade anti-biotics checks.
The number of cases of BSE in Spain exceeds 500.
Spain's Agriculture Ministry has reported 11 new cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The latest incidents occurred in the municipalities of Villain and Vegadeo in Asturias, Aguilar de Campoo in Palencia, Rioseco de Tapia in León, Espinosa de los Monteros in Burgos, Vila de Cruce, A Golada, Forcarei and Lalín in Pontevedra and Enmedio in Cantabria.
This brings the number of cases discovered in Spain this year to 125 and takes the total number of cases since the disease was first discovered in the country to 501.
Australia
Dollar tumbles on soft numbers
WEAK economic data dragged the local currency down again yesterday, leaving it US2.4c lower for the week.
After modest gains on Monday and Tuesday the dollar came under heavy pressure from a resurgent greenback on Tuesday night and is yet to recover those loses.
A fortnight ago the dollar began trading at US78.98c and has fallen ever since, hitting a low of US75.09c during local business yesterday after the latest trade data.
The high traded on the day was just US75.58c but it fell to US75.30c at the local close, compared with US75.81c at Thursday's close.
The surge in the dollar this year helped undermine data this week, making exports more expensive and fuelling an unexpected widening in Australia's trade deficit in October.
South Korea
$20,000 Income Possible by 2007
Korea could realize its long-cherished dream of $20,000 in per-capita income in two to three years on the back of a strong won.
The prediction came on the assumption that one dollar would be valued at 1,000-1,050 won.
The Bank of Korea (BOK) has estimated that the nation’s per-capita gross national income (GNI) will climb to $14,100 this year and $16,900 next year.
Korea has seen its per-capita income stay slightly above the $10,000 mark over the past decade _ $11,432 in 1995, $10,841 in 2000 and $12,646 in 2003.
Should Korea enter the $20,000 era in per-capita income, its ranking among the 210 countries around the globe could rise by about 20 notches to 30th or higher, from 50th in 2003. The won is one of the strong currencies against the dollar.
According to the United Nations, countries with per-capita GNI above the $20,000 level include Singapore, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Australia.
Russia
Lenta, Perekryostok to Double Number of Stores
The number of supermarkets in the city looks set to rocket after two large retail chains announced they will open nine new stores in St. Petersburg in 2005.
Lenta Group plans four new supermarkets which will be backed by a $30 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while Moscow budget chain Perekryostok announced plans for five St. Petersburg stores.
Lenta, the city's largest retailer with expected annual sales of $430 million in 2004, secured the seven-year ERBD loan to increase its current number of six stores to 10 within the next 18 months, it was announced this week.
South America
South America Launches New Block
CUZCO, Peru - Twelve South American countries signed a declaration Wednesday creating a political and economic bloc they hope will put them on a more equal footing with the United States and Europe.
The pact was signed at a two-day summit beginning Wednesday in the ancient Incan capital of Cuzco. But the absence of three presidents - Ecuador's Lucio Gutierrez, Uruguay's Jorge Batlle and Argentina's Nestor Kirchner - raised questions about the strength of their commitment to forming a powerful regional alliance.
After an all-day meeting, the 12 nations signed a declaration of principles creating the South American Community of Nations. The document expressed the hope that the new regional bloc "will achieve a greater weight and presence in international forums" for South America.
USA
Bush administration defends beef checkoff
Edwin Kneedler, a Bush administration attorney, defended the beef checkoff program as "government speech," not subject to the First Amendment. Speaking in front of the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday, Kneedler said that the program is generic — a general message about the desirability of eating beef — and that the law passed in 1985 to charge cattle growers $1 per head of cattle to subsidize the advertising campaign is not only legal, but highly effective.
Speaking for dissident ranchers, Laurence Tribe, a Harvard law professor and constitutional expert, said that the government speech argument was specious and his clients were being forced illegally to support speech with which they disagreed. He pointed to a 2001 decision by the Supreme Court that found a similar program in the mushroom industry unconstitutional.
Tribe broadened the argument to point out that a decision in favor of the government would have a chilling effect on all dissidents.
Dissident ranchers point out that the real beneficiaries of the program are retailers and processors, who don't contribute to the program, as well as foreign beef producers selling beef in the United States.
A decision on the case is not expected until mid-2005.
Kosher plant agrees to change slaughter process after PETA challenge
Following accusations of inhumane treatment of cattle by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, AgriProcessors Inc., the world's largest kosher slaughterhouse, has agreed to make minor changes to its slaughtering process.
The changes were announced after the Postville, Iowa-based company met with regulators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Orthodox Union, the organization that certifies the company's products as kosher.
