Farmed Animal Watch: N.31, V.7

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Welcome to Farmed Animal Watch! Subscribe to Farmed Animal Watch NOVEMBER 16, 2007 -- Number 31, Volume 7 NOTE: Farmed Animal Watch has been experiencing technical difficulties. We apologize for the delay in getting this edition of the news digest to you. 1. A MILLION MORE LBS. OF BEEF RECALLED, 5 MILLION PIZZAS Nearly 1.1 million pounds of ground beef was recalled on Nov. 3rd by Cargill Inc. after a sample taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Oct. 8th was confirmed positive for E. coli O157:H7. Cargill, one of the largest meat processors in the world, had just recalled some 845,000 pounds of ground beef on Oct. 6th due to

the same bacteria (see: http://tinyurl.com/2wdhl4). Meat in the latest recall had been distributed across the country, but in this case no illnesses have been associated with it. Five million pepperoni pizzas were also recalled in early November by General Mills. The meat is suspected in 21 cases of E. coli infection. Health officials are said to be baffled, noting that adequate cooking should have killed the bacteria. E. coli cases have been on an upswing since 2005, after having been on the decline for over a decade. This year,

more than 30 million pounds of ground beef have been called off the market in 18 recalls linked to at least 65 illnesses. Currently, industry initiates recalls voluntarily. In early November, USDA Undersecretary Richard Raymond told a Congressional panel that the USDA has adequate authority to conduct recalls and it would oppose efforts to make removal of suspect meat mandatory. He told the lawmakers the rise in E. coli cases were not due to companies being careless or inspectors doing sloppy work. Raymond said it could be due to weather patterns, drug resistance, or changes in feed that have increases stress on the animals who consume it. "I think it's starting with the animal's environment," Raymond said. In July, the USDA announced it increased the number of tests of ground beef by more than 75%. Last month it issued a series of initiatives to combat E. coli. The September recall of 22 million pounds of beef by Topps Meat Co. (see link above and http://tinyurl.com/yqso73) is blamed on the Canadian source of the meat. The USDA has put additional requirements on meat imports from Canada, at least temporarily. New Jersey officials continue to find the meat on store shelves and warn it could also still be available for sale in other states (see: http://tinyurl.com/yubzm7). CARGILL RECALLS 1 MILLION POUNDS OF GROUND BEEF Reuters, November 3, 2007 http://news./s/nm/20071103/ts_nm/cargill_beef_recall_dc UPDATE TO FROZEN PIZZA RECALL WHAS, November 2, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/32usfb QUESTIONS SWIRL AROUND RECENT RISE IN E. COLI CASES Star Tribune with The Associated Press, Matt McKinney, November 10, 2007 http://www.startribune.com/535/story/1540372.html USDA SAYS HAS ENOUGH LEGAL AUTHORITY TO DO RECALLS Reuters, Christopher Doering, November 7, 2007 http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0756414420071108 CANADIAN MEAT, POULTRY PLACED UNDER MORE SCRUTINY Meat & Poultry, Bryan Salvage, November 5, 2007 http://www.meatpoultry.com/news/daily_enews.asp?ArticleID=89243 2. MEAT INDUSTRY DISPUTES CANCER REPORT FINDINGS Every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%, according to an analysis from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund. An

international panel spent five years reviewing more than 7,000 large-scale studies to develop the report ( http://tinyurl.com/2nl92x). Among other things, it advises consuming less than 18 ounces (500 grams) of cooked “red meat” per week and “very little, if any” processed meat (e.g., bacon, ham, sausage and lunchmeat). The 517-page report also warns of excess body fat being a major risk for various cancers, stating that: "diets with high levels of animal fats are often relatively high in energy, increasing the risk of weight gain." The meat industry disputes the findings, noting, among other things, that the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are also based on a review of scientific evidence and include processed and other meat. It points to an unpublished 2004 Harvard School of Public Health analysis that concluded that red meat and processed meat were not associated with colon cancer. PUT DOWN THE BACON! REPORT EMPHASIZES CANCER-FAT LINKS USA Today, Nanci Hellmich, October 31,2007 http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-31-cancer_N.htm 3. A FRESH FARM BILL Congress is deliberating reauthorization of the Farm Bill (a.k.a. the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, (see: http://tinyurl.com/37r26c) which, among other things, will determine which food industries get the most government aid over the next five years. The New York Times recently editorialized: “The Senate has one last chance to rid the country of an irrational, outdated and unfair 70-year-old program of federal farm supports that enriches the few at the expense of the many, distorts international trade and damages the environment.” In the same edition of the paper, food policy analyst Michael Pollan (see: http://tinyurl.com/3cvluo) states: “Americans have begun to ask why the farm bill is subsidizing high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils at a time when rates of diabetes and obesity among children are soaring, or why the farm bill is underwriting factory farming (with subsidized grain) when feedlot wastes are polluting the countryside and, all too often, the meat supply.” Pollan goes on to explain machinations behind the bill (and see Kansas City Star article). Commenting on the bill, Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said: "Senators take millions from corporations that produce bacon, burgers and other fatty foods. Then Congress buys up these unhealthy products and dumps them on our school lunch program. Companies get rich, and kids get fat." From 1995 to 2004, nearly three-fourths of farm bill agricultural subsidies for food (more than $51 billion) went to producers of sugar, oil, meat, dairy, alcohol and feed crops used for farmed animals. Fruit and vegetable farmers received less than 1% of the subsidies. Since 1985, the price of fruits and vegetables has increased 40% while the

