California
Poultry Federation Headline News
Edited by Mark Looker
A news service of the California Poultry Federation 3117-A McHenry Ave.,
Modesto, CA 95350 (209) 576-6355
www.cpif.org.
Headline News is constantly updated throughout the day. Bookmark this
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Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005
Poll finds U.S. public
concerned over bird flu - - The latest FOX News poll finds that the
public's concern over bird flu (search) is not matched by confidence in the
government's readiness to respond to the virus. More than six in 10
Americans say they are concerned about the spread of avian or bird flu in
the United States (30 percent "very" and 33 percent "somewhat" concerned),
while just over a third think the government is prepared to deal with a
potential outbreak (6 percent "very" and 29 percent "somewhat" prepared).
<more> Dec. 22, 2005 Fox News
Heinz Announces Agreement
to Sell New Zealand Poultry Processor--H.J. Heinz Company today
announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Auckland,
New Zealand subsidiary, Tegel Foods, to Pacific Equity Partners (PEP).
Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, PEP is a major Australasian private
equity firm. Tegel Foods is a leading processor of fresh poultry and animal
feeds. It markets Tegel® brand chilled and frozen chicken and turkey
products and operates processing plants, feed mills and livestock operations
throughout New Zealand. Tegel was purchased by Heinz in 1992 as part of a
transaction to acquire Wattie's.
<more> Dec. 22,
2005 Business Wire
Indonesia confirms two more bird flu deaths amid drug resistance fear - - Indonesia's confirmed bird flu death toll has risen to 11 amid worrying new evidence that the virus may be developing resistance to Tamiflu, the only drug known to be effective against it. A 39-year-old man and an eight-year-old boy were the country's latest victims of the H5N1 strain of the virus, a hospital spokesman said. <more> Dec. 22, 2005 Today Online.com
Note: Headline News will not be published between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. Publishing will resume Jan. 3. We hope your holidays are wonderful.
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Newsletter
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005
Secretary Johanns Asks for
Bird Flu Funding. Agriculture Secretary Johanns Asks Congress to Pass Bird
Flu Funding to Protect Poultry Flocks - - The government needs billions
of dollars from Congress to better prepare for the possibility of a bird flu
outbreak, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said Wednesday. The Senate is
considering $3.8 billion for bird flu preparedness in a defense bill passed
by the House early Monday. Agriculture plays a small but crucial role in
protecting poultry flocks, and Johanns' agency would get nearly $100 million
of the money. "We'll absolutely do the best we can with the resources we
have," Johanns said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Needless to
say, that would really help our efforts here." The Agriculture Department
already is conducting surveillance and has a vaccination program. But that
is "probably not to the extent we could do, that's for sure, with the
additional funding," Johanns told the AP.
<more> Dec. 21,
2005 AP
Water agency may revert to
old status. CalFed proposes reforms, spurred by Schwarzenegger. - -
Struggling to reinvent itself to meet the governor's deadline, the embattled
CalFed Bay-Delta Authority on Tuesday opted to try on an old pair of shoes
in hopes of pleasing critics. CalFed was created 10 years ago to end
California's legendary water wars. It was charged with the difficult task of
improving water supply and restoring the environment of the fragile
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Amid mounting criticism that the agency was
failing on both accounts, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered CalFed to
propose reforms before the year's end. On Tuesday, the CalFed board voted to
reconstitute itself under the umbrella of the California Water Commission,
which was created in 1958 but has been dormant in recent years.
<more>
Dec. 21, 2005 Sacramento Bee
National Turkey Federation announces most popular website recipes - -Food service operators find successful menu ideas for everything from warming Creamy Turkey Soup or delicious Turkey Filet Mignon on EatTurkey.com. The National Turkey Federation (NTF) announced its top viewed foodservice recipes for 2005 ranging from soups, sandwiches and entrées. “Nearly 233,000 foodservice recipes have been viewed by foodservice professionals this year, a 53-percent increase from last year,” comments Sherrie Rosenblatt, NTF’s senior director of marketing and communication. “Foodservice operators have identified EatTurkey.com as a place to come to for great recipe ideas to add to their menus.” The top five foodservice recipes that were viewed in 2005 are:
— Creamy Turkey Soup
— Turkey Vegetable Soup
— Bourbon Smoked Turkey Wrap
— Roasted Turkey Reuben
— Turkey Filet Mignon Wrapped in Turkey Bacon
Dec. 21, 2005 Source: NTF Press Release
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005
USDA study looks at
backyard flocks and gamefowl breeders - - A USDA study of backyard/small
flocks and gamefowl breeder flocks has found that backyard flock owners
report very few health problems, while the most common health problems
reported by gamefowl flock owners were external parasites and respiratory
problems. The study by USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System looks
at bird health, bird movement, and biosecurity practices of nontraditional
poultry industries, such as backyard flocks, gamefowl, and live-bird
markets.
<more> Dec. 20,
2005 USDA Press Release
Better, Faster Vaccinations
for Poultry - - Egg producers now have access to a new tool developed by
the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) that helps protect laying flocks
from serious diseases like infectious bronchitis, mycoplasmosis and exotic
Newcastle disease. Each year, mycoplasmosis alone costs U.S. producers more
than $140 million, partly due to uneven vaccine delivery. Vaccines are
currently dispensed to egg-laying leghorn chickens as an inhalable mist
sprayed inside poultry houses. The applicator consists of a hose attached to
a machine inside a backpack that resembles a modified leaf blower. The
machine makes an ear-piercing noise that disturbs the birds, while the
vaccine spray reaches its intended targets only about half the time. Now, a
more effective vaccinator has been developed by ARS researchers in the
Poultry Research Unit at Mississippi State, Miss.
<more> Dec. 20,
2005 ARS Press Release
Overhaul of state electoral
system sought. Legislation would create a 'citizens assembly' to propose
changes to voters. - - Two California assemblymen known for their
efforts at bipartisan cooperation have joined forces on a bill that seeks to
fundamentally overhaul the state's electoral system in a search for its
political center. Under the legislation to be submitted next year by
Democrat Joe Canciamilla of Pittsburg and Republican Keith Richman of
Northridge, a "citizens assembly" would be created to come up with a new
electoral system and place it in the form of a constitutional amendment on
the November 2008 ballot. A draft of the bill doesn't mention what kind of
changes might be proposed. But Canciamilla and Richman said in interviews
that they strongly favor such changes as proportional representation,
independent redistricting, term-limit modification and campaign finance
reform.
<more> Dec. 20,
2005 Sacramento Bee
Prices at pump stabilize.
Gas costs have dropped 89 cents in the past 3 months, but the free-fall may
be over. - - The roller-coaster ride of gasoline prices is headed for a
level stretch. Steep declines in prices, including a 20-cent drop in the
past month in Fresno, are slowing down for the holidays — but it won't keep
drivers from traveling. A gallon of unleaded cost an average of almost $2.27
Monday, according to AAA of Northern California. Prices were slightly
higher in the Visalia, Tulare, Porterville area, at an average of almost
$2.34 a gallon. "We think prices will probably remain where they are, maybe
go up or down a penny, from now until the end of the year," said Michael
Geeser, spokesman for AAA of Northern California.
<more>
Dec. 20, 2005 Fresno Bee
Bird flu fears fail to
dampen appetites at Spanish poultry feast - - Europe might be on high
alert for bird flu, but the scare has failed to put off appetites in the
eastern Spanish town of Vilafranca del Penedes, where pre-Christmas
tradition centers around a feast of poultry consumption. Crowds were out in
force for a weekend gastronomic festival marking the final Sunday of Advent,
as was the case in the nearby town of El Prat, also close to Barcelona,
which serves up similar delights at the time of year. If overall consumption
of ducks and capon -- a castrated cock especially fattened for eating -- was
down at all at either event, it was only because the two neighboring
festivals coincided this year.
<more> Dec. 20, 2005 AFP
PETA urges Outback to slaughter chickens 'humanely' - - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has filed a shareholder resolution with Outback Steakhouse Inc. calling for a change in how chickens are slaughtered for the restaurant chain. PETA, which owns 80 shares of stock in Tampa-based Outback Steakhouse, is calling for the implementation of "controlled atmosphere killing." <more> Dec. 20, 2005 Tampa Bay Business Journal
Monday, Dec. 19, 2005
World Is Losing Battle to
Combat Bird Flu, UN Says -- The world is ``losing the battle'' against
avian flu in poultry, increasing the risk the gradually mutating virus will
become more infectious to people and trigger an influenza pandemic, a United
Nations official said. Outbreaks among birds in Ukraine, Romania and
possibly Africa show the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain is spreading, David
Nabarro, the UN's avian flu coordinator, told Indonesian government
officials and reporters today in Jakarta. Earlier, a health ministry
official said an eight-year-old boy, who died four days ago, may be
Indonesia's 11th bird-flu fatality.
<more> Dec. 19,
2005 Bloomberg News
Trade Officials Agree to End Subsidies for
Agricultural Exports - - Trade ministers representing most of the
world's governments reached a deal here on Sunday night that sets a deadline
for wiping out subsidies of agricultural exports by 2013, realizing a goal
that United States negotiators have been pursuing for two decades. The final
declaration from the talks, which resolved several issues that have stood in
the way of a global trade agreement, also requires industrialized countries
to open their markets to goods from the world's poorest nations, a goal of
the United Nations for many years. The declaration gives fresh impetus for
negotiators to try to finish a comprehensive set of global free trade rules
by the end of next year, in time for President Bush to submit it to Congress
before his special negotiating authority expires.
<more> Dec.
19, 2005 NY Times
USDA names National Poultry
Grading Supervisor - -
Richard Lawson
has been named National Supervisor of Poultry for the Grading Branch, for
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. He graduated from Alabama A&M
University in 1988 with a B.S. degree in Animal Science and a minor in Food
Science. He began his poultry career with ConAgra at their poultry
processing facility in Athens, Alabama where he supervised the production
lines for deboning, bagging, tray pack, and labeling. After two years in
private industry, Richard joined USDA-AMS Poultry Programs in 1990 and in
2004, returned to the Grading Branch as the Assistant to the National
Supervisor, Poultry, and later was selected as Assistant National
Supervisor, Poultry. Source: USDA
Financial peril looms for flood defenses. Local
levee districts are fast running out of money, options - - The guardians
of vital levees in California's flood-prone Central Valley are on the verge
of financial crisis, an investigation by The Bee has found, one that puts
basic maintenance at risk and virtually rules out upgrades for a system in
decline. The Bee examined a year's worth of financial audits for 73 levee
districts between Butte City in the north and Visalia in the south. These
tiny government agencies work behind the scenes in cities and rural areas,
getting a share of property taxes from landowners to maintain thousands of
miles of levees. While state and federal agencies often help pay for major
levee upgrades, local levee districts are the eyes and ears of California's
flood defenses - literally the front line between us and high water.
<more> Dec. 19,
2005 Sacramento Bee
Friday, Dec. 16, 2005
Ethanol could drive corn
acreage higher - - The Chief Economist for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture says expansion in the renewable fuels industry will soon take up
one fourth of the American corn crop. Keith Collins says a quarter of the
nation's corn may go toward ethanol use in the not-so-distant future. Collins,
who spoke this week at the Energy from Agriculture Conference in St. Louis,
says the domestic corn use at that high of a level has the potential to
improve grain prices.
<more>
Dec. 16, 2005 Brownfield Ag News
Foster Farms Provides Answers
on Web Site to Consumer Questions About Avian Influenza -- Foster Farms
announced today the addition of a new Web page addressing consumer questions
about Avian Influenza (AI) preventative measures the company is taking to
protect its flocks and to related food handling and food safety issues.
Consumers can access the Avian Influenza FAQs at http://www.fosterfarms.com.
Recent market research indicates that many U.S. consumers are confused about
AI with one myth being that the virus can be contracted through poultry
consumption. Such myths are addressed on the site.
<more>
Dec. 16, 2005 Hispanic PR Wire
Pollution fees fall to builders. City sprawl will
cost Valley developers who do not minimize bad air from the increased growth.
- - The San Joaquin Valley on Thursday became the first place in the
nation to take on air pollution created by city sprawl. Compelled by state law
and prodded by activists, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control
District board approved unprecedented rules to curb pollution, despite
vigorous opposition from builders. "This is the last major source of pollution
in our Valley that has not stepped up," said Sierra Club member Kevin Hall of
Fresno. "It is time." The goal is to reduce bad air from traffic going back
and forth from new homes, businesses, commercial buildings and even school
buildings constructed on the edge of town.
<more> Dec. 16, 2005 Fresno Bee
Air district OKs fee for sprawl. Region first to charge builders, or credit them for efficiency -- The San Joaquin Valley is the first region in the nation to regulate builders for their impact on air quality. At a meeting made more immediate by the poor air quality lurking outside, dozens of citizens in Bakersfield and Fresno convinced the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District board to charge builders a fee for sprawl. Homes and shopping centers attract car trips, industrial centers draw trucks, and taken together, they've become a pollution pool too large to ignore, according to state law. The impact will only worsen as the valley's population jumps 24 percent by the end of the decade, according to the district. Housing and business groups fiercely opposed the rule, but few individual builders spoke out against the fee, which could exceed $1,700-a-house by 2008. The rule also includes commercial development and government buildings, including schools. <more> Dec. 16, 2005 Bakersfield Californian
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005
Dairy Farmers Embrace Trade,
Jettisoning Protection -- U.S. dairy farmers, one of the largest
recipients of government agricultural aid, are jettisoning their protectionist
past and cautiously embracing plans to reduce their price supports in global
trade talks. The World Trade Organization negotiations in Hong Kong this week
are aiming for wholesale cuts in payments to dairy farmers and import
restrictions. The U.S. dairy industry, which stayed away from the previous
round of WTO talks a decade ago, is an active participant this time --
primarily because Europe has agreed to phase out its export subsidies and
Japan, China and other countries are offering to lower import barriers.
<more>
Dec. 15, 2005 Bloomberg News
Vietnam markets resume sales of virus-free poultry products - - After months of plummeting sales, Vietnam's poultry markets are springing back to life, selling chicken and eggs certified virus-free, as avian influenza outbreaks appear to be in check. The first major market reopened last week in Ha Tay province, 15 kilometres (nine miles) southwest of Hanoi, offering chicken and eggs neatly packed in plastic bags and sporting veterinarians' certificates. <more> Dec. 15, 2005 AFP
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005
Indonesia Faces `Real' Risk
of Bird-Flu Pandemic -- Indonesia, which yesterday confirmed its ninth
fatality from avian influenza, harbors a ``very real possibility'' of
triggering a pandemic, the World Bank's representative in the country said.
Of Indonesia's 1.3 billion chickens, as many as 400 million are in ``very
informal settings, running around people's houses,'' Andrew Steer, the World
Bank's director for Indonesia, said in an interview in Singapore today. This
``is a huge problem,'' as Indonesia recovers from the tsunami disaster of
December 2004, Steer said.
<more> Dec.
14, 2005 Bloomberg News
Food and Commercial Workers
Union Backs Legislation to Protect Poultry Workers from Bird Flu -- The
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union -- the nation's
largest poultry workers' union -- applauds efforts by House Democrats to
protect front line poultry workers in the event of an outbreak of Avian Flu.
This crucial legislation which addresses the needs to combat Avian Flu also
contains language to convene a meeting of experts, representatives of the
poultry industry, and representatives of poultry workers to evaluate the
risk to poultry workers, the likelihood of transmission, and necessary
measures to protect poultry workers from exposure.
<more>
Dec. 14, 2005 UFCW Press Release
GOP Lawmakers Take Gov. to
Task Over Appointment - - Republican lawmakers scolded Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, telling him in a closed-door meeting how
seriously his support among party stalwarts is wavering. Schwarzenegger
spent about an hour with 20 members of the Assembly Republican caucus, who
had asked for the meeting following his appointment of a Democratic activist
as his new chief of staff. The Republican loyalists cast the hiring of Susan
Kennedy, a top advisor to former Gov. Gray Davis, as a betrayal that raises
a fundamental question about Schwarzenegger: Is he a Republican, or isn't
he? "When my quarterback throws the ball to the other team, I've got
worries," said Assemblyman Ray Haynes (R-Murrieta), in an interview after
the meeting.
<more> Dec. 14,
2005 LA Times
Fowl Play: A chicken inside
a duck inside a turkey: Behold the turducken - - A guy walks into a bar
with a turkey, a duck and a chicken. The bartender looks up and cries fowl.
OK, that's not exactly how the story goes. It's more like: In the early
1980s a farmer walks into a butcher's shop in Maurice, La., carrying a
turkey, a duck and a chicken. He asks the butcher to put the three birds
together somehow because he doesn't want to roast them all separately. The
butcher complies, and after some culinary craftiness, the creature is
unleashed. Behold the turducken. Turducken, for the uninitiated, is a
deboned chicken stuffed inside a deboned duck stuffed inside a mostly
deboned turkey. (The wing and drumstick bones are retained to keep the
turkey shape.) Inside all that are one or more stuffings made of cornbread,
sausage or oysters. Don't overstuff it, or else the thing might explode.
After hours of preparation and roasting, the intrepid cook and his or her
dinner guests are rewarded with a medley of meat that's moist, juicy and
unlike anything they've ever eaten.
<more> Dec. 14,
2005 Bangor (Maine) Daily News
Climate-change report gets warm reception. A policy team will decide how to meet the governor's goals to reduce emissions. - - California's climate-change policy advisers received kudos Tuesday and a glimpse at the political resistance ahead in establishing reforms to shrink state emissions of gases that contribute to global warming. Meeting for the first time since it issued a draft report last week about how the state should tackle climate change, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Climate Action Team heard from about 30 people - mostly representatives of environmental groups and business - who for the most part applauded the team's efforts. <more> Dec. 14, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2005
A Virus Stalks the
Henhouse. Biosecurity and locked gates are facts of life at California's
chicken farms, where a single case of bird flu could trigger a catastrophe.
- - Andrew Carlson cupped a day-old chick in his palm as a sea of 25,000
yellow fluff balls peeped and pecked around him. Placing the chick on the
ground, he checked automated food and temperature controls in the cavernous
henhouse west of Modesto, then returned to his truck and unzipped his
full-body biosecurity suit. Instinctively, Carlson reached for a bottle in
the door pocket, squirted a dollop of clear gel into his calloused hand and
rubbed it in. "Farmers using hand sanitizers," he said. "Crazy, huh?" In the
age of bird flu, the ideal poultry or egg farm would be more controlled than
a prison, more sanitary than a hospital and more remote than a desert
island.
<more> Dec. 13,
2005 LA Times
Fat's in the fire over
tallow plan. Any bid to move plant to site near Westley will be fought,
activist says - - If Stanislaus County wants to put a tallow plant near
Westley, it had better "suit up and show up," because it would have a fight
on its hands, community activist John Mataka said Monday. Supervisor Jim
DeMartini said Friday that he had discussed moving the Modesto Tallow plant
to a site near the tire-burning plant in the Westley area. DeMartini said he
had discussed the idea with tallow plant managers and property owners near
the tire-burning plant, but was unable to get the tallow plant owners
interested. "They never really wanted to spend another $10 million to build
another plant," DeMartini said. Mataka said the Westley and Grayson areas
will fight any attempt to put a rendering plant there.
<more> Dec. 13,
2005 Modesto Bee
Valley air district to
consider fee for builders. Money to buy cleaner buses, replace dirty diesel
engines - - It has been two years since the most frenzied debates ended
over air cleanup rules for farmers and fireplace burning bans for city folk,
but the interlude is over. Authorities are scheduled Thursday to possibly
approve nationally unprecedented air fees on sprawl — new houses, shopping
centers and office space. This time, it is not just environmentalists vs. an
industry, namely, builders. Farmers, who are on the hook for new air cleanup
rules, say it's time for builders to do their part. "I'm changing my farming
practices for air quality," said Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei
Farmers League in Fresno. "Why don't they? If they don't do their part,
someone will come after more reductions from farmers. Is that fair?"