Alterations in the slaughtering process include giving a stun gun to rabbis who perform the kosher slaughter to knock steers unconscious if they continue to thrash after their throats have been slit. In those instances, the animals will be removed from the kosher processing line.
Controversy erupted over AgriProcessors' slaughtering process when PETA made public a clandestinely recorded videotape that showed the allegedly inhumane treatment.
South Dakota backs away from animal ID
The South Dakota state legislature's appropriation committee turned down a request from the state's Animal Industry Board to use a federal grant to develop a new animal identification system for cattle.
The request was voted down on a 6-7 vote, but lawmakers said they would revisit the issue during the next session, which gets underway Jan. 11.
The Associated Press reported that those opposed wanted more details about how the state and private interests will participate in the plan, which will cost $290,000 out of a federal grant of $505,000. Putting off the expenditure until January will allow the legislature to hear from all interested parties, the chairman of the appropriations committee told AP.
European Union
EU: OLAF reveals fraud in agricultural spending
Ongoing investigations by the European Union’s (EU) anti-fraud office OLAF into financial crimes involving EU agricultural spending have discovered the swindling of an estimated €61.8m (US$81.8m), said the agency’s latest annual report.
It noted that sugar, meat, fruit and vegetable production accounted for more than half of these 116 cases. The report includes studies of recently solved scams, such as €3.4m of export refunds being paid for the sale of beef to Turkmenistan when in reality only 30,000 tonnes of this EU meat arrived over six years.
Another cited the illegal declaration of Chinese shrimps as from the Philippines to evade anti-biotics checks.
The number of cases of BSE in Spain exceeds 500.
Spain's Agriculture Ministry has reported 11 new cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The latest incidents occurred in the municipalities of Villain and Vegadeo in Asturias, Aguilar de Campoo in Palencia, Rioseco de Tapia in León, Espinosa de los Monteros in Burgos, Vila de Cruce, A Golada, Forcarei and Lalín in Pontevedra and Enmedio in Cantabria.
This brings the number of cases discovered in Spain this year to 125 and takes the total number of cases since the disease was first discovered in the country to 501.
Australia
Dollar tumbles on soft numbers
WEAK economic data dragged the local currency down again yesterday, leaving it US2.4c lower for the week.
After modest gains on Monday and Tuesday the dollar came under heavy pressure from a resurgent greenback on Tuesday night and is yet to recover those loses.
A fortnight ago the dollar began trading at US78.98c and has fallen ever since, hitting a low of US75.09c during local business yesterday after the latest trade data.
The high traded on the day was just US75.58c but it fell to US75.30c at the local close, compared with US75.81c at Thursday's close.
The surge in the dollar this year helped undermine data this week, making exports more expensive and fuelling an unexpected widening in Australia's trade deficit in October.
South Korea
$20,000 Income Possible by 2007
Korea could realize its long-cherished dream of $20,000 in per-capita income in two to three years on the back of a strong won.
The prediction came on the assumption that one dollar would be valued at 1,000-1,050 won.
The Bank of Korea (BOK) has estimated that the nation’s per-capita gross national income (GNI) will climb to $14,100 this year and $16,900 next year.
Korea has seen its per-capita income stay slightly above the $10,000 mark over the past decade _ $11,432 in 1995, $10,841 in 2000 and $12,646 in 2003.
Should Korea enter the $20,000 era in per-capita income, its ranking among the 210 countries around the globe could rise by about 20 notches to 30th or higher, from 50th in 2003. The won is one of the strong currencies against the dollar.
According to the United Nations, countries with per-capita GNI above the $20,000 level include Singapore, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Australia.
Russia
Lenta, Perekryostok to Double Number of Stores
The number of supermarkets in the city looks set to rocket after two large retail chains announced they will open nine new stores in St. Petersburg in 2005.
Lenta Group plans four new supermarkets which will be backed by a $30 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while Moscow budget chain Perekryostok announced plans for five St. Petersburg stores.
Lenta, the city's largest retailer with expected annual sales of $430 million in 2004, secured the seven-year ERBD loan to increase its current number of six stores to 10 within the next 18 months, it was announced this week.
South America
South America Launches New Block
CUZCO, Peru - Twelve South American countries signed a declaration Wednesday creating a political and economic bloc they hope will put them on a more equal footing with the United States and Europe.
The pact was signed at a two-day summit beginning Wednesday in the ancient Incan capital of Cuzco. But the absence of three presidents - Ecuador's Lucio Gutierrez, Uruguay's Jorge Batlle and Argentina's Nestor Kirchner - raised questions about the strength of their commitment to forming a powerful regional alliance.
After an all-day meeting, the 12 nations signed a declaration of principles creating the South American Community of Nations. The document expressed the hope that the new regional bloc "will achieve a greater weight and presence in international forums" for South America.