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Aquaculture Division Home
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Hot Topics Relating to Livestock and ForagesWhere Does Your Food Come From? A list of common foods and the countries from where they originate. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), July 2007 Consumers want to know where their food is produced. According to a Consumer Reports survey, ninety-two percent of respondents wanted imported foods labeled with country of origin. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll showed half of grocery shoppers are making an effort to buy U.S. food products. Products from China rank highest on those shoppers’ suspicion scale: 83% are concerned about food from China, compared with 61% concerned about food from Mexico and 39% concerned about foods from the U.S.A. Given these concerns, the final passage of COOL requirements is a certainty. USDA has decided to allow livestock producers to de-list their operations, February 15, 2007 USDA has decided to allow livestock producers who have already registered their premises as part of the still-developing national animal identification system to de-list their operations. USDA stated since the national animal ID is strictly voluntary; producers should be allowed to decide to stop participating at their discretion. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a mature bull from Alberta. The animal's carcass is under CFIA control, and no part of it entered the human food or animal feed systems. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing block grants to states to help livestock producers in 20 states partially recover forage production losses due to certain drought conditions experienced during 2006. National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the release of an implementation plan that outlines timelines and benchmarks for the establishment of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), along with a plan for the initial integration of private and state animal tracking databases with NAIS. "Last night we received an inconclusive test result on a rapid BSE test from an animal sampled as part our enhanced BSE surveillance program. On March 3, 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced the implementation of the animal identification number (AIN) as the next phase of the voluntary National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The initial focus of the AIN is for individual cattle and swine. These species typically use identification eartags (referred to as AIN tags) when official identification is necessary (e.g., for interstate commerce or disease programs). What to do for pastures during a drought Producers and agents have been asking about what to do with their forages this year in view of the dry weather. The National Weather Service has some interesting information I thought I would pass along. Below are excerpts from the National Weather Service website regarding the long-term weather outlook. Age Verification for the Japanese Market U.S. beef producers welcome the December 12, 2005 announcement that Japan is opening its market to U.S. beef under 21 months of age. U.S. beef will be sent to Japan under the Beef Export Verification Program, and those supplying it will be certified under a separate program known as Quality System Assessment (QSA). The QSA stretches from the farm to the packer and ensures that the beef is source- and age-verified.
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