<more>
Dec. 13,2005 Modesto Bee
Indonesia Confirms 9th Bird
Flu Death - - Indonesia confirmed its ninth human death from bird flu
Tuesday and Japan said it will kill 90,000 more chickens after an outbreak
at a farm north of Tokyo. Meanwhile, a World Health Organization official
backed Indonesia's stance that killing backyard chickens - as opposed to
birds on big farms - was not a recommended way to tackle the disease. Tests
from a laboratory in Hong Kong showed that a 35-year-old Indonesian man who
died last month in the capital, Jakarta, had the lethal H5N1 strain of bird
flu, said Hariadi Wibisono, a senior Health Ministry official.
<more> Dec. 13,
2005 AP
FDA warns makers of 'bogus' flu remedies - - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had warned nine companies to stop marketing "bogus" flu products. The products, including capsules that allegedly contain bacteria from dirt and other assorted immune system "boosters," all claim or claimed to help prevent or treat avian flu. "FDA is not aware of any scientific evidence that demonstrates the safety or effectiveness of these products for treating or preventing avian flu and the agency is concerned that the use of these products could harm consumers or interfere with conventional treatments," the agency said in a statement. <more> Dec. 13, 2005 Reuters
Monday, Dec. 12, 2005
Valley Fresh announces mass
layoffs. Turlock poultry producer cites product line switch; job loss
numbers unknown - - One of the city's largest private businesses
announced a mass layoff because of changing consumer tastes. The exact
number of people losing their jobs hasn't been determined, company officials
said Friday. "We have no intention of closing," said Jerry Parker, Valley
Fresh Inc. director of operations. Valley Fresh, which cans chicken meat and
makes broth under its own label and for private companies, sent notices to
its 415 employees that they might be laid off in February. The company is
switching its product line, moving from the use of egg-laying hens to
broiler chickens, the birds most people use for frying or barbecuing.
<more> Dec. 10,
2005 Modesto Bee
Friday, Dec. 9, 2005
Time's up for Modesto Tallow
- - Modesto Tallow Co., long criticized for the foul odors drifting from
its plant, will shut down by the end of next year, officials said Thursday.
The owners of the south Modesto plant agreed to stop rendering livestock
carcasses and to phase out other operations by Dec. 31, 2006, under a
settlement with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. The
announcement, while cheered by the plant's critics, raised concern in farming
circles about whether other rendering plants could fill the gap. Despite the
complaints, the plant has been a key part of the region's agriculture, taking
in dead dairy and beef cattle, chicken feathers and other animal remains. <more>
Dec. 9, 2005 Modesto Bee
Role of Wild Birds in Avian Flu
Spread Questioned-
- A conservation group said
on Thursday there was little evidence to back the view that migrating wildfowl
were spreading bird flu and said that eastern Europe's outbreak probably
stemmed from poultry imports.
"As
the year draws to a close, millions of wild birds have flown to their
wintering sites across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas without the
widely predicted outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu associated with their migration
routes," BirdLife International said in a statement.
<more> Dec. 9, 2005 Reuters
Ukraine says bird flu
spreading in poultry - - Ukraine said on Friday it believed avian flu was
spreading in poultry across the Crimean peninsula where it was first detected
last weekend. Bird flu is thought to have spread to central and southern
Crimea, a major stopping point for migratory birds heading south for the
winter, the Health Ministry said.
<more> Dec. 9, 2005 Reuters
6 Arrested Years After
Ecoterrorist Acts - - The attacks have been nearly forgotten. The places
that were burned have been rebuilt or relocated. The cryptic communiqués
taking responsibility are distant history. But on Thursday, after years of
investigation, federal officials announced one of the biggest roundups yet of
people involved in a string of ecoterrorist attacks in the Pacific Northwest
dating to 1998. Six people from five states, from New York to Washington, were
arrested on Wednesday, and indicted on charges related to arson attacks and
sabotage in Washington and Oregon, including the millennium eve destruction of
a transmission tower owned by the Bonneville Power Administration. The arrests
are intended to strike a blow against two related groups, the Earth Liberation
Front and the Animal Liberation Front, which have claimed responsibility for
burning and bombing research facilities, timber operations and sport-utility
vehicle dealers, among other targets.
<more>
Dec. 9, 2005 NY Times
Health officials say labs
flailing on bioterrorism - - Local public health officials throughout the
state are disputing a report that gives California a mediocre grade when it
comes to bioterrorism preparedness. They say the situation is actually worse.
The Health Officers Association of California has labeled the readiness of
public health laboratories a "crisis." The group claims California does not
have enough sophisticated infectious disease laboratories or lab scientists to
test for potential bioterrorism agents such as anthrax and plague. The
statement contradicts findings released Tuesday by the Trust for America's
Health, a nonprofit health advocacy group in Washington, D.C. In that report -
which for the past three years has assessed the states' bioterrorism and other
health emergency preparedness - California got a score of five out of 10
points possible; 21 states were rated higher.
<more> Dec. 9, 2005
Sacramento Bee
Climate strategy for state proposed. Advisers flesh out governor's call to cut 'greenhouse gases.' - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's climate advisers issued ambitious recommendations Thursday for reducing gases linked to global warming, including a new fee on gasoline and diesel. The draft proposals fill in the blanks of an executive order Schwarzenegger issued in June, giving California the most aggressive goals in the world for fighting global warming. He commanded the state to reduce "greenhouse gas" emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The state Climate Action Team's proposals reflect the growing commitment of California's leaders to control greenhouse gases despite opposition within the federal government to mandatory limits on the heat-trapping pollutants. <more> Dec. 9, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005
White House to hold flu
response exercise - - The White House is hosting a top-level exercise
this weekend to test the federal government's plans for responding to any
flu pandemic outbreak in the United States. The four-hour "tabletop
exercise" is being held Saturday at the White House and will be attended by
Cabinet secretaries and other top government officials, but not the
president, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Wednesday.
<more> Dec. 7,
2005 AP
USDA announces energy
strategy to help farmers and ranchers with high energy costs
--Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today unveiled a comprehensive energy
strategy to help farmers and ranchers mitigate the impact of high energy
costs and develop long-term solutions. "As I've traveled the country
conducting listening sessions, I've heard loud and clear that producers are
struggling with high energy costs," said Johanns. "USDA has put together an
array of efforts to assist producers both in the short and long term. I've
appointed a leadership team to oversee our comprehensive strategy and ensure
specific goals are met relating to energy-saving assistance for producers
and the advancement of renewable fuels."
<more> Dec. 7,
2005 CNN
Dr. Jim Butler stepping
down from FAS post - - U.S. Deputy Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign
Agricultural Services, Dr. Jim Butler is stepping down. Butler is leaving
USDA to become deputy director general of the Inter-American Institute for
Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). With headquarters in San Jose, Costa
Rica, IICA is a leading organization in the Western Hemisphere for promoting
development of the agriculture and food sectors as science-based sanitary
and phyto-sanitary standards and biotechnology regulation.
<more> Dec. 7,
2005 Brownfield Ag News
Governor Faces Revolt in GOP. As anger rises over the choice of a Democrat as chief of staff, party leaders demand a talk. - - With segments of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political base rising in revolt, directors of the California Republican Party have demanded a private meeting with the governor to complain about the hiring of a Democratic operative as his chief of staff. The request comes as Schwarzenegger faces sustained opposition from moderate and conservative Republicans over the choice of Susan P. Kennedy. Before serving as a state public utility commissioner, Kennedy was Cabinet secretary for Gov. Gray Davis. She also was an abortion-rights activist and former Democratic Party executive. <more> Dec. 7, 2005 LA Times
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005
Could Chips in Chickens
Track Avian Flu? - - Digital Angel, the world's largest manufacturer of
implantable microchips for animals, is proposing that biothermal RFID chips
be used on a sampling of the world's 25 billion chickens as an early warning
system for avian flu. Avian flu is currently only identifiable via visual
means, such as discoloration of the beak, sneezing, diarrhea, or sudden
death. However, using a biothermal chip and an RFID reader poultry farmers
would be alerted to elevated temperatures in the flock, company executives
say. According to Kevin McGrath, president of Digital Angel, while a
temperature spike in a single chicken may not be caused by avian flu, if a
representative sampling of tagged birds had a temperature spike, it might be
an indication of trouble.
<more> Dec.
6, 2005 PC World
China Confirms New Human
Case of Bird Flu. - - A 10-year-old girl in southern China has tested
positive for the deadly H5N1 virus, the government said Tuesday, making her
the country's fourth human bird flu case. The girl, a student surnamed Tang,
lives in Ziyuan County in the Guangxi region, the official Xinhua News
Agency said, citing the Health Ministry. She has been sick with a fever and
pneumonia since Nov. 23 and has undergone emergency treatment, Xinhua said.
Dead ducks were found in Dingdang, a town in Guangxi, in January 2004 the
mainland's first case of bird flu. The region borders Vietnam, the country
hit hardest by the disease.
<more> Dec.
6, 2005 AP
Lower feed costs boost
Sanderson - - Lower feed prices helped Sanderson Farms Inc. overcome a
soft chicken market as the poultry processor doubled its fiscal
fourth-quarter profit. Before the start of trading Tuesday, Sanderson Farms
said that it earned $10.1 million, or 50 cents a share, up from $5.1 million
or 25 cents a share in the same period a year ago.
<more> Dec. 6,
2005 Market Watch
Modesto Access TV Show
focuses on Avian influenza - - Modesto’s Government Access Channel 7 is
featuring a show on which CPF President Bill Mattos is interview about avian
influenza. The December edition of the Stanislaus Health show looks at fears
of poultry becoming infected and a possible flu pandemic. Join host David
Jones as he sits down with Mattos, Dr. Carol Cardona, UC Davis, and Dennis
Gudgel, the Stanislaus County Agriculture Commissioner, Dr. John Walker,
public health officer, and Suresh Mahabashyam, epidemiologist for the
Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. The program airs on Channel 7 on
the Comcast system and Channel 19 on the Charter system. Tune in on Comcast
Channel 7 & Charter Channel 19 every: Monday 6:30 p.m. Tuesday 8 a.m.
Thursday 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday 7 p.m. Dec. 6, 2005
Modestoview.com
Most take pay hikes in Capitol - - State
lawmakers are overwhelmingly accepting a $12,000 annual pay raise that kicks
in this month. But at least 17 out of 120 California Senate and Assembly
members are refusing the pay raise approved in May by an independent
compensation panel. The 12 percent raise - the first for lawmakers since
1998 - will increase most salaries from $99,000 to $110,880. The salaries
for Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, and Senate President Pro
Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, will increase from $113,850 to $127,572. The
salary increases, effective Dec. 1, come two months after lawmakers' per
diem pay - for living expenses while they are in Sacramento - increased from
$138 to $153. Legislators will now earn roughly $27,000 to $28,000 in per
diem pay on top of their salaries, with the per diem amount varying
depending on how many days the Legislature is in session.
<more> Dec. 6, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Supreme Court reviews Clean
Water Act - - Several U.S. farm groups are raising concerns about a
Supreme Court case that has two Michigan land owners pitted against the Army
Corps of Engineers. In both instances, the residents were denied the right
to develop land they own because of wetlands that exist on the properties.
Both the National Pork Producers Council and the Farm Bureau have stepped
into the case, concerned that the outcome could impact American farmers and
ranchers. Late last week, NPPC asked the Court to reverse a lower court
ruling on the Clean Water Act that could adversely affect livestock
operations. The farm groups have asked for a ruling that ditches, drainage
ways or wetlands with only indirect connections to navigable waters not be
subject to the provisions of the Clean Water Act. That federal mandate
requires a permit to release anything into a navigable body of water.
<more> Dec. 6,
2005 Brownfield Ag News
New Web Site Features Viewpoints on GM Crops-- A new multimedia website, Conversations about Plant Biotechnology at http://www.monsanto.com/biotech-gmo offers visitors a glimpse of the discussions taking place among farmers on the impact of genetically modified crops. These crops have been grown for a decade on more than one billion acres worldwide. <more> Dec. 6, 2005 Monsanto Press Release
Monday, Dec. 5, 2005
Poultry microchip on watch
for bird flu -- A high-tech sentry has been developed for the growing
fight against bird flu in the form of a microchip that monitors the body
temperature of poultry. The chip, designed by Digital Angel Corp. in
Minnesota, detects increases in the body temperature of birds and should
give medical officials an early warning that the dreaded avian influenza has
infected a particular flock.
<more>
Dec. 5, 2005 UPI
US urges local officials to
make bird flu plans - - Businesses and
government can expect 40 percent of their employees to be absent during the
peak of an influenza pandemic, U.S. health officials predicted on Monday.
Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt called on all 50 states,
as well as U.S. territories, to hold "summits" as soon as possible to plan
for a possible pandemic of influenza. Health experts say avian influenza is
the most immediate threat but that an influenza pandemic of some sort is
inevitable.
<more> Dec. 5,
2005 Reuters
Mass Mexican duck death not
bird flu - - The sudden death of more than 1,000 ducks at a lake in
Mexico was not caused by bird flu, the government said on Monday, but
scientists are still trying to uncover why the birds mysteriously died. An
Agriculture Ministry spokesman said the condition of the dead birds, found
by a lake in central Aguascalientes state, showed they had been dying over a
period of days or weeks. Scientists are trying to work out if the birds died
of botulism, a rare but deadly illness caused by a toxic bacteria, or from
pollution, the ministry said.
<more> Dec.
5, 2005 Reuters
USDA Launches Redesigned Agricultural Statistics Web Site - - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) today launched its newly redesigned web site, www.nass.usda.gov. With a simple click of the mouse, there is now more agricultural data available at your fingertips. The site has been completely revamped to better serve the needs of NASS customers, whether farmers, researchers, government officials, journalists, teachers or others. <more> Dec. 5, 2005 USDA Press Release
Friday, Dec. 2, 2005
Bird by Bird, China Tackles
Vast Flu Task - - Five men on battered motorcycles pulled up at this
roadside village from a nearby town and summoned the local headman. Wearing
ordinary clothes and bearing boxes of vaccine from two separate manufacturers,
they worked their way from house to house, roughly 300 dwellings in all, to
vaccinate every chicken, duck and goose in the hamlet against avian flu. For
the rest of the afternoon, the members of the small team took turns, some
briefly explaining the process to the villagers into whose courtyards and
homes they entered, others rounding up the fowl and others working their
syringes, sticking the birds one by one. For the most part, they failed to
take even the most basic hygienic precautions, like wearing surgical gloves or
masks.
<more> Dec. 2, 2005
NY Times
Sweeping CALFED makeover in works -- The
faltering state-federal effort to restore the Delta looks like it's about to
get an extreme makeover. Recent reports conducted by the state Department of
Finance and the Little Hoover Commission say CALFED -- as the effort is known
-- needs to streamline itself, narrow its focus and ensure that when things go
wrong, someone is responsible. All this activity has become more urgent
because the Delta is in crisis, despite billions of taxpayer dollars spent on
efforts to save it.
<more> Dec. 2, 2005 Stockton Record
Looking for levee funding
- - With state money for California levee maintenance running out, lawmakers
and levee managers are scrambling to find a fresh infusion of cash to keep the
aging berms propped up. Amid dire warnings of a looming Delta disaster that
would destroy homes and farms and leave millions of Californians without
drinking water, the search is on not only for new dollars, but also for a new
state role in determining how to spend them. "I think it would make sense to
have a more centralized agency or framework for making sure that the levee
systems are being protected and the money is being invested wisely," said
state Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch.
<more> Dec. 2, 2005
Contra Costa Times
Book Review. "Chicken": Blood, gore and danger on the processing line - - "Chicken: The Dangerous Transformation of America's Favorite Food" by Steve Striffler Yale University Press, 208 pp., $25. Steve Striffler says he "used to eat chicken without much thought about where it came from, or how and by whom it was raised and processed." Not any more, not since he worked in a poultry-processing plant that dirtied his hands and seared unsanitary thoughts into his mind. Lots of other consumers of meat besides Striffler have made such a bargain with themselves: It's saner to avoid thinking about the processing of the beef, pork and chicken that are consumed daily. Meat-producing animals tend to be raised inhumanely and slaughtered messily by poorly paid workers vulnerable to injury. The meat is marketed by corporate behemoths and sometimes contaminated with deadly germs. <more> Dec/ 2, 2005 Seattle Times
Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005
Low path bird flu found in
North Carolina - - A low pathogenic strain of avian influenza has been
found on a single turkey farm in Sampson County, North Carolina. According to
Dow Jones Newswires, the strain was H3N3, which presents no threat to humans,
and was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory on November
28. Despite the virus being found on the farm, no birds were reported as ill.
Dec. 1, 2005 Source: Brownfield Ag News
Foster Farms Announces
Independent Animal Welfare Audit Findings; Reports Reveal ''Excellent''
Company Compliance and a Consistent Track Record of Adhering to Nationally
Recognized Guidelines and Humane Practices --Foster Farms today announced
the results of a recent independent Animal Welfare Audit of its Livingston
facilities conducted by Silliker, Inc., a global quality assurance company
based in Homewood, Illinois. Foster Farms received an "excellent" rating by
Silliker -- the highest rating possible -- in both the "Production" and
"Processing" categories. Silliker carefully examined operations at all three
Foster Farms production stages, including the hatchery, growout and catching
procedures and transportation practices. Also audited were the training of
employees as well as procedures involving the nutrition and feeding, comfort
and shelter, health care, holding, handling and on-farm best practices.
<more>
Dec. 1, 2005 Foster Farms Press Release
Suits against
poultry plants focus on when workday starts
- - In one corner of the
U.S. workforce, there is a dress code dispute like no other.
It's not what these workers
are allowed to wear, because that's set. The question is whether they will get
paid for the time it takes them to dress and get to work and then, to undress
and leave.
There's even a special name
for this protocol, reminiscent of the early days of factories: "donning and
doffing."
There are now two sizable
donning and doffing lawsuits against poultry processors in Minnesota --
Jennie-O and Gold'n Plump -- that may be affected by a U.S. Supreme Court
ruling: In two meat-processing cases from Maine and Washington state, the nine
justices unanimously decided Nov. 8 that when the workday begins and ends in
locker rooms -- donning and doffing everything from hair nets down to rubber
boots -- so should the time clock.
<more>
Dec. 1, 2005 Minneapolis Star Tribune
Foster Farms honored with
Governor’s Environmental leadership Award - - Foster Farms is the
recipient of two prestigious awards for its voluntary efforts to help protect
California’s water resources and environment. CEO Ron Foster and Don Jackson,
President, accepted California’s highest environmental honor, the Governor’s
Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), from Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger during ceremonies in Sacramento. The GEELA program recognizes
exceptional leadership and notable contributions in conserving California’s
resources and recognizes the significance of a joint project between Foster
Farms and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). The company also
received the POWER Award at a ceremony in Los Angeles from Public Officials
for Water and Environmental Reform. The annual POWER Award honors companies
that are implementing programs that serve as models to others and provide
solutions to the state’s water issues.
<more> Dec. 1, 2005 Foster Farms Press
Release
Study: Agricultural Workers
at Increased Risk for Infection with Animal Flu Viruses. Findings May Have
Implications for Pandemic Flu Planning - - Farmers, veterinarians and meat
processors who routinely come into contact with pigs in their jobs have a
markedly increased risk of infection with flu viruses that infect pigs,
according to a study funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
While the findings are not entirely unexpected, the strikingly higher risk of
infection coupled with the fact that pigs can be infected by swine viruses,
bird (avian) viruses as well as human flu viruses—thereby acting as a virtual
virus “mixing bowl,” especially on farms where pigs, chickens and people
coexist—is a potential public health concern, the study authors assert. The
paper appears online this week in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
<more>
Dec. 1, 2005 National Institute of Health Press
Release
Bird flu fears hit poultry sales across Arab world - - Fears over the spread of bird flu have hit poultry demand across the Arab world, causing sales of meat staples such as chicken to slump in parts of the Middle East and North Africa. In Egypt, sales are down by as much as 50 percent and similar falls have been noted in countries from Saudi Arabia to Morocco, pushing many small-scale farmers towards economic ruin. <more> Dec. 1, 2005 Reuters
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005
USDA supports accepting
Chinese poultry. It's an odd idea, says a consumer advocate, considering
China's bird flu problems. - - Chinese chicken, anyone? It might not
sound appealing to many diners, given that China is struggling to contain
outbreaks of bird flu. However, the U.S. Agriculture Department is proposing
that China be allowed to export some processed poultry to the United States.