price of sugar and fats has declined by 14%. Weighing in on the matter, this year the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates passed a resolution supporting “efforts (1) to reduce health disparities by basing food assistance programs on the health needs of their constituents, (2) to provide vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, vegetarian foods, and healthful nondairy beverages in school lunches and food assistance programs, and (3) to ensure that federal subsidies encourage the consumption of products low in fat and cholesterol” (see http://tinyurl.com/2r9937). Pollan explains how both the House and Senate drafts of the farm bill remain problematic. While relatively token increases have been included for fruits, vegetables, nuts and other “specialty crops,” $42 billion is slated for corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and cotton, and $5 billion is included for a “permanent disaster” program. Pollan and the New York Times join physicians, environmentalists, and animal advocates in urging passage of the Farm Ranch Equity Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Act. In place of subsidies, the government would pay producers when their income

falls more than 15% due to inclement weather or price drops. The estimated $20 billion saved by the Act would go toward nutrition and environmental programs. FARM BELT FOLLIES The New York Times, Editorial, November 3, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/03/opinion/03sat4.html WEED IT AND REAP The New York Times, Op-Ed, Michael

Pollan, November 4, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/opinion/04pollan.html DOCTORS BLAME CONGRESS FOR OBESITY PROBLEM, LOBBY FOR A MORE HEALTHFUL FARM BILL Kansas City Star, Rob Hotakainen, October 27, 2007 http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/336219.html 4. H5N1 HITS THE U.K. AGAIN H5N1 avian influenza, the strain that can cause infection and death in humans, has been confirmed on a free-range poultry operation in East Anglia, England. (The Daily Mail article includes photos). It is the first incidence of the disease strain in the U.K. since 159,000 turkeys were slaughtered on account of it in February (see: http://tinyurl.com/37q73s). Five workers staff the facility along with four others run by Redgrave Poultry. Due to the possibility that they may have transferred the virus to the other sites, some 30,000 birds, mostly turkeys and also ducks and geese, at the five farms are being gassed. East Anglia produces about one-third of Britain’s turkeys. Restriction on the movement of live farmed birds has been imposed for 30 days on all of Suffolk and most of Norfolk, with the birds to be kept indoors away from wild ones. Wildfowl at a nearby lake are suspected by the government as being the source of the virus. However, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds points out that no wild birds tested positive for it this autumn despite stepped up testing by the government. Ducklings imported from the Netherlands are now being considered as another source (see: http://tinyurl.com/2t9t2z). The Times article includes a list of U.K poultry production statistics. TESTS CONFIRM INFECTED NORFOLK TURKEYS HAVE DEADLY H5N1 FLU STRAIN Daily Mail, November 13, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/2qnj2h BIRD FLU 'MAY HAVE HIT SECOND FARM' Telegraph, Nick Allen, November 15, 2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/15/nflu415.xml LAX BIOSECURITY AT ORGANIC FARM MAY HAVE ALLOWED VIRUS TO SPREAD The Times, Valerie Elliott, November 14, 2007 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2866298.ece 5. FAITH & COMPASSION In early November, clergy from 20 religious faiths signed a statement declaring a moral duty to treat animals with respect. At the ceremony, held in Washington D.C., people of all religions were called upon to reduce

their meat consumption, buy only from farms with humane practices, and to stop wearing fur. The Best Friends Animal Society, which organized the event, plans to have volunteers bring the message to at least 2,000 congregations in the U.S. Some denominations had already taken positions on animal welfare, such as the United Methodist Church advocating support of farms which provide more natural environments for animals. Prior to becoming the pope, Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) spoke out against battery cages and foie gras production (see http://tinyurl.com/3assz2). The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is devoting $40,000 to its new animals and religion program (see http://www.hsus.org/religion/). It encourages the religious community to foster compassion for animals through such actions as adopting less inhumane food choices and endorsing pro-animal legislation. HSUS is already working with some to develop “eco-kosher” and “eco-halal” policies. Conservative evangelists generally view the animal-rights movement as a threat to their

belief in humans’ God-given domination over other animals. For example, evangelic commentator Charles Colson writes that anti-confinement referendums “are not really about the humane treatment of animals—they are about blurring and eventually erasing the distinction between people and animals” (see: http://tinyurl.com/2jknj6). However, animal advocates are making headway even among these conservatives. They expect religious communities to become a major player in the animal protection arena within the next decade. Nonreligious people are also employing religious arguments to persuade others. "A lot of this country is religious, and all those religious people eat food," notes ethicist and nonbeliever Bernard Rollin, "Whatever works." EVANGELIZING FOR THE ANIMALS The Los Angeles Times, Stephanie Simon, November 6, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/yp2nxm ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL Keeping the Faith, Courier-Post,

Kim Mulford, October 27, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/3xjpec In This Issue A MILLION MORE LBS. OF BEEF RECALLED, 5 MILLION PIZZAS MEAT INDUSTRY DISPUTES CANCER REPORT FINDINGS A FRESH FARM BILL H5N1 HITS THE U.K. AGAIN FAITH

& COMPASSION Our Sponsors Animal Place Animal Welfare Institute Animal Welfare Trust Farm Sanctuary Glaser Progress Foundation Humane Society of the United States People

for the Ethical Treatment of Animals The information in this news digest does not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors nor is anything in it meant as an endorsement by them. Masthead Compiled and edited by Mary Finelli, Farmed Animal Watch is a free weekly electronic news digest of information concerning farmed animal issues gleaned from an array of academic, industry,

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