Korea OKs Canadian beef imports

By Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald; With Files From Reuters June 28, 2011

 

 

South Korea said Monday it will resume imports of Canadian beef, a move that could be worth more than $30 million a year to cattle producers.

The Canadian and South Korean governments have reached a technical agreement that will see the country import meat from cows under the age of 30 months, although there are still details to be worked out before it's finalized.

"It's just one more step back towards some semblance of normalcy," Kevin Grier, an analyst at the George Morris Centre, said. "What our packers now have is one more potential buyer and that's always good."
But he pointed out that the agreement represents $30 million -by 2015, according to the Canada Beef Export Federation -to a $5-billion industry.

South Korea is the last key Asian market to reopen its borders -closed after Canadian cases of BSE were discovered in 2003 -and lengthy discussions with the country hit a point two years ago where Canada filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization. More

Horses' health to be tracked by microchips

CALGARY — Just a year after six horses died at the Calgary Stampede rodeo, the organization has announced new animal care standards.

Stampede officials say enhanced scrutiny will ensure only the healthiest animals will be used during the event, which runs July 8 to 17.

One measure will see veterinarians implanting a microchip in every horse that is scheduled to compete in the chuckwagon races.

Stampede officials say the chip will allow the horses to be tracked and monitored both during competition and at rest.

Last summer, two horses died of heart attacks, two were destroyed after suffering injuries and another broke its back from bucking too hard.

Another died after experiencing health difficulties 40 minutes after a chuckwagon race. More

GuZoo owner decides to fight

The GuZoo has been closed to visitors while owner Lynn Gustafson looks at yet another strategy that will allow him to either display or sell his animals.

Given a 60-day permit two weeks ago so he could put his decommissioning plan to work, Lynn Gustafson had been preparing to allow a medical inspection of the animals in his care to determine whether they could be moved to other facilities.

Then, he changed his mind.

On Tuesday, Gustafson told The Advocate that he has hired a lawyer to see if he can fight Alberta Agriculture’s insistence that he have a health inspection before any of the animals can leave the farm. He is supposed to meet with the lawyer on Saturday for the first time. More

Dispersal of GuZoo animals halted by province

Ordered to dispose of their animals, operators of beleaguered GuZoo said they were stunned provincial officials halted the transfer of some creatures due to potential disease concerns.

On Thursday, the GuZoo was preparing to send five wolves and three lemurs to new homes — the latter animals to an Ontario zoo — when Alberta Agriculture officials stepped in, insisting its critters be examined for possible diseases, said Bill Gustafson, son of facility owner Lynn Gustafson.

“It’s a disappointment not only for us but to the outfit who were going to take the three lemurs,” he said.
He said GuZoo is willing to have the animals tested “under certain terms,” but added his father was upset by what his family considers the province’s heavy-handed tactics.

“My dad told them ‘there’s no real point in doing this testing if this won’t let me keep my animals,’” said Gustafson. More

US senators unveil bipartisan bill to restrict use of antibiotics in food animals

Four senators - three Democrats and a Republican - have introduced legislation that would restrict the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.

The bill is a companion measure to legislation introduced earlier in the House by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.). It would ban farmers from using seven classes of antibiotics critical for human health expect to treat sick animals.

The bill comes as the House on Wednesday repealed a provision of the 2012 agriculture spending bill that aimed to prevent the Food and Drug Administration from similarly restricting antibiotic use in livestock and poultry. The amendment, from Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), drew concerns from Energy and Commerce Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) because of its wide-ranging policy implications. More

Angry cattle farmers threaten class action

CATTLE farmers may take legal action against Meat and Livestock Australia, to claim for damages over the Indonesian export ban.
Lawyers preparing a class action say that the directors of MLA and LiveCorp may have breached their fiduciary duties to their members by not disclosing to their members and levy payers the slaughtering conditions in some Indonesian abattoirs.

Read more:

Australia bans all live cattle exports to Indonesia

The Australian government has suspended live cattle exports to Indonesia until safeguards are adopted to end the brutal slaughter of animals.

The move follows an investigation into Indonesian abattoirs by Australia's ABC broadcaster, which showed graphic footage of animals being mistreated.

It prompted a public outcry and demands for the government to act.

Last week, Canberra suspended exports to abattoirs shown in the programme, but now it has issued a blanket ban. More