The chickens themselves could not be produced or slaughtered in China. The
birds would have to be grown and slaughtered in America or in one of the few
other countries that are allowed to ship their domestic chicken to the
United States.
<more> Nov. 30,
2005 AP
George poultry producers
grab CDC's ear- - The government should focus less on stockpiling human
medicines against a potential bird flu pandemic and more on preventing the
virus's spread among animals, a poultry industry executive said. The
executive said he made the comments in a closed-door meeting Wednesday
between poultry company leaders and the director of the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
<more> Nov. 30, 2005 AP
Researchers Convert Chicken
Fat to Fuel - - Fuel is the thing with feathers. Hoping to find an
efficient way to help power automobiles and trucks, researchers at the
University of Arkansas say they have developed a way to convert chicken fat
to a biodiesel fuel. "We're trying to expand the petroleum base," said Brian
Mattingly, a graduate student in chemical engineering. "Five to 20 percent
blending of biodiesel into petroleum-based diesel significantly reduces our
dependence on foreign oil."
<more> Nov.
30, 2005 AP
UK meat alert over 'fake
label' firm - - An operation is under way across the UK and in Europe to
trace meat distributed by a Northern Ireland firm linked to seized illegal
chicken from China. Department of Agriculture officials found suspected
repackaging and re-labelling at a cold store of Euro Freeze Ireland, in
County Fermanagh. The Food Standards Agency has called on UK and EU
authorities to trace and inspect meat distributed by the firm.
<more>
Nov. 30, 2005 BBC
The Flu's Second Front
- - THE possibility of an avian flu pandemic is real. President Bush has
sensibly proposed a substantial investment to detect, identify and contain
the virus, when and where it begins human-to-human spread. This strategy is
appropriate, and may save millions of lives. But success requires excellent
science, flawless human response and no small amount of luck. Even if
everything breaks our way, there may still be significant loss of life. Not
all of these people have to die. Immediate action may save as many as 25
percent of those infected by the flu. This action involves administering a
vaccine effective against the bacteria that causes pneumonia.
<more> Nov. 30,
2005 NY Times
Ready to cook poultry numbers grow - - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, during October 2005, certified wholesome poultry, at a ready-to-cook weight, totaled 3.577 billion pounds, compared to 3.519 billion a month ago and 3.425 billion a year ago. Chickens were up 5% at 3.082 billion pounds, turkeys grew 4% at 482.731 million and ducks were 11.472 million, 14% higher. Total live poultry weight was 4% higher than a year ago and 2% greater than a month ago at 4.789 billion pounds. Ducks were up 14% from October 2004, the largest increase. During October 2005, slaughtered young chickens weighed an average of 5.50 pounds, compared to 5.41 in September 2005. Turkeys averaged 26.93 pounds, fractionally lower than the month prior. Source: Brownfield Ag News Nov. 30, 2005
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005
Stopping the spread of bird flu
in poultry.
Vaccinations can prevent
outbreaks in birds, scientists find
- - Vaccines can keep
chickens from dying of bird flu, but can immunized birds still silently
spread infection?
It’s an important
question, as China and Vietnam vaccinate millions of chickens in an effort
to stamp out a worrisome strain of bird flu called H5N1.
Scientists in the
Netherlands put the question to a test — using vaccines against a different
strain — and concluded that vaccinating poultry indeed can block viral
spread between birds.
<more> Nov. 29, 2005 AP
Workers' comp rates to fall
- - State Compensation Insurance Fund, California's largest workers'
compensation insurance carrier, announced Monday that it would reduce rates
by an average of 16 percent starting Jan. 1. Another major carrier, Zenith
National Insurance Corp. of Woodland Hills, reported Monday an average 13.1
percent cut. Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi had recommended that
rates be lowered by an average of 15.3 percent. Statewide, insurance rates
have fallen steadily since lawmakers enacted a series of sweeping
cost-cutting measures for an ailing state-run workers' compensation system
in late 2003 and early 2004.
<more> Nov. 29,
2005 Sacramento Bee
U.S. ban on Canadian
poultry reduced - - In a statement released Tuesday by the USDA, Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford
stated that import restrictions on live birds and poultry products from
mainland British Columbia, Canada have been reduced. The avian influenza
strain confirmed November 18 in a flock of commercial ducks has been
verified as low pathogenic and not the H5N1 strain found in Asia. The
modified import ban covers a five kilometer radius around the index farm and
78 additional premises in Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Since the initial
finding, nearly 58,000 ducks and 800 geese have been culled and no new cases
have been reported. Nov. 29, 2005 Brownfield Ag News
Flu halted on B.C. duck
farms, officials says - - One week after a duck at a Chilliwack farm
tested positive for avian flu, health officials say they are cautiously
optimistic that the virus has stopped spreading. Canadian Food Inspection
Agency veterinarian Con Kiley said yesterday that 4,500 birds from nearly 90
per cent of all farms in the surrounding area have been tested since last
week.
<more> Nov.
29, 2005 The Globe and Mail
Fresh Take on Fowl
Tradition. The slaughterhouse owned by Samy Morsy draws many Latin American
immigrants who prefer buying turkeys out of the pen. - - For most
Americans, the Thanksgiving turkey hunt starts and ends by opening a
supermarket freezer door and heaving a shrink-wrapped bird reminiscent of a
cannonball into a shopping cart. But when it came time for Olga Barrientos
to buy the poultry that would serve her party of eight Thursday, she went to
Morsy Farm, an unassuming, single-story building on the corner of 69th
Street and South Central Avenue that looks more like a burger joint than a
slaughterhouse. Wearing elegant high heels, Barrientos walked into the
unbearable stench Tuesday, past cages stacked six high with chickens and
rabbits, to the back of the business where a chain-link pen held nearly 200
turkeys. "Get me a small one," she said in Spanish. An employee wearing a
rubber apron grabbed a spry-looking turkey by the ankles and passed it to a
co-worker, who then electrocuted the clucking bird, slit its throat and
dumped it into scalding water before it was machine-plucked and cleaned.
Five minutes later, Barrientos had a lukewarm, 12-pound turkey for $18.
<more>
Nov. 23, 2005 LA Times
Calif.
Congressman Admits Taking Bribes - - Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham
(R-San
Diego) pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully
resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer
defense contracts to conspirators. Cunningham, 63, entered pleas in U.S.
District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and
wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.Cunningham
answered "yes, Your Honor" when asked by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns if
he had accepted bribes from someone in exchange for his performance of
official duties.
<more> Nov. 28, 2005 AP
Bringing birds back to
nature. On this Springville farm, the turkeys are free to roam — under the
watchful eyes of Bozo the dog — and loyal customers are willing to pay extra
for the back-to-basics approach. - - Joseph Lindvall believes raising
the turkeys in a back-to-nature environment that includes no antibiotics or
hormones makes for healthier, better-tasting birds. His customers appear to
agree and are willing to pay $3 a pound, about three times the cost for a
conventionally raised turkey. "I'm happy to get locally raised poultry and
feel better feeding it to my family," said Laura Linton, a Springville
resident, who said her Lindvall turkey will travel with her to Orange
County, where her family will join in-laws on the holiday.
<more> Nov. 23, 2005 Fresno Bee
Canada Announces AI Found On Another BC Farm - - Canada has confirmed the finding of avian influenza (AI) on a second farm in the Chilliwack area of British Columbia. The latest cases were discovered on a farm operated by the owner of the farm where a duck last week was diagnosed as infected with the H5 virus, according to Dr. Cornelius Kiley of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The latest cases were found on one of four other quarantined farms and the birds will be culled from that farm. "We have multiple positives on the second farm," Kiley said, but he did not say how many positives had been discovered. There was also no mention of what type of AI had been found on the second farm. Canadian officials stressed earlier this week that the virus found initially this week in British Columbia was an H5 virus but a low-pathogenic strain of the disease. <more> Nov. 23, 2005 AgWeb.com
Ex-Insider Leading the
Charge. Longtime Livingston plant worker now heading union during protest
- - Ralph Meraz stood in front of a packed union crowd at Portuguese
Hall, microphone in hand and firing off his trademark one-liners. "If they
want to make it wider, we'll make it wider. If they want to make it bigger,
we'll make it bigger," he said, threatening to escalate his union's strike
against Foster Farms if the company doesn't give in to demands. In the
background, a Powerpoint presentation carried a picture of Rosie the Riveter
with the words "No one tells me to shut up!" It was another stalwart Meraz
moment. It was another twist of irony. Meraz, a former Foster Farms worker
who started off at the plant 38 years ago hanging chickens by their feet,
has galvanized hundreds of employees who say they are unhappy with their pay
and mistreatment from managers. He's led a one-month-old strike that has
soured relations between some workers and split Livingston over the labor
war. But the secret behind Meraz's movement not known to many people outside
of Livingston is that the 62-year-old used to be on the opposite side of the
picket lines. For 24 years, he worked in the company's human resources
department -- including six years as one of its three directors -- and tried
to squelch any strike talk.
<more> Nov. 26,
2005 Merced Sun-Star
Wild Turkey Killings in
Yosemite Ruffle Feathers - - Ranger Chris Cagle, a lanky six-year
veteran of the national park police force, was just following orders when,
armed with his Remington 870 pump shotgun, he ventured into the woods last
spring after an illegal tom that had settled into the area with a few of his
favorite hens. The resulting demise of the 25-pound male turkey highlighted
an unusual policy that has turned the park's protectors into bird hunters.
For the last two years, rangers here in California's most famous national
park have had a shoot-to-kill order every time they spot the wild version of
Thanksgiving's main course.
<more> Nov. 25, 2005 LA Times
Rising valley population poses problems. Report finds poverty, bad air, water quality among the challenges - - The San Joaquin Valley's population is growing fast and facing considerable challenges, according to a new state report. Since 2000, more than 427,000 people have moved to the valley — equal to almost the population of Fresno — and its population will continue to climb in coming decades. As it grows, the valley continues to struggle with high poverty rates, low higher-education attainment and poor air and water quality, states the report by the California Research Bureau, a branch of the California State Library. The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley requested the report, which focuses on the land, people and economy of the valley's eight counties. The partnership, formed by Gov. Schwarzenegger to suggest ways to improve the valley's economy and living conditions, will use the data as a starting point to develop ideas. <more> Nov. 25, 2005 Modesto Bee
Bird flu fears cost French industry 100 million euros - - France's poultry sector said on Monday that falling sales because of bird flu fears would cost the industry 100 million euros this year and called for financial aid. Sales in France, home to Europe's largest poultry industry with an annual turnover of 6 billion euros ($7.20 billion), were reported to be down by an average of 15 percent. <more> Nov. 28, 2005 Reuters
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005
Wednesday S.F. Chinatown press conference will
remind consumers AI is not in U.S. - - Assembly Speaker pro Tem Leland
Yee, (D-San Francisco) will hold a press conference at a San Francisco
Chinatown market Wednesday to remind Bay Area consumers that avian influenza
does not exist in the U.S. and the virus cannot be transmitted by eating
properly cooked poultry. CPF President Bill Mattos, Squab Producers of
California President Bob Shipley and CPF member Kim Hernandez will attend
the press conference to reinforce the message that California poultry is
safe to consume. The media event will be held at noon at New Lun Wah Market
1117 Stockton Street, corner of Jackson, in Chinatown.
Nov. 22,2005
Bush spares Thanksgiving
turkeys - - President Bush spared two turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving
dinner. Instead, the birds are going to
Disneyland.
Thousands
of people voted on the White House Web site to name the national turkey
"Marshmallow" and an alternate called "Yam." At a ceremony Tuesday, Bush
peered into Marshmallow's eyes, stroked its white fluffy feathers and patted
its red head. In years past, turkeys spared in presidential ceremonies were
sent to live at a local farm. "Marshmallow and Yam were a little skeptical
about going to a place called Frying Pan Park," Bush said to giggling
students from Clarksville Elementary School in Clarksville, Md.
<more> Nov. 22,
2005 AP
President Bush pets the national Thanksgiving turkey
Marshmallow during a ceremony pardoning the turkey in the Old Executive
Office Building, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005. In a break from tradition, the bird
will be going to Disneyland, where the 35-pound Tom Turkey will be grand
marshal of the Disneyland Thanksgiving Day parade.
AP Photo/GERALD HERBERT
Bird flu fears drive chicken off Asian menus. Poultry sales plummet amid outbreaks of deadly virus - - Xiao Si’s family loves to eat chicken. But after many outbreaks of bird flu, she is beginning to doubt safety guarantees about poultry. “I’m eating a lot less now,” said the housewife, weighed down with shopping outside a supermarket in central Beijing. “I know if you cook it well it’s supposed to be safe, but who knows?” Across China, which has reported 17 outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus since mid-October and is the world’s largest poultry producer, sales of chicken and duck are plummeting and chick prices have dropped up to 90 percent, state media has said. <more> Nov. 22, 2005 Reuters
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005
Federal Turkeys Wing It
This Year. Why will the national fowl cross the country? To be grand
marshals at the Disneyland Thanksgiving parade. But what's behind it all?
- - Every November, the president of the United States is presented with the
National Thanksgiving Turkey — and promptly issues it a formal pardon. But
unlike the turkeys granted reprieves from the chopping block over the last
15 years, this year's bird will not be sent to Frying Pan Park, an animal
farm in the Washington suburbs, to gobble to its heart's content for the
rest of its days. This afternoon, minutes after being spared, the 35-pound
presidential turkey — along with a back-up bird — is going to Disneyland. On
United Flight 197. First class. With a contentious Congress in recess, some
might speculate that the turkeys are benefiting from the benevolence of a
capital in seasonal good cheer. But the travel plans may have more to do
with a letter-writing campaign sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment
for Animals, along with some reports in the media, decrying the fate that
befell the pardoned birds in the past.
<more> Nov. 22,
2005 LA Times
Americans talkin' turkey
all year long - - In the 1960s and '70s, that enormous turkey gracing
your Thanksgiving table might have been the most turkey you'd eat all year.
Today, the seasonal symbol of a pilgrim's feast and a family tradition has
been transformed into a year-round food. Credit a cultural shift toward
better nutrition and eating less fat. "People go for those smoked turkey
drumsticks. They fly out of here," says Willie Benedetti, a Sonoma County
turkey grower who hawks drumsticks at summer fairs and festivals. For
Thanksgiving, he sells $100 gourmet "Willie Birds" through specialty
retailer Williams-Sonoma. In 1960, 44 percent of the turkeys eaten all year
were whole-body birds consumed in November and December, U.S. Department of
Agriculture statistics reveal. Now it's about 23 percent.
<more> Nov. 22,
2005 Sacramento Bee
Two MN Turkeys To Get Presidential Pardon - -
Most turkeys should be pretty nervous around Thanksgiving. But there are two
Minnesota birds that are not. They'll be saved from becoming somebody's
dinner when President Bush pardons them and names one this year's official
Thanksgiving Turkey. "The alternate is available in case the National
Thanksgiving Turkey cannot perform its duties," said a grinning Pete
Rothfork of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. <more> Nov. 21, 2005 Melrose, Minnesota TV
Foster Farms firings
fizzle. Some strike participants at Livingston plant demoted; union says
it's punishment - - Foster Farms demoted a handful of company employees
because they had been participating in ministrikes at the chicken processing
plant, but none lost jobs. On Friday, the company announced that 30 to 50
employees were going to have their jobs posted as open while they were out
on strike, and that the striking employees could reapply for entry-level
work. But Ralph Meraz, who heads up the League of Independent Workers, said
almost all the striking employees returned to their old jobs, even though
the positions had been posted. "Everybody is working, but a few people were
demoted," Meraz said. "It's embarrassing for (the company). I think they
wanted to teach people a lesson and I don't think they had the resources to
carry it out." Tim Walsh, vice president of human resources, agreed that
some of the employees who thought they had lost their old jobs came back
Monday to the same positions. He was out of town Monday, and didn't know
exactly how many employees had been demoted.
<more> Nov. 22,
2005 Modesto Bee
Foster Farms workers go
back to work -- Striking Foster Farms workers vacated the picket lines
this weekend and returned to the plant on Monday, following a familiar
off-and-on striking pattern. Meanwhile, the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers has signed up more than 1,000 workers as
members in the past week, union leader Ralph Meraz said. Meraz heads an
independent union representing Livingston's Foster Farms workers. The
machinists affiliated with Meraz's union two months ago and helped spearhead
the month-old strike. Meraz said he expects more than 70 percent of the
plant's 2,400 workers to be signed up in the next two weeks. "I guarantee
that," he said.
<more> Nov. 22,
2005 Merced Sun-Star
Canada: Wild Birds Had Low-Path AI - - The
Government of Canada has announced that the wild birds from Quebec, Manitoba
and British Columbia tested as part of a national wild bird survey are free
of the strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza responsible for animal
and human illness in Southeast Asia.
<more> Nov. 21, 2005 AgWeb.com
Humane Society sues USDA over poultry slaughter
- - U.S. poultry slaughter methods are cruel and raise the risk of
consumers contracting a foodborne illness, the Humane Society of the United
States said in a lawsuit that seeks to ensure birds are unconscious before
being slaughtered. U.S. industry practices include hanging live birds upside
down in metal shackles, then moving them through an electrified water bath
that paralyzes them while still conscious, the lawsuit claimed. The
slaughter plant treatment increases the chance that a bird will inhale feces
in the water, leading to a higher bacteria level in its meat, the lawsuit
said.
<more> Nov. 21, 2005 Reuters
Poultry producers say they're ready. While bird
flu may figure in precautions taken, safeguarding against illness isn't new,
they say. - - From 10-year-olds with pet chickens to commercial turkey
and chicken producers with million-dollar investments, owners of poultry
have their attention focused on what disease could do to their animals - and
in many cases their livelihoods. And while a deadly - and much publicized -
variant of avian influenza may figure into precautions they are taking,
safeguarding against bird disease is hardly new. "Our poultry operations are
doing things to protect birds from everyday assaults of common diseases,"
said Carol Cardona, poultry extension veterinarian with the University of
California at Davis. "If you protect yourself from everyday assaults, you
will be protected from once-in-a-lifetime assaults."
<more> Nov. 20, 2005 Fresno Bee
Poultry from banned nations still sneaks past
U.S. borders - - Chinese-grown poultry, banned in the United States out
of fear of spreading diseases, is nonetheless reaching markets and
restaurants in the United States after escaping detection at borders.
Outbreaks of bird flu in Asia have led the government to step up its
anti-smuggling operations. In a two-month period this fall, the government
seized 165,000 pounds of Asian poultry, according to figures compiled in the
Department of Agriculture. No bird-flu virus was found in the prohibited
items, which included frozen chickens, ducks, pigeons and poultry parts
prized by Asians for cooking. The H5N1 avian influenza virus can stay alive
in frozen products, leading some to fear that infected birds could be a
conduit for the disease. That's why the government is working to shut down
pathways by which the disease might enter the United States and pose threats
to the nation's $28.9 billion poultry industry - and potentially to people.
<more>
Nov. 20, 2005 Salt Lake Tribune
Migration Routes a Factor in Bird Flu Fight. UC Davis scientists worry that the virus could be carried by geese and ducks heading south from Siberia. Testing is underway. - - Each fall, millions of birds make the marathon migration south along the Pacific Flyway, winged phalanxes landing amid the swamplands and rice paddies of the Sacramento Valley. Walter Boyce wants to ensure they're not carrying unwanted baggage this year. Scientists like Boyce look to the skies and see the possibility that bird flu might migrate from Asia along with geese and ducks. Boyce, head of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, sees it as a sort of biological domino effect, passing from bird to bird as they head south for winter. He hopes the feared H5N1 virus, the deadly variant that has prompted concern of a worldwide pandemic, won't come with them. <more> Nov. 21, 2005 LA Times
Friday, Nov. 18, 2005
Strikers resume walkout.
Foster Farms threatens to fire some; workers may return in just two days -
- Foster Farms poultry plant workers on Thursday launched their third walkout
in less than a month, and this time the company has threatened to fire at
least some of them. Union leader Ralph Meraz said several hundred of the
plant's 2,300 employees have joined the latest action, which started at 6 a.m.
He said it might last just two days, but no decision has been made. The
strikers could be fired for violating a federal law against "intermittent"
strikes, but they could apply for vacant jobs in the future, said Tim Walsh,
vice president of human resources at Foster Farms. He said the number of
striking workers was less than in the two other walkouts, and the plant
continues to meet its production goals with the help of replacement workers.
So far, the replacements are temporary, but Walsh said strikers could be
permanently replaced if they are found to have violated the law.
<more> Nov. 18, 2005
Modesto Bee
Great Valley Center teams up. UC Merced partnership will allow research, funds to flow between the two - - When it comes to scholarly clout, there's nothing like a major research university. That's why Great Valley Center organizers are grabbing some credibility, not only for their research, but for their financial needs, by partnering with the University of California at Merced. The think-tank's board of directors unanimously approved the plan Thursday, and as of the new year, UC Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey will take over as chairwoman of the GVC board. The two young institutions will combine their focuses on the San Joaquin Valley. Both share the goal of having the valley recognized for the vital, growing area it is, GVC officials said. <more> Nov. 18, 2005 Modesto Bee
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005
Safeguards in place to keep
“Asian Flu” out of U.S., poultry industry tells Congress -- The U.S.
government and the poultry industry have numerous safeguards in place to
keep "Asian flu," H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, out of the
country, an industry spokesman told a committee of the U.S. Senate today.
"The United States has multiple lines of defense against Asian H5N1 highly
pathogenic avian influenza," Don Waldrip, an industry veterinarian
testifying for the National Chicken Council, told the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry at a hearing today.
<more> Nov. 17, 2005 NCC Press Release
US official warns don’t
panic over bird flu - - A top USDA official reassured Congress the
virus was not in the US and that the poultry industry was prepared to react
when and if it arrived. Dr. Ron DeHaven, administrator of the USDA Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), testified before the House
Agriculture Committee and said there was no evidence the virus had infected
the US bird or human population. DeHaven said the threat to the US food
supply was “negligible.” He reassured lawmakers that the US monitoring and
surveillance procedures would detect the virus quickly should it arrive in
the US.
<more> Nov.
17, 2005 Brownfield Ag News
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005
Virus Vigilance. San
Joaquin Valley poultry producers protect and disinfect to ward off many ills
- - Workers shower when they arrive each day to tend chickens for Foster
Farms. Commercial flocks of turkeys and chickens are kept in enclosures that
keep out wild birds. Employee clothing is sanitized, as are trucks that
bring in feed and other supplies. These are just some of the precautions
against bird flu in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, where poultry is a
major driver of the economy. Industry people say the threat is small because
chickens and turkeys are isolated from the migratory birds that might spread
the current deadly strain of flu if it showed up in the Western Hemisphere.
Nonetheless, they say, they take the precautions seriously.
<more> Nov. 16,
2005 Modesto Bee
Young bird raisers alerted
to danger - - Emilee Gaarde's two dozen chickens can look out of their
chain-link enclosure to the almond orchard behind her house. If they look
up, they see a corrugated metal roof, which experts say can protect them
from bird flu. "I heard that it can be caused by wild birds doing droppings
on their cage," said Emilee, 12, who raises poultry as a 4-H project at her
home just west of Riverbank. A deadly strain of the flu has hit parts of
Asia and Europe, but the Western Hemisphere has not been affected. Just in
case this changes, backyard poultry raisers can follow advice from poultry
specialist Francine Bradley of the University of California Cooperative
Extension.
<more> Nov.
16, 2005 Modesto Bee
Pennsylvania ag dept closes
Philadelphia live bird market. Not Asian Strain and Not a Threat to Human
Health - - As a routine precaution, the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture temporarily closed a live bird market in Philadelphia today
after birds tested positive for a mild strain of avian influenza. This
strain poses no threat to human health and is completely different from the
strain currently in Asia. "There are many types of avian influenza and this
particular strain posed no threat to people," said Agriculture Secretary
Dennis Wolff. "These strains are discovered about 15 to 20 times a year
among commercial flocks and live bird markets, and there is no reason for
alarm." <more>
Nov. 16, 2005 Pennsylvania Ag Dept Press
Release
Animal Rights Leader
Justifies Violence. In a '60 Minutes' interview, the L.A. area activist says
those who harm 'innocent beings' should be stopped by any 'means necessary.'
- - One of the leading animal rights activists in the Los Angeles area
has taken his campaign to the national stage in recent weeks, saying that it
may be "morally justifiable" to kill people to stop medical research on
animals. In recent U.S. Senate testimony and in a "60 Minutes" interview,
Dr. Jerry Vlasak, a trauma surgeon, said he believes that researchers,
slaughterhouse workers and others who kill animals "should be stopped using
whatever means necessary." Vlasak is a board member of Animal Defense
League, which has held raucous protests in the last few years outside the
homes of city animal services employees and the residences of Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa and former Mayor James K. Hahn.
<more> Nov. 16,
2005 LA Times
Call for murder of
scientists shows vicious side of animal rights, say medical advocates -
- The call to assassinate research scientists, heard on Sunday’s 60 Minutes,
is a call to action for Congress to give law enforcement the powers
necessary to investigate and arrest those who would carry out such crimes,
according to Americans for Medical Progress, a nonprofit organization that
counters the animal rights threat to biomedical research. “The outrageous
statement by Jerry Vlasak is not new, and confirms what we in the biomedical
research community have known for years: that there truly is a violent
element among the animal rights movement that would stop at nothing – even
murder – to achieve their agenda,” said John Young, Director of Comparative
Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and chairman of
Americans for Medical Progress. “We are seeing the dark, vicious side of
animal rights activism and it is appalling.”
<more> Nov. 16,
2005 AMP Press Release
Natural Substance Reduces
Campylobacter in Chickens - - Proteins called bacteriocins, produced by
bacteria, can reduce Campylobacter pathogens to very low levels in chicken
intestines and could help reduce human exposure to food-borne pathogens,
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report. The research was
coordinated by scientists at the ARS Richard B. Russell Research Center in
Athens, Ga. They collaborated with scientists from the former Soviet Union
on this and other food safety research. In a chicken's gut, the bacteriocins
can crowd out pathogenic bacteria, making it less likely that pathogens
could infect poultry or humans.
<more> Nov. 16,
2005 ARS Press Release
China to Vaccinate All Its
Poultry, With 5.2 Billion Flu Shots - - China's Agriculture Ministry
said Tuesday that it would inject all of the nation's 5.2 billion chickens,
geese and ducks with a vaccine against bird flu. The campaign, disclosed by
the official New China News Agency, would be the largest single vaccination
effort ever for any species, according to the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization in Rome. It promises to be logistically
complicated, not least because it entails chasing and catching billions of
free-range birds. The Agriculture Ministry did not provide a timetable. At
any one time, China has about 4 billion chickens and 1.2 billion ducks and
geese, but even those numbers understate the size of the vaccination task.
The country consumes about 14 billion domestically grown chickens, ducks and
geese every year.
<more> Nov. 16,
2005 NY Times
House Ag Committee finds
U.S. poultry products safe. Witness Testifies that U.S. Safeguards are Well
Established - - House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Bob Goodlatte
today chaired a hearing to review issues related to the prevention,
detection, and eradication of avian influenza (AI). The purpose of the
hearing was to look at the animal health aspects of AI and educate Members
about the current preventative measures employed by U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. poultry industry. The Committee heard from
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Ron
DeHaven, who testified about protecting the U.S. from the introduction of
Asian bird flu and the safety of our nation's poultry products.
<more> Nov. 16,
2005 House Ag Committee Press Release
First-class stamps to go up 2 cents Jan. 8 - - The cost of mailing a letter will increase to 39 cents on Jan. 8. The Postal Service's board of governors approved the two-cent increase in first-class postal rates late Monday. It is the first increase since June 2002. <more> Nov. 16, 2005 AP
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005
Poultry farm tactics may
thwart bird flu - - The Foster Farms chicken farm near here is home to
more than 1 million chickens, but not one is in sight. The birds are kept
uncaged inside 64 enclosed barns so they don't mingle with wild birds, which
are believed to have spread the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus from poultry in
Asia to birds in Eastern Europe. Workers enter barns only if they're wearing
coveralls, boots and hairnets, which are later washed or discarded so
workers don't inadvertently spread viruses. Feed trucks are hosed down
before driving onto the farm for the same reason. Poultry producers say they
have taken precautions such as these for years to protect flocks from
diseases. Now, they might prove to be one of the nation's vital defenses in
preventing the spread of a deadly bird flu virus that has set off fears of a
global health crisis.
<more> Nov. 15,
2005 USA Today
USDA: Bird flu could cut US
poultry demand by 50 pct - - A U.S. outbreak of the deadly strain of
bird flu could set off a panic among consumers and temporarily slash
domestic poultry consumption by as much as 50 percent, or about $10 billion
annually, a U.S. Agriculture Department researcher told Reuters on Tuesday.
The United States is the world's largest producer and exporter of poultry
meat with chicken, turkey and duck production valued at about $23 billion
annually.
<more> Nov. 15,
2005 Reuters
Vertical integration
protecting against bird flu - - Because nearly all commercial poultry
production in the United States is company-managed -- a system known as
vertical integration -- production processes are safer and more efficient,
said Todd Applegate, Purdue Extension poultry specialist. Such production
practices are not as common in Asia and other nations where bird flu is a
problem, added Paul Brennan, executive vice president of the Purdue-based
Indiana State Poultry Association. "The poultry industry is the most
vertically integrated of all of our livestock industries," Applegate said.
"As we try to reduce the risk of bird flu in this country, having full
control over the entire production process is probably a good thing."
<more> Nov. 15,
2005 Brownfield Ag News
Poultry Industry Launches
New Web Site on Avian Influenza -- The poultry industry has launched a
new Web site -- http://www.avianinfluenzainfo.com -- to respond to any
public concern that may occur over avian influenza, highlighting the fact
that it is not a food issue and that H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza
-- "bird flu" -- does not exist in the United States. "Avian influenza: It's
not in your food," the site says, in an article on the safety of poultry
products. The site is a joint project of the National Chicken Council (NCC),
National Turkey Federation (NTF), and Egg Safety Center (ESC).
<more> Nov.
15,2005 PR Newswire
Extreme Bird Flu Measures In Asia - - Asian countries announced extreme measures Tuesday in their fight against bird flu, with China vowing to vaccinate its entire poultry stock of 14 billion birds and Vietnam launching an unprecedented campaign to purge its two largest cities of poultry to slow the spread of the disease. "China is in the process of vaccinating all the poultry in the country," said Jia Youling, the Agriculture Ministry's chief veterinary officer. <more> Nov. 15, 2005 CBS News
Monday, Nov. 14, 2005
Poultry industry says it's
prepared for bird flu - - The sign outside Rick Klaphake's turkey farm
reads: "Absolutely no trespassing — disease control." The 12,000 turkey hens
gobbling away in one of his 500-foot-long barns were living out the final
days of their 18-week lives. But not because of bird flu. Most of them will
grace holiday dining tables starting with Thanksgiving later this month.
Poultry growers like Klaphake, as well as government and industry officials,
say they're confident the U.S. poultry industry is safe from dangerous
strains of bird flu, such as H5N1, that have ravaged poultry in Asia and
spread to parts of Europe. The biggest reason: the animals are kept in, and
people and wild birds are kept out.
<more> Nov. 13,
2005 AP
Avian flu hunt lands in
Yolo. Virus isn't expected to show up here yet, but migrating birds could
carry it between continents. - - After hunters bagged ducks and geese at
the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area on Saturday, a second hunt began. It was a
hunt pursued not by guys in camouflage, but by two scientists bundled in
jackets against the morning chill and armed with cotton swabs that they
inserted into the dead birds' hind ends. The target: influenza viruses.
Glamorous, it isn't, but the virus hunt could prove vitally important in the
global watch for a deadly avian flu.
<more> Nov. 13,
2005 Sacramento Bee
PETA launches anti-meat effort -- Want to
find out the latest about the poultry or beef industry? An animal-rights
group hopes that curious consumers happen onto its new Web site with the
deceptive sounding domain name, view the video from slaughterhouses and drop
all plans for a big juicy streak or fried chicken. People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals has a new Web site at www.meat.org that it hopes will
draw in the public in this era of fears about bird flu and mad cow disease.
<more> Nov. 13, 2005 AP
Taking a leap of faith. Paul Venosdel leaves USDA
Rural Development post - - If Paul Venosdel is losing any sleep these
days, he's confident it's for all the right reasons. After nearly four years
of leading the state's Rural Development agency, Venosdel has left the
agency to start a lobbying and grassroots advocacy business with a longtime
colleague from Washington, D.C. While Venosdel is certain he'll affect
important decisions in boardrooms across the world and at the nation's
capitol in his new job, leaving the U.S. Department of Agriculture post
isn't easy.
<more> Nov. 14,
2005 Capital Press
Tyson profit up on chicken strength - - Tyson Foods Inc., the No. 1 U.S. meat company, on Monday posted a 48 percent jump in quarterly profit on strength in its chicken processing business. The company said earnings rose to $98 million, or 28 cents a share, in the fiscal fourth quarter ended October 1, from $66 million, or 19 cents, a year ago. <more> Nov. 14, 2005 Reuters
Friday, Nov. 11, 2005
Comp Rates Expected to Fall
15% More. Employers should see savings on workers' coverage by early 2006,
says state insurance chief John Garamendi. But he says insurers still are
pocketing too much. - - California employers should see their workers'
compensation insurance bills drop by an additional 15% early next year,
bringing average total savings to 38% from two years of overhauls to the
state's system for treating injured workers, Insurance Commissioner John
Garamendi said Thursday. But the reduction, although hailed by Garamendi as
the sharpest in almost a century, was not deep enough, the commissioner
said. He accused insurers of pocketing about 60% of the savings created by
cost-cutting laws signed by Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis in
2004 and 2003.
<more>
Nov. 11, 2005 LA Times
Animal rights extremists
profiled on Sunday’s 60 Minutes - - Despite racking up over $100 million
in damages using arson and sabotage, environmental and animal rights
extremists still haven’t stopped Americans from driving gas-guzzling SUVs,
developing pristine land or conducting animal research. Now, some of the
extremists say it’s time to start killing people to make their point. 60
Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley reports on extremist groups collectively
known as eco-terrorists, which the FBI says are now the biggest domestic
terror threat, this Sunday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. ET/PT. A spokesman for
extreme animal rights groups believes killing humans is justified. “I think
people who torture innocent beings should be stopped,” says Dr. Jerry Vlasak,
a California trauma surgeon. “If they won’t stop when you ask them nicely,
they don’t stop when you demonstrate to them what they’re doing is wrong,
then they should be stopped using whatever means are necessary.”
<more>
Nov. 11, 2005 CBS Press Release
Supreme Court issues
'donning and doffing' opinion - - The Supreme Court ruled unanimously
Tuesday that companies must pay plant workers for the time it takes to
change into protective clothing and safety gear and walk to their work
stations. The decision revolves around two decisions made by the 1st U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a
defeat for business, the court said employers must pay wages for the donning
of "integral" gear and the time it takes workers to then walk to the
production area.
<more> Nov. 11, 2005 Meatpoultry.com
Meatpackers lose high court
wage battle - - Workers at meat-processing plants must be paid for the
time they spend walking between their work stations and the locker rooms
where they don and doff protective gear, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled. The
justices, interpreting a federal wage law, Tuesday unanimously ruled against
two companies, including Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc., the
world’s largest meat processor. The court also said workers must be paid for
some of the time spent waiting at stations to receive and return equipment.
<more>
Nov. 11, 2005 Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Bird flu: Backlash for food
firms? U.S. consumers don't appear to be cutting back on chicken; analysts
say firms right to be cautious. - - Despite the extensive media coverage
of the bird flu and its westward migration, American consumers don't appear
to be shying away from eating chicken -- yet. Nevertheless, analysts say
it's prudent for food companies and fast-food outlets selling chicken to
take measures to educate consumers that it's safe to eat cooked poultry
products. "Americans aren't the most scientifically-savvy folks," said
Richard Martin, managing editor of trade publication Nation's Restaurant
News. "I heard news reports that some people were calling to enquire whether
or not it's safe to eat turkey because they heard of the bird flu outbreak
in Turkey. That's the country and not the bird."
<more> Nov. 11, 2005 CNN Money
Chicago Gets Worked Up Over
Foie Gras - - In the city once known as the world's slaughterhouse,
restaurants, politicians and animal rights activists are worked up over a
goose liver delicacy. A proposed ban on foie gras has divided Chicago's fine
restaurants and stirred a two-pronged debate: whether it is humane to
force-feed geese and ducks to plump up their livers, and whether politicians
should be telling diners what they can and cannot eat.
<more> Nov. 11,
2005 AP
UC to fill 11 jobs in
extension program.
News at meeting is welcomed
by growers; program has sustained severe cuts in recent years.
- -
Leaders of various
agricultural industries got some good news Thursday at a meeting in Fresno
with top University of California officials: The university is moving to fill
11 jobs in a Cooperative Extension program that has seen severe cuts in recent
years. And UC President Robert Dynes, who convened the meeting of about 60
growers, ranchers and commodity group leaders, was the target for some sharp
questioning. The first question posed to Dynes came from Ron Koetsier, a
Visalia dairy operator, who asked why Tulare County, the nation's No. 1 milk
producer, has been without a dairy adviser for four years. "I understand that
UC has recruited, but applicants have been taken by industry because UC is not
as competitive," he said.
<more> Nov. 11, 2005 Fresno Bee
Off to greener fields. Farm labor shortage expected
to continue as construction, service jobs beckon - - As he stood in a
dusty field during harvest, Mark Hall wondered aloud what happened to all the
farmworkers. Hall, 46, owns Mark Hall Farming. He said he can't remember a
worse labor shortage in 25 years. "I don't know where the people have gone,"
Hall said Tuesday, flanked by workers and boxes of table grapes in a remote
field between Mettler and Arvin. Barry Bedwell, president of the Fresno-based
California Grape and Tree Fruit League, said this year represents the most
widespread and consistent worker shortage he has seen in his 30 years in
agriculture. Bedwell said his members have been using 20 percent to 40 percent
smaller crews.
<more> Nov. 11, 2005 Bakersfield Californian
Thursday, Nov., 10, 2005
USDA raises corn and soy
production estimates - - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2005/06 U.S. corn production is
estimated at 11.032 billion bushels. Before the report, analysts were
expecting 10.818 billion to 11.085 billion bushels. The USDA's October guess
was 10.857 billion. 2004/05 corn production totaled 11.807 billion bushels.
Average yield came out at 148.4 bushels per acre (bpa), compared to 146.1 in
October and 160.4 a year ago.
<more> Nov. 10, 2005 Brownfield Ag News
Poor Countries' Needs On Bird
Flu Outlined. Experts Estimate Cost at $1.5 Billion -- The battle against
avian influenza in poorer countries will cost at least $1.5 billion over the
next few years, both to suppress the disease among poultry and to prepare for
the possibility it will become widespread among humans, according to estimates
presented Wednesday at an international meeting. About $500 million will be
required to fight the H5N1 influenza strain in poultry, by far the best way to
prevent bird flu from triggering a long-feared human pandemic, according to
experts gathered at World Health Organization headquarters. Similar amounts
are needed for improving the surveillance and treatment of human infections of
the disease, and for stockpiling antiviral drugs and an experimental H5N1
vaccine.
<more> Nov. 10, 2005
Washington Post
Let them eat chicken: Greeks to set example on avian flu - - People working at Greece's parliament, from ministers down to staff, are reportedly to eat poultry-based lunches next week in a bid to restore demand after an avian flu scare last month. According to the semi-state Athens News Agency (ANA), Greek ministers, MPs, accredited journalists and staff have received invitations for a parliament canteen meal on November 16 which will include chicken, turkey and eggs. <more> Nov. 10, 2005 AFP
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005
Sonoma County rejects GMO ban. Critics call vote
boost for agriculture; proponents blame 'lies' for defeat - - A measure
that would have banned genetically engineered organisms in Sonoma County was
trounced in Tuesday's election, putting the brakes on an environmental
coalition's goal of securing county-by-county moratoriums in California.
Sonoma County, with its liberal voting reputation, would have been the
fourth in the state to ban GMOs in crops. But with all precincts counted,
Measure M lost 55.6 percent to 44.4 percent, countering the path followed by
Marin, Mendocino and Trinity counties, which approved bans in the last year.
<more> Nov. 9, 2005 Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Bird flu could cost U.S.
poultry market. Producers face 'hundreds of millions' of dollars in lost
trade - - A U.S. outbreak of bird flu could cost poultry producers
“hundreds of millions” of dollars in lost trade, but scientists said Tuesday
that even if the deadly H5N1 strain is discovered it would still be safe for
U.S. consumers to eat chicken. “It will never reach your dinner table,” said
Nathaniel Tablante, a poultry veterinarian at the University of Maryland.
“The virus is so heat sensitive that if it gets to your kitchen, you (could)
cook the chicken anyway. It’s still safe to eat,” he said.
<more>
Nov. 9, 2005 Reuters
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005
Nationwide Poll: 47 Percent
Of Americans Mistakenly Believe Eating Chicken Can Spread Bird Flu --
Nearly half of Americans questioned in a new opinion poll mistakenly believe
that they can contract bird flu by eating chicken. Forty-seven percent of
respondents -- including 42 percent of college graduates -- agreed with the
false statement that eating an infected chicken can result in bird-flu
transmission. The poll, which sampled the opinions of 1,007 Americans, was
commissioned by the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) and
conducted by Opinion Research Corporation.
<more> Nov. 8,
2005 Center for Consumer Freedom Press Release
California Firm Recalls
Ready-To-Eat Chicken Product for Possible Listeria Contamination - -
Garden Leaf Foods, a Gardena, Calif., firm, is voluntarily recalling
approximately 275 pounds of a ready-to-eat chicken product that may be
contaminated with Listeria monocytogene.
<more> Nov. 8,
2005 FSIS Press Release
Court rules on doffing and
donning case - - The National Chicken Council today reported that the
U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in the IBP v. Alvarez and Tum v. Barber
Foods cases. The unanimous opinion held that the time employees spend
walking between the clothes changing area and the production area is
compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act. On the second question in
the Barber Foods case, the court ruled that the time employees spend waiting
in line for gear and equipment is not compensable under the statute. For
the AP article on this decision,
click here. Nov.
8, 2005
Foster Farms employees back
at work; another strike possible - - Foster Farms employees returned to
work Monday after ending their second strike in as many weeks Friday night.
The first strike, which lasted four days, started two days after union head
Ralph Meraz rallied workers Oct. 23 and declared that a walkout was
imminent. On Nov. 1, he said a strike would start again sometime last week
if the company didn't budge. Sure enough, hundreds of workers left the plant
and formed picket lines Thursday and Friday. On Monday, Meraz brushed off
questions about whether a third strike could be expected this week.
<more> Nov. 8, 2005 Merced Sun-Star
Supporters: Cockfight Bill
Could Stem Flu - - A cockfighting bill aimed at stemming the spread of
bird flu to the U.S. has stalled despite support from the Bush
administration and the poultry industry. The bill targets trade from
Southeast Asia, where cockfighting is suspected of spreading bird flu from
chickens to humans. The measure would increase penalties for transporting
fighting birds across state lines and from other countries. But the chairman
of the House Judiciary Committee has not brought the bill, which has passed
the Senate, to a vote. Cockfighting is banned in every state except
Louisiana and New Mexico.
<more>
Nov. 6, 2005 AP
Strikers to return to work
Monday. But Foster Farms workers may return to picket line next week to
protest pay- - Strikers at the Foster Farms chicken plant will go back
to work Monday, ending the second short walkout in two weeks, a labor leader
said Friday. Picketing ended at 6 p.m. Friday, according to the union, and
workers planned to return to their jobs starting with the day shift Monday.
The plant likely would be closed over the weekend, which is normal unless
extra production is needed, Foster Farms officials said. The strike could
resume later next week, said Ralph Meraz, leader of the League of
Independent Workers of the San Joaquin Valley. "That depends on many things,
mostly on the company," he said.
<more> Nov. 5,
2005 Modesto Bee
Valley readies superflu
plans. An outbreak of bird flu could affect up to 30% of overall population.
- - Before the president released a federal plan last week for fighting
a possible influenza pandemic, health officials in the central San Joaquin
Valley were preparing for a public-health battle that could be larger than
any faced in their lifetimes. "I don't want to scare people," says Dr.
Michael MacLean, health officer for Kings County. "We don't like to think
that something like this could happen. But in fact, it has happened in the
past — it's something we definitely need to plan for."
<more>
Nov. 6, 2005 Fresno Bee
Sentries in U.S. Seek Early
Signs of the Avian Flu - - Bang! Inside an improvised duck blind - her
parked car - Grace Y. Lee presses a switch, and her gun blasts a square of
light volleyball net over the dirt road she is watching. One of the
two magpies she has baited into range with cornbread, cheese-flavored rice
snacks and dog food is snagged, flopping furiously around. "We mostly catch
the young ones," Ms. Lee said. "These birds are too smart to be caught
again. We get them once, and they don't shop here anymore." With the country
waiting nervously for avian flu to arrive, catching wild birds is no hobby.
It has become part of a national early detection effort, and Ms. Lee, a
researcher at the University of California here, is a sentry on the
country's epidemiological ramparts.
<more>
Nov. 6, 2005 NY Times
Beijing
shuts down live poultry and bird markets to fight bird flu - -
Beijing's municipal government has ordered live poultry and pet bird markets
to be shut down in an attempt to curb the spread of bird flu, a day after
China announced three possible human cases. China's health minister Gao
Qiang also warned the battle against bird flu was "complex" and urged all
government departments to promptly report outbreaks to prevent the virus
spreading.
<more> Nov. 7, 2005 AFP
Gas prices drop for 5th
straight week - - For the fifth straight week, average retail gasoline
prices have dropped nationwide, falling below $2.40 a gallon for the first
time since early August. The federal Energy Information Administration said
Monday that U.S. motorists paid $2.376 cents a gallon on average for regular
grade last week, a decline of more than 10 cents from the previous week.
Pump prices are still 38 cents higher than a year ago.
<more> Nov. 8, 2005 AP
KFC orders bird flu plan - - Concerned that a possible avian-flu outbreak might leave Americans too chicken-hearted to eat poultry, Kentucky Fried Chicken is reportedly developing a campaign to assure them it's finger-lickin' safe. KFC's parent company, Yum Brands, has been putting together a contingency plan including consumer education and TV ads, AdAge.com reported yesterday. <more> Nov. 8, 2005 NY Post
Friday, Nov. 4, 2005
Foster Farms workers strike.
Picket line resumes with on-off strategy designed to force talks. - - As
promised, they're back. Hundreds of Foster Farms workers went on strike for a
second time Thursday, following through on an on-and-off striking strategy
that union leaders hope will disrupt the company's work flow and force
contract negotiations. Foster Farms spokesman Tim Walsh said the Livingston
plant, which is Merced County's largest private employer and produces 500,000
chickens a day — the most in the world — is "well ahead of production
schedule" despite the walkout. The company is bringing in some of the 200
temporary replacement workers it recruited for last week's four-day strike.
But Walsh said fewer night shift workers left on Thursday than those who left
last week.
<more> Nov. 3, 2005
Fresno Bee
Bird Flu Research: CSI For
Chickens - - You could call it “CSI” for chickens. But the high-tech
machines and white coat detectives make the Georgia Poultry Diagnostic
Laboratory in Hall County one of the most important places in America -- right
on the front line in the fight against avian flu. “Because we are the leading
poultry producer in the nation, we are also the leading poultry laboratory
network in the nation as well. We have an aggressive surveillance program for
avian influenza,” said James Scroggs, the executive director of the Georgia
Poultry Lab Network.
<more> Nov. 3, 2005
WXIA-TV News Atlanta
Fresno meeting focuses on
food safety. Growers and businesses gather to discuss issues around agri-terrorism.
- - Steps being taken to guard against agri-terrorism and the promise — as
well as downsides — of globalization took center stage Thursday at a Fresno
conference that drew nearly 300 growers, bankers, accountants and others.
Taking precautions at Grimmway Enterprises Inc., the Kern County company best
known for growing and processing carrots, means enlisting all employees as
"security agents," said Patrick Kelly, the company's director of quality
assurance and food safety. That same theme — having hands-on employees as eyes
and ears who can report a terrorist threat — was sounded by Jerry Gillespie,
director of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at the
University of California at Davis. "Immigrant workers are on the front line of
food production," Gillespie said, detailing a program to train farmworkers to
report possible agri-terrorism or other breaches of biosecurity.
<more>
Nov. 3, 2005 Fresno Bee
Jumping frog loses latest
round. The Fish and Wildlife Service slashes the proposed size of the animal's
protected state habitat - - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
dramatically scaled back the California red-legged frog's official home
Thursday with a new proposal designating 737,912 acres as critical habitat.
While spanning 23 California counties, the new proposal hops a long way back
from the 4.1 million acres originally proposed. Ranchers would be partially
exempted from the environmental law protecting the threatened frog. "The Fish
and Wildlife Service has finally gotten it right," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza,
D-Merced. "It just took them two years to do it."
<more> Nov. 4, 2005
Sacramento Bee
Bird flu in Asia could kill 3 million - - The Asian Development Bank projected Thursday that a bird flu pandemic in Asia could kill 3 million people, cause economic losses of up to nearly $300 billion and possibly push the world into a recession. China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand would likely be hit hardest in the event of an outbreak, the report said. The bank outlined two potential scenarios, both assuming a pandemic would last about a year, would cause 20 percent of the region's population to fall ill and would kill 0.5 percent of them - or 3 million people. <more> Nov. 4, 2005 AP
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005
Administration's Flu Plan
Gets Mixed Reception in Congress - - The Bush administration's
long-awaited plan to deal with the threat of pandemic flu received a mixed
reception on Capitol Hill Wednesday, as senators chided top health officials
as taking too long and questioned their spending priorities. Senator Arlen
Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, asked Health and Human Services Secretary
Michael O. Leavitt why the plan had taken years to complete. Top government
health officials started drafting the plan in 1991. "When did we first have
any indication that this type of a problem might confront us?" Mr. Specter
asked. "Could we have acted sooner to avoid a situation where we're now in
effect running for cover?"
<more> Nov. 3, 2005
NY Times
GMO chickens may help to
lessen bird flu threat - - British scientists are working to produce
genetically modified chickens with resistance to all strains of bird flu. If
successful the experiment could lessen the threat of future outbreaks sparking
widespread slaughter of flocks and even developing into a human pandemic.
<more> Nov. 3, 2005
Reuters
Who regulates meat and
poultry products? FSIS and FDA trying to sort it all out - - By law, FSIS
has authority over meat and poultry products. FDA has
authority over all foods not under FSIS' jurisdiction. So who has jurisdiction
when a food category contains meat and poultry ingredients? The two agencies
are trying to sort out that complex issue out and have come up with some
recommendations that will be examined in a joint public meeting Dec. 15 in
Rosemont, Illinois.
Click here to
read the FSIS press release Nov. 3, 2005
Chickens are caught in
culture vs. code battle. Proposed poultry business is met with resistance in
Fresno council. - - For the past 45 years, Fresno's zoning laws have
allowed the slaughter of poultry and rabbits in certain commercial areas.
Times have changed, and the slaughter of animals no longer takes place in
Fresno's food stores or butcher shops. The zoning has rarely been an issue,
until now. Fresno resident Fong Vang has proposed a poultry business near
Olive Avenue and First Street to sell and slaughter chickens. The proposal has
alarmed some neighbors as well as a majority of the City Council and brought
up sensitive issues of culture, as the business would primarily cater to Hmong
and Southeast Asian residents.
<more>
Nov. 3, 2005 Fresno Bee
Poverty and Superstition
Hinder Drive to Block Bird Flu at Source - - When the half-starved
chickens started dying this summer and the barefoot children developed fevers
here in this village of thatched huts and emerald rice fields, residents were
terrified and deeply divided about the cause of their misfortune. Some blamed
bird flu and took their weakened children to a clinic in a nearby provincial
city, where a medic diagnosed human influenza instead. But other residents
said it was witchcraft by the only village resident not born here, 53-year-old
Som Sorn, who moved here eight years ago when she married an elderly local
farmer. When Mrs. Som Sorn's husband went into the jungle to cut wood one
afternoon and she began cooking rice over a fire on the dirt floor of her hut,
a local man with a machete took action and later collected $30 in donations
from grateful neighbors, a month's wages. "The assassin grabbed her hair,
pulled her head back and cut her throat," said Ya Pheorng, the village leader.
"Her neck was almost completely severed." The sorcery allegation and grisly
killing underline what United Nations and American officials describe as the
difficulty of preventing a global human epidemic of bird flu: the disease is
most prevalent among poultry and wild birds in impoverished rural areas of
Southeast Asia with low levels of literacy, high levels of superstition and
very little health care.
<more> Nov. 3, 2005
NY Times
Talking Turkey. Government
officials try to ease consumer concerns about avian flu as Americans prepare
for Thanksgiving. - - With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, the U.S.
government and the poultry industry are scrambling to make sure avian flu
fears don't keep Americans from enjoying the traditional turkey dinner this
year. Last week, Dr. Ron DeHaven, a veterinarian and head of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,
gathered with other members of the government’s “biosecurity” team and Alice
Johnson, president of the National Turkey Federation, to elaborate on steps
they've taken to keep U.S. poultry healthy, and to offer tips for worried home
cooks who want to take extra precautions this holiday season.
<more>
Nov. 3, 2005 Newsweek
French bird flu drill sparks
poultry sales fears - - French officials sealed off a farm on Thursday to
test their ability to handle a bird flu outbreak but local farmers feared the
drill would deter consumers from buying poultry ahead of the key holiday
period. The Ministry of Agriculture sought to reassure shoppers that meat
bought in their local butchers and markets was safe. Concerns over the virus
have caused French poultry consumption to fall 20 percent even though there is
no evidence it can be passed on through food.
<more> Nov. 3, 2005
Reuters
Goodbye, My Sweet Deduction - - There are no cows more sacred in the tax code than the deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes. Together, they add up to at least a $75 billion annual subsidy for housing and homeowners. President Bush, in establishing his advisory panel on tax reform, specifically asked the group to preserve support for home ownership. So it was quite a shock that the panel, which released its final report on Tuesday, concluded that it had no choice but to significantly trim the home mortgage deduction and eliminate state and local tax deductions if it wanted to find a way to simplify the income tax. By combining that move with a variety of other measures, the panel was also able to bury the alternative minimum tax, a complex tax originally intended to prevent the wealthy from escaping taxes that is now starting to hit millions of otherwise ordinary upper-middle-class families who have a typical range of itemized deductions and personal exemptions. <more> Nov. 3, 2005 NY Times
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005
Risk of Avian Flu Could
Send Poultry Indoors - - The Agriculture Department is discussing the
possibility that poultry raised outdoors - pasture-raised, free-range or
organic - would have to be confined indoors if the avian flu makes its way
to the United States. But some poultry farmers say they will keep their
chickens outside. The agency is worried that wild birds carrying the virus
could infect domesticated birds, although no infected birds have been
identified in the United States. Some state governments "would like us to
restrict exposure to the outdoors," said Terri Teuber, director of
communications for the Agriculture Department. "And we know some folks who
would argue that there is no scientific justification at this point," she
said. "So there is an ongoing dialogue."
<more> Nov.
2, 2005 NY Times
Valley readies for avian
flu. Counties taking lesson from past; president's program costs $7.1B -
- Local agencies in the Northern San Joaquin Valley are just getting started
in preparing for the avian flu. But planning for terrorism and the West Nile
virus gave them a head start, officials said Tuesday. Health experts believe
a global outbreak, killing millions, could occur if the avian flu virus
mutates and is able to spread among people. Some counties had started
planning before President Bush on Tuesday outlined a $7.1 billion plan for
dealing with a flu pandemic. It includes $1.2 billion for stockpiling enough
of the existing bird flu strain vaccine for at least 20million Americans and
additional money to purchase a stash of anti-viral drugs.
<more> Nov. 2,
2005 Modesto Bee
Bush's Flu Plan Stresses
Vaccine. He wants to stockpile drugs before a lethal strain develops and
spreads worldwide. Some of his goals are unreachable until 2010. - -
Preparing for the possibility of a devastating flu pandemic, President Bush
outlined a $7.1-billion plan Tuesday to provide enough vaccine for the
nation and to create stockpiles of drugs to treat those who become infected.
"There is no pandemic flu in our country, or in the world, at this time,"
Bush said in a speech at the National Institutes of Health. "But if we wait
for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare and … many lives
could be needlessly lost." Public health experts said it was only a matter
of time before a super-flu developed with the potential to spread around the
globe and kill millions of people.
<more> Nov. 2,
2005 LA Times
Proposed flu pandemic spending
in U.S. - - President Bush called for $7.1 billion in emergency spending to
help the United States prepare for a potential flu pandemic. Expenses in the
program include:-$1.2 billion to acquire 40 million vaccine doses, enough
for 20 million people, by 2009.
-$1.6 billion to accelerate production of cell-based vaccines with a goal of
being able to produce 600 million doses within six months by 2010.
-$739 million to purchases 24 million treatment courses of antivirals, which
stem the effects of the disease if contracted.
-$600 million to add vaccine manufacturing capacity.
-$600 million to retrofit manufacturing facilities that rely on cell-based
technology.
-$400 million to advance the development of promising anti-virals.
-$212 million to enhance the Strategic National Stockpile with new equipment
such as ventilators.
-$170 million to subsidize the states purchase of 31 million treatment doses
of antivirals. States would provide 75 percent of the funding for those
purchases.
Source: Congressional staff.
U.S. Poultry Supply In Safe
Hands - - It’s the "Fort Knox" of poultry, a world so shrouded in
mystery we were not told where we were being taken except that it was
"somewhere outside Little Rock." When we got there we weren't even told who
owns these chickens. Why? It's all about protecting the birds and a
multi-billion dollar industry threatened by a lethal virus. Just to give you
an idea of the kinds of precautions taken to protect these flocks from the
introduction of any disease or germs, there's a whole series of steps I have
to go through even to be allowed into these houses, CBS News correspondent
Elizabeth Kaledin reports.
<more> Nov. 2,
2005 CBS Evening News
Poultry industry shrugs off
flu fears - - Poultry retailers and processors say they are not worried
that bird-flu fears will dampen holiday season sales even as avian influenza
was reported in Canada yesterday. Canadian officials said a strain of the
illness, which is not as serious as the one in Asia, was found in wild birds
in Quebec and Manitoba. Canada's Food Inspection Agency said it will do more
detailed testing this week. Even as fears of a bird-flu outbreak spread, the
U.S. turkey and chicken industries are not expecting a sales plunge.
<more> Nov.
2, 2005 Washington Times
Experts: Bush plan good but
resources lacking. Summit participants say infrastructure improvements
needed -- Dr. Nils Daulaire, president of the Global Health Council,
said Tuesday at the TIME Global Health Summit that he was encouraged by
President Bush's "ringing call for action" to combat the threat of a flu
pandemic, but there "needs to be a whole lot more than plans." "We need an
investment in U.S. and global public health infrastructures that will build
the ability to respond in action not just words," Daulaire said at a news
conference at the summit. "New Orleans had a plan, too," referring to the
recent evacuation problems in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina.
<more> Nov. 2,
2005 Time.com
U.S. bird flu plan under
attack - - The Bush administration sent officials to Congress on
Wednesday to explain details of its $7.1 billion avian influenza pandemic
plan, but was already under attack from critics who said it offered too
little, too late. The plan, which President George W. Bush announced on
Tuesday, focuses on building stockpiles of drugs and encouraging companies
to develop vaccines, and asks states to step up with substantial
contributions of their own.
<more> Nov. 2,
2005 Reuters
U.S., China hold bird flu
strategy talks - - A U.S. official held talks with Chinese officials on
coordinating anti-bird flu strategy on Wednesday and urged caution in
banning poultry imports, warning that excessive steps could discourage
governments from reporting outbreaks.
<more> Nov.
2, 2005 AP
The President's Pandemic
Plan - - President Bush announced a $7.1 billion strategy yesterday to
cope with a possible influenza pandemic, whether caused by the much-feared
bird flu, which has killed some 60 people in Southeast Asia, or some other
strain not yet detected. Although the president offered little that was new
or surprising about ways to prepare for the worst, his speech put the
imprimatur of the White House, and a substantial budget request, behind this
important issue.
<more> Nov. 2,
2005 NY Times Editorial
Poultry industry calls for
improved access to international markets -- Improved access to
international markets is the top priority for the U.S. poultry industry in
the current round of trade negotiations, a top industry executive told the
House Agriculture Committee here today. "Most important for U.S. poultry
producers and exporters as an outcome of the Doha Round is achieving greatly
improved market access," said Cliff Butler, vice chairman of Pilgrim's Pride
Corporation of Pittsburg, Texas, who was speaking on behalf of the National
Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and USA Poultry & Egg Export
Council.
<more> Nov. 2, 2005 NCC Press Release
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005
Bush Outlines $7.1 Billion
Flu-Fighting Strategy - - President Bush outlined a $7.1 billion
strategy Tuesday to prepare for the danger of a pandemic influenza outbreak,
saying he wanted to stockpile enough vaccine to protect 20 million Americans
against the current strain of bird flu as a first wave of protection. The
president also said the United States must approve liability protection for
the makers of lifesaving vaccines. He said the number of American vaccine
manufacturers has plummeted because the industry has been hit with a flood
of lawsuits. Bush said no one knows when or where a deadly strain of flu
will strike but "at some point we are likely to face another pandemic."
<more> Nov. 1,
2005 AP
Fact sheet: safeguarding
America against pandemic influenza Today's Presidential Action - -
Today, President Bush Outlined the National Strategy to Safeguard against
the Danger of Pandemic Influenza. The President discussed the
characteristics of the Avian and Pandemic Influenza threat and the Nation's
strategy to detect outbreaks, expand domestic vaccine production capacity,
stockpile treatments, prepare to respond to a pandemic, and ensure the
health and safety of all Americans. Because A Pandemic Could Strike At Any
Time, The United States Must Prepare Now. Today, the President is requesting
$7.1 billion in emergency funding to begin immediately implementing a
national strategy for pandemic influenza. By making critical investments
now, the Federal government will strengthen our ability to safeguard the
American people in the event of a devastating global pandemic and bring the
Nation's public health and medical infrastructure into the 21st century.
<more> Nov. 1,
2005 White House Press Release
Additional USDA funds
sought for AI efforts - - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today
announced a request for $91 million in additional resources to safeguard the
United States against highly transmissible forms of avian influenza, a
disease that commonly affects birds and has been transmitted to humans in
Asia. The request is part of the $7.1 billion National Strategy to Safeguard
Against the Danger of Pandemic Influenza outlined by President Bush today.
<more> Nov. 1,
2005 USDA Press Release
Production at poultry
processor is on again. Union wants to talk, but Foster Farms isn't
budging - - Foster Farms' Livingston plant returned to normal operations Monday,
with workers back on the job and a labor dispute no closer to resolution.
Worker representatives and Foster Farms management said operations resumed
with no hiccups but also acknowledged that employees may strike again later
this week. "We'll see if we can get any dialogue going," said Ralph Meraz,
president of the League of Independent Workers of the San Joaquin Valley.
He said a federal mediator is monitoring the situation and could possibly
intervene. "If we (the union and the company) can begin to talk, that's a
start." Tim Walsh, Foster Farms vice president for human resources, said the
company is not planning any new talks. He added that workers have not
responded to the company's current contract proposal.
<more> Nov. 1,
2005 Modesto Bee
UC Extension reminds public
no risk in eating poultry - -Avian flu fears need not threaten a cherished American
tradition: the Thanksgiving turkey. Avian flu cannot be transmitted by
handling store-bought turkey or other poultry nor from eating it. “There is
absolutely no risk in eating poultry,” said UC Davis-based Cooperative
Extension poultry specialist Francine Bradley.
<more> Nov. 1, 2005 UC Press Release
California must hatch a
plan for bird flu - - Ask Sandra Shewry about bird flu and you put her
in a tough spot. As California's director of Health Services, Shewry is
responsible for preparing the state for the worst. But if she admits that
the worst could happen - that the state could be overwhelmed by a pandemic
spreading from Southeast Asia - then she would be implying that she has not
done her job.
<more>
Nov. 1, 2005 Sacramento Bee Opinion: Daniel
Weintraub
Panel recommends major tax
law overhaul - - Declaring the income tax system "has become a running
joke," a presidential panel on Tuesday recommended rewriting the nation's
tax laws by eliminating virtually every deduction and credit and replacing
them with simpler benefits for more taxpayers. Treasury Secretary John Snow
said he would study the report, issued by the President's Advisory Panel on
Federal Tax Reform, and hoped to present formal recommendations to President
Bush later this year. "These are bold recommendations," Snow said. "These
are recommendations that will challenge orthodoxy in a lot of ways on tax
policy." The nine members of the commission said key recommendations would
be unpopular.
<more> Nov.
1, 2005 AP
Friday, Oct. 28, 2005
Ostrich processor sought -
- The California Poultry Federation has been contacted by an individual who
has a number of ostriches that would like to sell for processing. Interested
California companies are asked to contact Cheryl Manzione at
cmanzione@naturesplus.com
or (631) 293-0030 Ext. 459.
European Union bird
importation bans in response to outbreaks of avian influenza in the region
- - The European Commission has banned the import of live birds into the
European Union (EU) from outside countries. The ban covers captive live birds
except poultry imported for commercial purposes. No more than five birds will
be allowed into the EU with their owners, provided they have undergone a 30
day quarantine, been vaccinated against avian influenza, or have tested
negative for avian influenza in a 10 day isolation period before movement.
However, birds may be accompanied by their owners between the EU and Norway,
Switzerland, Liechtenstein Andorra, Iceland, Greenland, Faeroe Islands and San
Marino. Birds may also be moved between approved zoos and similar
institutions.
<more> Oct. 28, 2005 Eurosurveillance
editorial office
French poultry sales down,
fears for foie gras - - French poultry sales dropped by 25 percent on
average in the week to Oct. 22 due to mounting fears over the spread of the
H5N1 bird flu virus, the country's retail association said on Friday.
Consumers have begun to avoid buying chicken across Europe since the Asian
strain of bird flu spread to Romania and Turkey earlier this month.
Essentially a poultry virus, the strain can be fatal to humans, although it is
difficult to catch and cooked meat is not a source of infection. France's foie
gras makers fear their products could be next.
<more> Oct. 28, 2005 Reuters
Eat To Live: French protect foie gras - - The battle to save French production of foie gras, that sumptuous liver pate produced by force-feeding geese and ducks, has just taken another twist. California, the prime producer of foie gras in the United States, has banned its production from 2012, with New York state, the second-largest producer, considering doing the same. Animal-rights groups in the United States and elsewhere are hoping to pressure the French into following suit. But the French have made it clear with a provocative counterattack they are not prepared to give up the controversial treat without a fight. Nearly two weeks ago France's lower house moved to designate foie gras part of the national heritage of the country. It sent to the Senate, by a vote of 376 to 150, a bill to protect foie gras on cultural grounds. <more> Oct. 28, 2005 UPI
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005
Pickets, company in for the
long haul. Several hundred walk the lines outside Livingston plant throughout
the day - - Striking workers at the Foster Farms chicken plant kept up
spirited picketing for a second day Wednesday, while the company continued to
report that the walkout has not slowed production. About 1,600 employees have
stayed on the job and about 700 have walked out, said Tim Walsh, vice
president of human resources at Foster Farms. Temporary replacement workers
have filled in for the strikers, he said. Ralph Meraz, the union leader, said
the strikers number roughly 1,000. He said the company's claim about full
production is doubtful because replacement workers lack experience in chicken
processing.
<more> Oct. 27, 2005
Modesto Bee
Workers, company stand firm.
Workers might return to jobs, then picket again- - There was no sign of
either side budging on the second day of the Foster Farms strike, though both
the union and the company touted their good news. Union leader Ralph Meraz
announced a boycott on Foster Farms products at five area Costco stores,
including the one in Merced. He also said some of the 700,000 members of the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which is
spearheading the strike, will rally to join the picketers soon. Between 900
and 1,100 workers have signed up for shifts on the picket lines, Meraz said.
Foster Farms spokesman Tim Walsh said only a third of the 2,400 workers are
participating in the strike, much less than he expected.
<more> Oct. 27, 2005
Merced Sun-Star
Store owners: Lasting strike
would cause pain. Customers were workers who now lack paychecks - -
Crowds from the Foster Farms strike parked in the lots of nearby businesses
and dined at area eateries Wednesday. One man drawn to the spectacle the
previous day bought a Ford Explorer, a car salesman said. "It's a small town,
it's kind of like a ghost town usually," said Rafael Padilla, manager at Mi
Niño Auto Sales. "So this has been something to talk about. It's kind of
brought it to life." Although the area around the plant was bustling with
activity Wednesday, business owners are concerned about the economic impact if
the strike drags on.
<more> Oct.
27, 2005 Modesto Bee
Europe's avian flu fears
could hurt U.S. poultry industry - - The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council
has a new advertising campaign - for Romania. The ad, to appear within days,
says Romanian consumers should not worry about eating frozen poultry from the
USA and that avian flu viruses die when cooked. The campaign aims to counter
falling poultry consumption in Romania, where avian flu was recently detected
in birds, says council President James Sumner.
<more> Oct.
27, 2005 USA Today
Chicago Panel Doesn't Have
Stomach for Foie Gras - - After hearing a Hollywood actress compare the
production of a delicacy made from the livers of geese and ducks to abuses at
a notorious Iraqi prison, a City Council committee on Tuesday advanced a
measure that would make Chicago a foie gras-free zone. Only three farms in the
U.S. produce foie gras, none of them in Illinois. And Ald. Joe Moore (49th),
sponsor of the measure to ban its sale, acknowledged that "no more than a
dozen or so" restaurants here probably have it on their menus.
<more> Oct. 27, 2005
Chicago Tribune
Iraqi bans imports of U.S. poultry - - The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service has confirmed that the government of Iraq has banned all poultry imports because of a recent finding of H5N1 avian influenza in Turkey, reports the National Chicken Council and the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. Most U.S. poultry exports enter Iraq via Turkey, but smaller volumes are transshipped through Kuwait, Jordan and the U.A.E. Iraq’s ban covers all U.S. poultry, even though the U.S. is considered by the OIE to be free of highly pathogenic AI, and has never experienced an outbreak of H5N1. The ban also applies to imports via Kuwait, Jordan and the U.A.E. All U.S. poultry entering Iraq is shipped in sealed containers, which essentially eliminate any chance of cross-contamination.. <more> Oct. 27, 2005 NCC and USAEPA Press Release
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005
Foster Farms plant workers
strike - - Hundreds of Foster Farms employees, upset about wages and
working conditions, went on strike Tuesday at the company's largest chicken
plant. The strike, threatened since May, did not affect the plant's output,
said Tim Walsh, vice president of human resources for the poultry giant. He
said more than half of the site's 2,400 employees refused to walk out, and
replacement workers filled out the production lines. Union leaders claimed
that about 80 percent of the day shift stayed out and that much of the night
shift would follow suit. Whatever the numbers, it was a boisterous but
orderly scene as workers took to the picket lines outside the plant after
the 6 a.m. start of the strike in this city of about 12,300.
<more>
Oct. 26, 2005 Modesto Bee
Turnout low for Foster
Farms strike. Walkout numbers are under debate; spokesman says plant ran at
85% capacity. - - More than 2,000 red, white and blue picket signs
marked "Foster Farms Unfair Labor Practices" were produced in preparation
for Tuesday's strike here. But only a few hundred hands showed up to wave
them. Crowds of pickets camped out at the corner of the Foster Farms main
entrance early Tuesday, chanting, yelling on bullhorns and jeering at cars
and trucks that drove onto company grounds. The strike is the first walkout
Merced County's largest private employer — and the world's largest
poultry-producing plant — has seen in eight years.
<more> Oct.
26, 2005 Fresno Bee
USDA outlines Avian
Influenza prevention efforts in U.S. - - Agriculture Deputy Secretary
Chuck Conner today outlined USDA efforts to protect the United States
against highly transmissible forms of avian influenza, a disease that
commonly affects birds and has been transmitted to humans in Asia. "For more
than two decades, USDA has worked to prepare for and prevent an outbreak of
dangerous strains of avian influenza in our country," said Conner.
"Attacking the disease at its source overseas is a main focus for USDA. We
also have strict importation restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus
in our country and an elaborate surveillance system in place to monitor our
bird populations."
<more> Oct. 26,
2-005 USDA Press Release To read the full transcript of the briefing,
Click Here.
USDA says randomly testing
poultry for bird flu - - The U.S. Agriculture Department is testing some
chicken flocks on American farms as well as migratory birds in Alaska to
detect any sign of the deadly bird flu disease, federal officials said on
Wednesday. The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which can be lethal to
humans, was found in poultry in Asia before moving into Romania, Turkey,
Greece and Russia in recent weeks. No cases have been found in the United
States.
<more> Oct.
26, 2005 Reuters
Poultry litter-fueled power
plant slated for Delaware - - Allen Hatchery Inc. plans to generate
steam with chicken manure at a facility in Linkwood, an alternative use of
bird litter that officials at the Seaford-based poultry company call an
environmentally friendlier energy conversion. Construction of a steam
generation plant is expected to begin within weeks and completed in about a
year, Mike Pilcher, Allen vice president of operations said Wednesday. The
plant is being built by rem Engineering of Roswell, Ga., at Allen’s JCR
Enterprises rendering plant in Dorchester County between Vienna and
Cambridge. <more>
Oct. 26, 2005 Delmarvanow.com
Chicken sales plummet over bird flu - - Bird flu fears have sent sales of chicken plummeting in France, Italy, Greece and Croatia with some restaurateurs reporting catastrophic consequences, but the British and Germans seem unfazed. "We registered a drop of about 25 per cent in volume last week compared to the same week last year," Jerome Bedier, head of France's federation of trading companies and distributors, said today. "It's a big drop." <more> Oct. 26, 2005 Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005
Foster Farms poised for
strike - - Workers at the Foster Farms plant could go on strike today
unless the company makes an eleventh-hour concession, a spokesman for the
union representing the workers said. "If the company doesn't respond by
moving forward with negotiations — if there's no underlying changes — then
it will probably start tomorrow," said Kevin Cummings, speaking for the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, on Monday.
Tim Walsh, Foster Farms' vice president of human resources, said his company
did not talk to the union Monday.
<more>
Oct. 25, 2005 Modesto Bee
USDA, DOI, HHS, state
and industry partners to conduct Avian Influenza briefing Wednesday - -
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the
Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
Virginia Department of Agriculture and the National Turkey Federation will
conduct a technical briefing on Wed., Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. EDT to explain
technical terms associated with avian influenza (AI), discuss surveillance
systems and other preventative measures and review response capabilities.
There will also be a question and answer opportunity for reporters.
<more> Oct. 25,
2005 USDA Press Release
Free-range grazing of
poultry banned in France - - France's agriculture ministry on Tuesday
ordered farmers to keep poultry indoors in the coastal and eastern regions
of France most at risk of catching bird flu through contact with migrating
wild birds. France is Europe's largest poultry producer and, although no
case of bird flu has been detected in the country, concern is growing that
the spread of the disease to Europe is already hitting sales of chicken,
duck and turkey meat.
<more> Oct. 25,
2005 Financial Times
UK consumers upbeat over
poultry - - Poultry producers and supermarkets in the UK said on Tuesday
consumer confidence in their products was holding up, despite signs of
falling demand elsewhere in Europe owing to fears over avian influenza.
While France reported a 20 per cent fall in sales of poultry products last
week and Italy recorded a 40 per cent fall in chicken consumption last
month, the British Poultry Council said there had been no reduction in
demand in the UK.
<more> Oct. 25,
2005 Financial Times
Get ready for flu.
Common-sense measures are best defense against an avian outbreak. - -
With every passing day, there seems to be word that the avian flu has spread
to some new country. As the birds themselves have migrated, they have
carried the disease from Southeast Asia to China to Russia to Kazakhstan and
to the Balkans region of Europe. Based on migratory paths, the flu is likely
to spread next to bird populations in the Middle East and Africa. If this
flu among birds were to mutate and to start spreading among humans, as it
did in 1918, the world may witness a pandemic unlike any in modern times.
<more> Oct. 25,
2005 Fresno Bee Editorial
Valley lawmakers want plan for water. Congressmen
say long-term plan can't wait when crises can arise so quickly. - - Four
San Joaquin Valley congressmen say it's time to stop arguing about water and
start making sure there's enough to go around. They want a long-term plan
from regional water experts for the 25,000-square-mile Valley to deal with
water supply and quality, environmental concerns and flood control. And in a
Valley where the next water crisis can happen quickly, the lawmakers don't
want to wait long: They want a plan by June 1. Reps. Jim Costa, D-Fresno,
Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, and George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, rallied water
leaders and others at California State University, Fresno, where this effort
was born on Monday. Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Modesto, has also signed on to
the issue but could not attend the meeting Monday.
<more> Oct. 25, 2005 Fresno Bee
Congress Weighs Overriding Organic Ruling - - Organic food is a multibillion-dollar industry with growing pains it wants Congress to help soothe. At issue is whether small amounts of non-organic ingredients — vitamins, spices, citric acid, even carbonation — should be allowed in food bearing the "USDA Organic" seal. An appeals court decided earlier this year that none of those things belongs in food labeled as organic. Lawmakers could decide as early as Tuesday whether they want to override the ruling. <more> Oct. 25, 2005 AP
Monday, Oct. 24, 2005
Union warns strike is coming.
Foster Farms walkout could start very soon - - Sunday afternoon was
business as usual at the Foster Farms plant, but resounding applause coming
from a hall downtown indicated that a strike is imminent. Protest signs are
printed and police barricades are lining the streets. The only thing needed
is a signal from the union. Ralph Meraz, head of one of two unions
representing workers at Livingston Foster Farms, gave a vague warning to
more than 1,000 employees gathered Sunday afternoon.
<more> Oct. 24, 2005 Modesto Bee
Experts stress increased need
for biosecurity to prevent bird flu's spread - -
Warnings of an
international flu pandemic have been grabbing headlines in recent weeks, but
animal health experts in California say there are some important pieces of
information that need to be pointed out. Bill Mattos, president of the
California Poultry Federation in Modesto, said the seriousness of the spread
of highly pathogenic avian flu virus H5N1 cannot be downplayed, but
dissemination and understanding of accurate information is important. "It's
a serious disease for bird species, and it's capable of causing illness and
mortality in humans," Mattos said. "However, a little education can go a
long way in dispelling doomsday scenarios being discussed if the virus finds
entry to the United States, particularly California." <more>
Oct. 24, 2005 Ag Alert
Asian Bird Flu Spreads to
England - - The British government said Sunday that a strain of bird flu
that killed a parrot in quarantine is the deadly H5N1 strain that has
plagued Asia and recently spread to Europe. Scientists determined that the
parrot, imported from South America, died of the strain of avian flu that
has devastated poultry stocks and killed 61 people in Asia the past two
years, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
<more> Oct. 23,
2005 AP
Chicken trouble as bird flu
scares Europe -- Dawn is approaching and London's Smithfield meat market
is closing up after a hectic night, but Keith Edwards is faced with a mountain
of unsold chicken meat. Sales of his fresh British poultry to caterers,
restaurants and butchers, he says, are down about 30 percent since bird flu
struck Europe a week ago. And prices are lower still. "The packer is being
crucified," said Edwards, director of H. Smith's, one of Smithfield's biggest
poultry suppliers. "If the government doesn't come up with a statement saying
our poultry is not affected whatsoever, everyone will be losing our jobs."
<more>
Oct. 21, 2005 Reuters
Mixed
messages on bird flu as poultry sector faces disaster - - Europe's
poultry industry could be devastated by the spread of avian influenza, but
governments seem to be focusing most of their efforts on fighting a flu
pandemic that, for now at least, does not exist. Chris Jones reports from
Brussels on how the real message about bird flu is getting lost. The
European media is currently obsessed with the threat of bird flu. Newspaper
headlines urge governments to stockpile anti-viral drugs while TV news
bulletins carry interviews with government officials warning that tens of
thousands of people could die from a possible flu pandemic.
<more> Oct. 24, 2005 Just-food.com
Air-quality fee causes furor. Builders argue 'bad
science' behind plan to cut pollution - - A coalition of builders,
businesses and anti-tax groups is mounting a last-ditch campaign to block a
proposed air-quality fee on most new buildings, including homes, from
Stockton to Bakersfield. National interests are watching closely because the
controversial fee would be the first of its kind adopted by a large air
district and might serve as a model elsewhere.
<more> Oct.
24, 2005 Modesto Bee
San Joaquin flood plain to expand. FEMA guidelines
would raise costs for many. - - Proposed Federal Emergency Management
Agency guidelines about how far floodwaters might reach could hinder
building and farming and spike flood insurance rates along the San Joaquin
River. A 1997 flood crept farther than expected along the San Joaquin River,
prompting FEMA to re-examine the area. Landowners along the river, many in
Madera County and western Fresno County, face significant expense when FEMA
expands the flood plain boundary. At issue now is exactly how much the flood
plain will grow.
<more> Oct.
24, 2005 Fresno Bee
International poultry show
cancelled in Edmonton due to bird flu concerns - - Concerns over a
potential outbreak of avian flu have cancelled an international poultry and
exotic bird show at next month's big agriculture fair in Alberta. The
decision was made after consulting with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,
the Alberta Chicken Producers and the provincial veterinarian's office, an
agriculture spokesman for Northlands Park said Friday.
<more> Oct. 22,
2005 Canadian Press
Poultry confinement
operations pose little risk for avian flu --- When a meat processor last
spring proposed building a confinement facility to house a quarter-million
chickens in a nearby township, residents packed county hearings to oppose the
project. Among their concerns, critics asserted the facility would increase
residents' risk of catching avian flu. A deadly strain of the virus since 2003
has killed millions of domestic birds and 60 people in Southeast Asia.
Agriculture and public health experts, though, say the state's large poultry
population doesn't put Iowans at greater odds for infection. Vastly different
production methods employed in the state compared to Asia make spread of the
virus less likely.
<more> Oct. 21, 2005
Waterloo, Iowa Courier
Governor's return marked by protest.
He visits Fresno for fourth
time in six weeks.
- - A confident Gov.
Schwarzenegger returned to Fresno on Thursday for the fourth time in six
weeks, this time to raise money for the ballot initiatives he is pushing in
the Nov. 8 special election.
After giving the governor a
pass during his most recent visit, an opening-day tour of the Big Fresno Fair,
hundreds of protesters swarmed the area outside the fundraiser, held at the
north Fresno home of businessman Bob Smittcamp.
"I always tell [protesters],
if they try to intimidate me, it won't work, because we're on a mission,"
Schwarzenegger said in an afternoon interview with The Bee at the Airport
Piccadilly Inn.
<more> Oct. 21, 2005 Fresno Bee
Chicken Farmers Fight
Oklahoma’s Plan To Test Soil - - Several Delaware County poultry
farmers are fighting efforts by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture to
conduct soil tests on their land. Earlier this week, the state agriculture
agency obtained administrative warrants to do the testing in connection with
a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Drew Edmondson.
<more>
Oct. 222, 2005 AP
Sure, it kills birds, but it won't kill you - - IT MUST SEEM like the sky is falling - that it's about to rain chaos and death as the dreaded H5N1 avian flu appears to close in. Last spring, bird flu broke out in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. It spread to western China, Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia in the summer. How did it travel half a continent? Though maps of the outbreaks show the flu following roads, railway lines and national borders, many flu experts insist that migratory birds spread the virus across Asia. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that some of the birds might fly to Alaska, then down into the United States, bringing the bird flu with them. That hasn't happened, but the virus appears to be in Europe. Last week, ducks and chickens were found dead in Romania, Turkey and Greece. <more> Oct. 24, 2005 LA Times Wendy Orent is the author of "Plague: The Mysterious Past and Terrifying Future of the World's Most Dangerous Disease."
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005
U.S. poultry industry eyes
bird flu impact. Despite ruffled features in Europe, Americans' appetite holds
up - - The recent spread of avian flu in Asia and Europe has rattled
consumers and battered poultry producers in those parts of the world. So far,
the U.S. poultry industry has been spared -- in part, say industry experts,
because differences in U.S. production methods make an outbreak less likely
here. But analysts say the multi-billion industry remains vulnerable to
further global spread of the disease -– and to public fears that could reduce
Americans' appetite for poultry in the coming months.
<more>
Oct. 20, 2005 MSNBC
Poultry groups tackle bird flu
myths
- - Poultry producers
from nine countries said today they would form an international panel to
correct misinformation being circulated about bird flu before more consumers
stop eating chicken and eggs.
The deadly H5N1 strain of
avian influenza has been found in flocks in Japan and Indonesia before moving
into Romania, Turkey, Greece and Russia during the past few weeks.
"There seems to be a
perception that one can get bird flu from eating chicken, which is not the
case," said Toby Moore, a spokesman with the USA Poultry and Egg Export
Council.
"We see that (perception) in
certain countries where consumption has dropped dramatically."
<more> Oct. 20, 2005
Reuters
Bird Flu Going to East
Africa, United Nations Officials Fear - - As bird culls to control
probable new outbreaks of avian flu started on farms in Russia and Macedonia
on Wednesday, United Nations officials here warned that their far larger
concern was that the virus was on its way to East Africa, where the disease
could be nearly impossible to control. As bird flu has jumped this year from
Southeast Asia to China, Russia, Kazakhstan and - more recently - into the
Balkan region of Europe, scientists have become somewhat belatedly convinced
that wild migratory birds are one of the main carriers of the H5N1 strain of
avian influenza.
<more> Oct. 20, 2005
NY Times
California
farmers sow, reap governor's support
- - Four months ago, leaders of California's $30 billion-a-year
agriculture industry felt so unloved by Schwarzenegger's administration that
they sent him a letter urging him to save them from "new, burdensome
regulations and fees on growers who face the highest operating costs of any
state." Now the California Farm Bureau Federation can proudly report that all
but one of the bills it opposed died either in the Legislature or at the hands
of Schwarzenegger's veto pen. What's the difference? Strong lobbying,
unusual unanimity -- and $1.74 million in campaign contributions.
<more>
Oct. 20, 2005 Stockton Record
Animal lovers slam
Choke-A-Chicken toy - - Aussie animal lovers are up in arms about a
dancing chicken toy which squawks and slaps his wings when strangled, slamming
the Taiwanese novelty as "grossly irresponsible.” Michael Beatty, spokesman
for the Queensland state branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, fumed: "What's next? Burn a cat? Shoot a dog? Children of
that age are likely to turn around and try the same thing on their pet bird or
even the cat or dog. Then they're going to wonder why the animal fights back."
<more>
Oct. 20, 2005 The Register Australia
Saving tiny delta fish carries heavy price tag, report says - - Saving the endangered delta smelt, a tiny fish considered a key indicator of the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a report to be released Thursday. The price tag includes projects that also could aid other troubled species and the overall ecology of the delta, which provides drinking water to more than 70 percent of Californians. <more> Oct. 20, 2005 AP
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005
Roche Offers to Negotiate
on Flu Drug - - Facing pressure from governments seeking to fight a
possible bird flu epidemic, the Swiss drug maker Roche said Tuesday that it
was willing to negotiate to allow outside companies to make its drug Tamiflu,
which has been shown to fight avian influenza. Roche, which made a similar
overture last week, has not yet reached any agreements to license the
expensive drug so that generic manufacturers can make it for poor countries
that cannot otherwise afford it. Some Asian governments, concerned that
Roche will charge a high licensing fee for any production by other
companies, are threatening to disregard the patent if the fee is too high.
<more>
Oct. 19, 2005 NY Times
FSIS to post information on new poultry production
technologies - - The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
today announced that summary information on new technologies approved for
use in the production of meat, poultry and egg products will be available on
its Web site. Posting the brief descriptions of new technologies will
encourage public and industry awareness by small and very small plants, thus
helping to improve public health protection.
<more> Oct. 19, 2005 FSIS Press Release
Bird flu weighs down
European poultry consumption - - Poultry consumption has begun to fall
in parts of Europe as fears grow over the spread of bird flu, The Financial
Times reported on Wednesday. Chicken sales have fallen by a third in Italy,
a big poultry producer in the European Union (EU), despite official
assurances that poultry remains safe to eat. Prices also have dropped by up
to 40 percent, according to Italian farmers` union.
<more> Oct. 19, 2005
Chicken dinner for Greek
minister on bird-flu hit island - - Greece's health minister said he
plans to have a chicken dinner during a visit to an Aegean Sea islet to
reassure concerned residents after suspect cases of bird were found there.
"I have already ordered a chicken from the henhouse of the housekeeper of
the doctor" on Oinousses, Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis said on Flash
radio when asked if he'd eat chicken from the islet off the eastern island
of Chios.
<more> Oct.
19,2005 AFP
Opposing sides argue over
financial impact of Sonoma GMO initiative - - They both envision raking
in money from savings on pesticides and herbicides, as well as reaping the
rewards of greater access to national and international markets. But they
have extremely different philosophies as to how this vision could become a
reality. As with other major issues surrounding Measure M, which would ban
the growing of genetically modified organisms in Sonoma County for 10 years
but allows changes or amendments to be made by a unanimous vote by the Board
of Supervisors, proponents and opponents have markedly contrasting
perspectives on the initiative's financial impact.
<more>
Oct. 19, 2005 Argus-Courier
Tougher Talk on Illegal
Immigration. With conservatives split on the issue, the Bush administration
vows to boost enforcement but says a guest worker program is essential.
- - Faced with deep divisions in its political base over immigration reform,
the Bush administration said Tuesday that it would press ahead with the
president's plan to adopt tougher measures to control the borders and crack
down on illegal residents, while also pushing to enact a guest worker
program that would make it easier for foreigners to enter the United States
legally. Conservatives, including Senate Republican leader Bill Frist of
Tennessee, have called for putting off consideration of a guest worker
program until after a law enforcement crackdown is launched and demonstrates
that it can choke the flow of illegal immigrants and deal with the 11
million already in the country.
<more> Oct. 19,
2005 LA Times
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005
EU urges global fight
against bird flu. - - EU foreign ministers urged global cooperation on
Tuesday to tackle the threat of avian flu, as Greece investigated what could
prove the first appearance of the deadly strain in an EU member country.
Swiss drugmaker Roche, under international pressure to raise output of
antiviral flu drug Tamiflu, said it might allow rival firms and governments
to produce it under license for emergency pandemic use. A Dutch company said
it was working on a vaccine.
<more> Oct. 18,
2005 Reuters
Is it OK to eat chicken?
Americans worry about bird flu - - Americans fearful of bird flu are
peppering health officials with all sorts of questions: Is it safe to have a
bird feeder in my yard? If I see a dead bird, should I report it? Is it
still OK to have turkey at Thanksgiving? The answers are yes, no, and yes.
Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been
handling an avalanche of phone calls from the public and the media.
<more>
Oct. 17, 2005 AP
Tallow works may be moving -
- Modesto Tallow Co. plans to move its odorous operation to Stockton,
Modesto City Manager George Britton privately told City Council members.
"The current plant owner indicates that they plan to close the plant within
two years and sell the property," Britton wrote in an e-mail dated Thursday
and obtained by The Bee on Friday. "He says that he is moving the majority
of the operation to Stockton." Plant co-owner Jeff Podesto said Friday he
didn't tell city officials anything of the sort. He refused further comment
on plans for his company, whose investor-owner group has at least three
other members.
<more> Oct. 17,
2005 Modesto Bee
Good Egg winner has cracked
many a shell - - Before Shirley Jorgensen started making omelettes for
the Good Egg Breakfast on Thursday, poultry industry leaders had cooked up
something else. They chose her for the Good Egg Award, given at the Modesto
event each year to a person who has advanced the industry's cause.
Jorgensen, a lifelong Ripon resident, has worked in the Northern San Joaquin
Valley's egg industry since 1966, including marketing and management
positions. She is now a key accounts manager at NuCal Foods in Ripon.
<more> Oct. 17,
2005 Modesto Bee
Book Review: Poultry
industry attracts birdshot - - University of Arkansas anthropology
professor Steve Striffler's superbly researched and gripping book, Chicken,
opens with a scene from a processing plant in Arkansas. A Mexican immigrant
worker named Javier, "covered from head to toe in protective clothing that
is itself coated with blood . . . and feathers," is at his assigned task on
the production line: making sure no chicken has survived the scalding bath
and the electrocution machine. While watching Javier, Striffler, who spent
two summers doing smelly, unpleasant, sometimes dangerous work in a
chicken-processing plant, found the focus for his book: "How did Javier and
the chickens arrive in this place, under these conditions?"
<more> Oct. 17,
2005 Orlando Sentinel
Recipe for Destruction
- - AFTER a decade of painstaking research, federal and university
scientists have reconstructed the 1918 influenza virus that killed 50
million people worldwide. Like the flu viruses now raising alarm bells in
Asia, the 1918 virus was a bird flu that jumped directly to humans, the
scientists reported. To shed light on how the virus evolved, the United
States Department of Health and Human Services published the full genome of
the 1918 influenza virus on the Internet in the GenBank database. This is
extremely foolish. The genome is essentially the design of a weapon of mass
destruction. No responsible scientist would advocate publishing precise
designs for an atomic bomb, and in two ways revealing the sequence for the
flu virus is even more dangerous.
<more> Oct. 17, 2005 NY Times
Why the bird flu's so
dangerous / Close watch on strain that could mutate into deadly human virus
-- Like the biggest lout in a clan of bad neighbors, the H5N1 bird flu virus
is just the worst of a large family of avian influenzas that regularly
threaten poultry farms and sometimes menace human health. The bird flu that
has been making headlines in recent months -- spanning the globe from
Indonesia to Romania -- has been a grave concern for scientists since 1997,
when it decimated chicken flocks in Hong Kong and killed six people.
<more> Oct. 17, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Johanns names James E. Link
as GIPSA administrator - - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today
announced the appointment of James E. Link as administrator of USDA's Grain
Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
<more> Oct.
18, 2005 USDA Press Release
European consumers get queasy around chicken - - Chicken and other poultry are slipping off the menu in a number of European countries as consumers lose their taste for the meat after the discovery of the deadly bird flu virus in Turkey and Romania. Despite advice that cooking chicken at a temperature above 70 degrees Celsius destroys the virus, some poultry farmers and supermarkets have reported a drop in sales amid mounting fears about a public health catastrophe. <more> Oct. 18, 2005 TheAge.com
Friday, Oct. 14, 2005
Asia Avian Flu Confirmed as
Killer of Birds in Turkey - - Thousands of birds that died in Turkey in
the past week succumbed to the same deadly avian influenza virus that has
ravaged Southeast Asia in the past five years, medical tests done in Britain
confirmed Thursday. It was the first time that the disease had been reported
in Europe. The development signaled a new phase in the spread of the deadly
virus across the globe.
<more> Oct. 14, 2005
NY Times
An epidemic of overreaction
- - By Marc Siegel. MARC SIEGEL is an internist and associate
professor at the New York University School of Medicine. He is the author of
"False Alarm: The Truth about the Epidemic of Fear" (Wiley, 2005) - -
THIS PAST WEEK, my patients seemed more nervous than usual. In addition to
concerns about chest pain, coughs and fevers, there were also the sudden,
uneasy questions about bird flu. "Should I be taking Tamiflu?" several
asked. "Can you prescribe it so I have a supply on hand just in case?" My
answer was always the same. "No. Tamiflu is an antiviral drug that has not
yet been proved effective against bird flu. And even if it worked, there's
still no bird flu to treat."
<more> Oct. 14,
2005 LA Times
Valley
lawmaker target of watchdog.
Group accuses Sen. Dean Florez of
violating campaign funding rules.
- - A national group
that calls itself an ethics watchdog has filed a complaint against state Sen.
Dean Florez, accusing him of violating campaign funding rules and profiting by
hiring his wife as his fundraiser.
The complaint filed
Wednesday with the Fair Political Practices Commission alleges that Florez, a
Shafter Democrat, funneled campaign contributions to his personal wallet by
paying his wife, Elsa, more than $145,000 for fundraising and other
activities. Florez, it alleges, created the loophole to dodge rules against
politicians using campaign funds to pay themselves.
<more> Oct. 14, 2005 Fresno Bee
Low-Cost Air Sampler Could Help Poultry Farmers - - Dust may only be a
nuisance to a homeowner, but for a poultry grower it can be a disaster. On
those dust particles organisms such as Salmonella and E. coli can hitch a ride
and wreak havoc in a poultry house or layer room. To deal with this problem, a
low-cost, simple, portable electrostatic sampling device was developed by
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at the Southeast Poultry
Research Laboratory in Athens, Ga. The device takes samples of airborne
bacteria, viruses and spores that can be problematic in poultry houses and
layer rooms.
<more> Oct. 14, 2005
ARS Pres Release
Farm fresh idea. School officials develop ways to
get produce from farmers to students. - - Bridges between Valley farmers
and school food-service programs aren't built in a day. But if a meeting this
week in Fresno is any indication, some of the building blocks are starting to
move into place — thanks to some on-the-spot connections between school
districts looking for fresh, healthy produce and farmers out to sell it.
<more> Oct. 14, 2005 Fresno Bee
Rural towns: USDA to the
rescue. Federal grants help areas of double-digit unemployment. - - Uncle
Sam is giving away money. That's why some of the San Joaquin Valley's poorest
towns now sport new police cars, firefighting gear and computers. They're all
beneficiaries of an Agriculture Department grant program that's literally
knocking on doors where double-digit unemployment prevails. "This is a program
that's really tailored to some of the areas that we work in," Paul Venosdel,
California state rural development director for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, said Thursday. Next week, Venosdel and his team will rally at
their Davis headquarters the latest recipients of Economic Impact Initiative
grants. The grants aid communities with at least a 19.5 percent unemployment
rate.
<more> Oct. 14, 2005
Sacramento Bee
Appellate court blasts water agency's distribution plan -- The agency overseeing the state's largest source of fresh water may have to review its water distribution plan after an appellate court ruled that it failed to consider cutting water deliveries to Southern California. The California Bay-Delta Authority, known as CalFed, was created five years ago to protect the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta while ensuring that Californians who depend on its water for irrigation and home use have their needs met. <more> Oct. 14, 2005 AP
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005
Monday Poultry Golf Tourney
Cancelled - - The golf tournament slated for Oakdale on Monday, Oct. 17,
benefiting poultry scholarships and research has been canceled due to lack of
participation, organizers have announced. Refunds will be made. However,
donations to the poultry scholarship and research fund will be accepted. The
tournament was sponsored by the California Poultry Federation and the Pacific
Egg and Poultry Association. More information is available from Kim Hernandez
at (209) 545-1439.
Bird flu reaches fringes of
Europe. Virus detected in Turkey, possibly Romania; EU calls emergency meeting
- - A strain of bird flu that can be deadly for humans has spread from
Asia to the fringes of Europe and countries should prepare for a potential
pandemic, Europe’s health chief said on Thursday. EU Health and Consumer
Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said a strain of the disease found in
Turkey has been identified as the same virus that has killed more than 60
people in Asia since 2003 and forced the slaughter of millions of birds.
<more> Oct.
13, 2005 Reuters
Demand for Drug to Treat Bird
Flu Surges. Tamiflu orders soar as governments stock up for a possible
pandemic. Pharmacy executives already are worrying about supply problems.
- - Tamiflu, the chief antiviral drug used to treat bird flu, has been flying
off the shelves as doctors and hospitals stock up for a possible pandemic.
U.S. pharmacies saw a sevenfold increase in Tamiflu prescriptions since
mid-August — about 87,000, compared with fewer than 13,000 last year —
according to a survey by Yardley, Pa.-based research firm Verispan. Roche
Pharmaceuticals, the Switzerland-based manufacturer of Tamiflu, said it could
meet normal flu-season demand nationwide and was gradually filling massive
bulk orders from national governments building strategic stockpiles.
<more> Oct. 13, 2005
LA Times
Flu Death Estimates Are Only
a Guess, Experts Say. Predictions of the toll in a pandemic are varied and
changing. Some officials stress that it's too early to know. - -
Government projections that as many as 1.9 million Americans could die in a
global flu epidemic amount to a guess that could prove to be highly
inaccurate, several public health experts say. "The problem with all the
numbers is that nobody knows," said Dr. Arnold S. Monto, a University of
Michigan epidemiologist who specializes in infectious diseases. "I try to
avoid coming up with these numbers as much as possible. I know they are based
on imperfect information, extrapolating from the past."
<more> Oct. 13, 2005 LA Times
Growers trying to be trade players. Federal tariff briefing also hears some feedback from Valley farm groups. - - Central Valley growers have the ear of U.S. trade negotiators. Whether they have a strong hand to play is another matter. In a secure telephone conference call this week, Bush administration officials briefed some of the Valley's leading farm executives on a sweeping new trade reform proposal. The private briefing outlined a far-reaching plan to slash tariffs and subsidies. It also shed light on the delicate relationship between trade negotiators and their own domestic industries. "It's not only the burden of government to keep you informed," Joel Nelsen, president of the Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual, said while traveling in Washington on Wednesday. "It's the burden of industry to stay engaged." <more> Oct. 13, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005
Refunds may end for ag
electric users. PG&E wouldn't have to pay overcharged users under
settlement. - - A long-standing policy that has allowed agricultural
users of electricity to collect hefty refunds when overcharged may be coming
to an end. An administrative law judge with the California Public Utilities
Commission is reviewing a settlement agreement that would curb the refund
windfalls. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and two farm organizations have
proposed the change, saying it will allow them to develop a better
definition of an agricultural user and curb the litigation over
misclassifying customers.
<more> Oct. 12,
2005 Fresno Bee
USDA Releases U.S. Animal
Health Report - - The USDA has released the 2004 U.S. Animal Health
Report, a national overview of domestic animal health in the United States,
which is the first report of its kind. The report addresses the many
components of the U.S. animal health infrastructure, animal population
demographics, new initiatives and approaches to foreign animal disease
surveillance. The report covers such topics as BSE surveillance and the
National Animal Identification System.
<more>
Oct. 12, 2005 USDA press release
Sonoma County's
veterinarians oppose ban on GMOs. Group cites fears over possible
restrictions on animal vaccines - - Alarmed that a proposed GMO ban on
November's ballot may prevent dogs, cats, horses and cattle from getting
life-saving vaccinations, Sonoma County's leading veterinary group has
decided to oppose the measure. Genetically modified organisms would be
banned in Sonoma County for 10 years under Measure M on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Although these organisms were developed by scientists to produce hardy,
herbicide-resistant crops like corn, they also appear elsewhere, such as in
some animal vaccines. "Passing Measure M will be a dramatic step back for
the care of pets and livestock," said Dr. Sue Boynton, president of the
90-member Redwood Empire Veterinary Medical Association. "We are using
recombinant technology every day to help our patients."
<more> Oct. 12,
2005 Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
Julie DeYoung Joins Perdue
as Vice President of Corporate Communications -- Perdue Farms Inc.
announced that Julie DeYoung has joined the company as Vice President of
Corporate Communications. DeYoung will oversee Perdue's Communications and
Public Affairs Department. "Julie brings more than 20 years of public
relations and communications experience to the company," said Jim Perdue,
Chairman. "She will be responsible for media and community relations,
internal and external communications, corporate contributions, and will be
the primary spokesperson for the corporation.
<more> Oct.
12, 2005 PR Newswire
Kentucky Chicken Growers
Hope Measures Will Prevent Flu Breakout - - President Bush heightened
awareness of avian influenza -- or the bird flu -- last week when he
compared the potential devastation on an outbreak to that of the 1918 flu
that killed an estimated 50 million people. But area chicken growers and a
company that buys from them say they aren't yet worried about an American
outbreak of the virus. Recent reports of human illnesses in Asia with what
was once a bird-only disease has, however, has led to a greater awareness
and diligence about bio-security measures.
<more> Oct.
12, 2005 , Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
Two sides far apart on GMO
ban. Forum on ballot measure highlights sharp disagreements on benefits and
risks of genetically altered crops - - Are genetically modified crops a
threat to Sonoma County's premium farm products and a looming risk to
organic growers? Or are they harmless and beneficial to farmers? At a
Petaluma forum on genetically modified organisms last week, the answer
depended on who you asked.
<more> Oct. 12,
2005 Argus Courier
Proposals to ban GMOs
rejected. Lake County Supervisors voted against moratorium on all county
crops - - Lake County supervisors on Tuesday rejected two proposals that
would have temporarily banned genetically modified crops, effectively moving
the controversial issue to the initiative process. "I think there's
tremendous support for a ballot measure," said Philip Murphy, a Lake County
walnut and pear farmer who proposed one of the bans. Mendocino County's 2004
ground-breaking anti-GMO measure was the product of a ballot initiative.
Sonoma County voters will decide a similar measure Nov. 8. Murphy said there
currently is no plan to start an anti-GMO initiative in Lake County, but
it's "a given" that such a proposal eventually will be developed.
<more> Oct. 12,
2005 Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005
Asian Form of Avian Influenza Not Present In the
United States, Poultry Industry Says - - The U.S. poultry industry said
today that the “Asian flu” form of avian influenza does not exist in the
United States and that poultry companies and the government are taking the
necessary precautions to keep it out and to help limit the possibility of
human illness. “We have never had this particular form of avian influenza in
the United States,” said Steve Pretanik, director of science and technology
for the National Chicken Council, referring to the type of H5N1 highly
pathogenic avian influenza that has killed millions of head of poultry in
Asia or caused them to be destroyed. Approximately 116 human beings in
Southeast Asia have also contracted the illness from direct contact with
diseased animals. Scientists say the virus has not acquired the ability to
move easily from human to human.
<more> Oct.
11, 2005 NTF, NCC Press Release
U.S. Taking Steps to Meet
Demand for Flu Vaccine - - As worries increase about the possibility of
a flu pandemic, public health officials are hoping that this year's flu
season will be the first in years with an abundance of vaccines. Four
companies are approved to produce seasonal flu vaccines in the United States
this year, and together they are expected to deliver about 90 million doses
- about as many as have ever been used in a single season. But as in
previous years, that supply is not yet guaranteed. So federal officials have
asked doctors and clinics to vaccinate only people age 65 or older, babies
and the infirm until Oct. 24, when all people will be encouraged to get
vaccinated.
<more> Oct. 11, 2005 NY Times
Bird flu vaccine may be too
late for pandemic: expert - - Drug companies may not be able to produce
enough bird flu vaccine in time to combat a human pandemic, a top United
Nations official said on Tuesday as governments scrambled to contain the
deadly virus. It could take six months to manufacture adequate vaccine
stocks, and current stockpiles may be useless because the flu virus has
mutated, said David Nabarro, U.N. coordinator for global readiness against
an outbreak. He said "very high priority" efforts were under way to raise
manufacturing capacity so that a vaccine could be produced more quickly once
a virus emerged that could cause a pandemic.
<more> Oct.
11, 2005 Reuters
Officials race to head off
a bird flu pandemic - - Health officials from all over the world are
scrambling to figure out how to ward off a global outbreak of deadly flu.
President Bush, fresh from reading a 546-page tome on his vacation about the
1918 "Spanish flu" outbreak, has been consulting with the heads of vaccine
companies, and he warns that the military might be used to enforce
quarantines. His administration's flu battle plan reportedly predicts that
almost 2 million Americans could die in a major outbreak.
<more> Oct.
11, 2005 USA Today
The Race Against Avian Flu.
Public-health officials have been sounding the alarms, and now Washington
has caught the bug. Meanwhile, scientists search for a vaccine. - - In
the calendar of natural calamities, flu season follows hurricane season,
peaking in midwinter. Last week, with New Orleans still mostly
uninhabitable, Washington was turning its attention to the threat posed by
an exceptionally lethal strain of flu virus that could, in the worst case,
kill as many people in a few months as AIDS has done in two decades. This
time officials were resolved not to repeat the mistakes of Katrina, leaving
the way open to make new mistakes. We now know better how to evacuate large
cities—but how much good will that do in an emergency that calls for a
quarantine instead?
<more>
Oct. 11, 2005 Newsweek
Italian poultry sales slump
on flu news - - Italian poultry sales have dropped by 30 to 40 percent
in recent days over fears of bird flu, after the disease was detected in
poultry in Turkey and Romania, the Italian farmers' confederation revealed.
"It's a vertical drop for Italian chicken," the confederation added Tuesday,
saying that prices had dropped to the equivalent of sales six years' ago.
The confederation blamed the recent discovery of cases in Turkey and Romania
and "an excessive alarmism" for the drop, which affects the country's 6,000
poultry breeders.
<more>
Oct. 11, 2005 AFP
52 million pounds of chicken rots. Chicken parts molder in New Orleans warehouse - - If you thought that putrid pot roast moldering in the back of your freezer was bad, Mark Blanchard has 52 million reasons why you’re not as bad off as you might think. Make that 52 million pounds. Of rotting chicken. That's what Blanchard has in three warehouses in New Orleans. As executive vice president of New Orleans Cold Storage, it's his job to oversee the cleanup and dumping of all those chicken parts – leg quarters to be precise – that, had they not been stuck in a warehouse when the power went out six weeks ago, would have been on their way to Africa, or Russia or South America. <more> Oct. 11, 2005 Times Picayune, New Orleans.
Monday, Oct. 10, 2005
Risk of Bird Flu Worries
Experts. California could be vulnerable if a more virulent form of the virus
strikes. Hospitals would be overwhelmed, health officials say. - - With
at least 11,000 airline passengers flying from Asia to California each day,
the state would be more vulnerable than most should a deadly flu virus break
out in the Far East, health authorities say. Despite stepped-up efforts to
prepare for such a catastrophe, California — like the rest of the nation —
is strikingly underprepared, these experts say. On the Pacific Rim, Los
Angeles and other cities may be "the port of entry" for the avian flu and
similar diseases, said Linda Rosenstock, dean of UCLA's School of Public
Health. "I don't think anyone is going to be sufficiently prepared if it
comes," she said. "We should be better prepared than we are."
<more> Oct. 9, 2005 LA Times
Bush Plan Shows U.S. Is Not
Ready for Deadly Flu - - A plan developed by the Bush administration to
deal with any possible outbreak of pandemic flu shows that the United States
is woefully unprepared for what could become the worst disaster in the
nation's history. A draft of the final plan, which has been years in the
making and is expected to be released later this month, says a large
outbreak that began in Asia would be likely, because of modern travel
patterns, to reach the United States within "a few months or even weeks." If
such an outbreak occurred, hospitals would become overwhelmed, riots would
engulf vaccination clinics, and even power and food would be in short
supply, according to the plan, which was obtained by The New York Times.
<more> Oct. 8,
2005 NY Times
Bush pushes for mass-produced
bird flu vaccine. President urges drug manufacturers to expand production
capacity - - President Bush summoned vaccine manufacturers to a White
House meeting Friday, hoping to personally boost the rickety industry amid
increasing fears of a worldwide outbreak of bird flu. It’s the latest in a
flurry of preparations for a possible pandemic after criticism of the
government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. This month, vaccine maker Sanofi-Pasteur
begins the first mass production of a new vaccine that promises to protect
against bird flu, producing $100 million worth of inoculations for a
government stockpile. But it would take months to create a new vaccine from
scratch if a different strain of bird flu than today’s known as H5N1 emerges.
<more> Oct. 7, 2005
AP
Danger of Flu Pandemic Is
Clear, if Not Present - - Fear of the bird flu sweeping across Asia has
played a major role in the government's flurry of preparations for a
worldwide epidemic. That concern prompted President Bush to meet with
vaccine makers on Friday to try to persuade them to increase production, and
it led Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt to depart
yesterday for a 10-day trip to at least four Asian nations to discuss
planning for a pandemic flu. But scientists say that although the threat
from the current avian virus is real, it is probably not immediate.
<more> Oct. 9,2005
NY Times
Delmarva Region's Poultry
Farms on High Alert for Virus - - There were 561 million chickens --
broilers, roasters and Cornish hens --raised last year on the Delmarva
Peninsula, or, looked at another way, 468 chickens for every person on the
Eastern Shore. Some of the biggest names in chicken -- Perdue Farms, Tyson
Foods -- operate here alongside 5,500 chicken houses in the $1.7 billion
industry. All of which makes the spread of avian flu in Asia more than just
some vague fear about what's happening half a world away, and is why Jenny
Rhodes won't let you on her farm.
<more>
Oct. 7, 2005 Washington Post
A $3.9-billion first strike.
The Senate has earmarked funds in response to fears of a killer-flu pandemic.
Now Washington just has to get its spending priorities straight. - -
PANDEMIC INFLUENZA anxieties have reached fever pitch in Washington amid
growing concern that the H5N1 avian flu virus now circulating in Jakarta,
Indonesia, may mutate into a human-to-human transmitter that could claim
hundreds of millions of lives. After years of relegating flu preparedness to
one small office inside the Department of Health and Human Services, the
government, from the president on down, seems suddenly in a mad flurry to do
something — anything — to prepare for disaster. Perhaps the hurricanes have
taught them a lesson. "The people of the country ought to rest assured that
we're doing everything we can…. And we are," President Bush said in a news
conference Tuesday. But racing around like a chicken with its head cut off
(pun intended) won't put the United States any closer to safety than we were
before flu anxiety hit.
<more>
Oct. 7, 2005 LA Times
New Cases of Avian Flu Are
Reported in Europe - - Asian bird flu appeared to continue its westward
spread this weekend with reports of two outbreaks in birds in Europe.
Romania reported its first cases of avian influenza on Saturday, and Turkey
today, both presumed to involve birds that migrate from Asia in autumn.
There was no confirmation that the birds had succumbed to the deadly Asian
H5N1 strain that has so worried scientists and politicians in recent month.
There are a number of different bird flus that occur sporadically, and
typing will probably not be completed before Monday, international health
authorities said.
<more> Oct. 9,
2005 NY Times
Poultry workers seek flu
safeguards. Industry says small risk doesn't warrant panic- - As public
officials across the nation prepare for a possible outbreak of pandemic flu,
workers who are the most likely to come in contact with infected birds say
they're being ignored. A deadly strain of avian flu has killed at least 60
people, mostly poultry workers, in Asia. But in North Carolina, the
country's third-largest poultry producer, government and industry officials
have done little to warn workers about a disease that could become one of
the worst disasters in U.S. history, the Observer has found. "It's just
outrageous that no one has told them about the risks," said Baldemar
Velasquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, which
represents 7,000 migrant workers in North Carolina. "The reality is: They're
the ones on the front lines."
<more> Oct. 9,
2005 Charlotte, North Carolina Observer
Supreme Court hears doffing and donning case - -
It may not have been the type of high profile, landmark litigation that makes
history, but John Roberts’ first case as the 17th chief justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court involves workers’ wages at an Eastern Washington meat processing
plant. Roberts’ inaugural case focuses on whether more than 800 workers at the
Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. plant in Pasco should be paid for the three minutes it
takes to walk to the production line from a locker room where they put on
required protective clothing. A district court judge has awarded more than $3
million to the workers who brought the class-action lawsuit.
<more> Oct. 7, 2005
Tacoma News Tribune
The GMO duel. Nov. 8
Ballot: Wine industry split over proposed ban on engineered crops - -
Glen Ellen vintner Mike Benziger wants a temporary ban on genetically
engineered crops in Sonoma County, calling Measure M's proposed 10-year
moratorium a needed "timeout" to catch up with the science. Across the
county, Graton grape grower Steve Dutton, a fifth-generation Sonoma County
farmer, strongly opposes the ban, saying it would stifle technology that
could lead to disease-resistant grapevines and reduce the use of pesticides.
Dutton and Benziger, both leaders in Sonoma County's $2 billion wine
industry, represent the escalating debate over Measure M that will ask
voters to choose between environmental sanctity and scientific innovation on
the Nov. 8 ballot.
<more> Oct. 9,
2005 Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Food Industry's Liquid Leftovers Stir Up a Battle. Officials say the waste, spread on fields, can taint groundwater. The regulators' tougher stance strikes firms as more overregulation. - - For a decade, former truck driver Chris Rufer has been processing tomatoes at a towering white plant amid northern Sacramento Valley farms, building his Morning Star Packing Co. into one of the world's biggest makers of bulk tomato products that eventually grace spaghetti, pizza, tacos and hamburgers. The pungent leftovers from tomato cleaning — including muddy water, tomato juice and salts — are routinely spread on neighboring fields, where they seep into the soil, feed crops and dry in the hot Colusa County sun. But state water quality officials say they suspect Rufer has flooded so much wastewater onto the land that it has harmed the groundwater — and that some escaped last year, killing hundreds of fish in a canal. Like Rufer, more than 200 other food processors and wineries in the Central Valley have been legally spreading their wastewater on farmland. His tomato paste plant here is one of 168 sites where state regulators say they have found or suspect that land discharges have contaminated groundwater, usually with salts or nitrate. <more> Oct. 9, 2005 LA Times
Thursday, Oct.. 6, 2005
Embrex Names Dr. David
Shapiro Senior Director, Global Veterinary Services - - Embrex, Inc.,
The In Ovo Company, today announced David Shapiro, DVM, Dipl. ACPV, was
appointed Senior Director, Global Veterinary Services. Effective
immediately, he reports to Brian Hrudka, Vice President, Global Marketing.
Shapiro once worked as staff veterinarian for Zacky Farms.
<more>
Oct. 6, 2005 PR Newswire
U.S. Retail Meat: Shoppers Seek Bargains To Stretch Dollars --Consumers' spending habits and product selection at food markets across the nation in recent weeks appear to be sending a signal to grocers that shoppers are looking for some bargains to stretch their food dollars, and in the near term that could result in more feature activity for the mid- to lower-priced meat and poultry cuts. Market analysts and other sources said the categories most likely to see more favor among grocers' meat buyers through the balance of this month and into early November are ground beef, some roasts, pork loins and butts, and chicken. <more> Oct. 6, 2005 Dow Jones
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005
President Cites Flu
Epidemic Risk, Suggests Role for Troops - - President Bush expressed
concern Tuesday about the threat of a global flu epidemic and said Congress
should consider letting the U.S. military play a broader role in enforcing
quarantines and other emergency measures. Bush said the possibility of a
virulent new strain of avian influenza spreading rapidly around the world
raised difficult questions about a president's ability to direct an
effective domestic response and the federal government's authority to carry
it out.
<more> Oct.
5, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Bush military bird flu role
slammed -- A call by President George W. Bush for Congress to give him
the power to use the military in law enforcement roles in the event of a
bird flu pandemic has been criticized as akin to introducing martial law.
Bush said aggressive action would be needed to prevent a potentially
disastrous U.S. outbreak of the disease that is sweeping through Asian
poultry and which experts fear could mutate to pass between humans. Such a
deadly event would raise difficult questions, such as how a quarantine might
be enforced, the president said. "I'm concerned about what an avian flu
outbreak could mean for the United States and the world," he told reporters
during a Rose Garden news conference on Tuesday. "One option is the use of a
military that's able to plan and move," he said. "So that's why I put it on
the table. I think it's an important debate for Congress to have."
<more> Oct. 5, 2005 CNN
Fear of Flu Outbreak
Rattles Washington - - Health officials have warned for years that a
virulent bird flu could kill millions of people, but few in Washington have
seemed alarmed. After a closed-door briefing last week, however, fear of an
outbreak swept official Washington, which was still reeling from the poor
response to Hurricane Katrina. The day after the briefing, led by Michael O.
Leavitt, the secretary of Health and Human Services, and other senior
government health officials, the Senate squeezed $3.9 billion for flu
preparations into a Pentagon appropriations bill. On Wednesday, Senate
Democrats plan to introduce another bill calling for the creation of a flu
pandemic coordinator within the White House and a federal buy-back program
for unused flu vaccines, among other measures, according to a draft of the
bill. Its authors include the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada;
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois; and Senator Edward M. Kennedy of
Massachusetts. Thirty-two Democratic senators sent a letter to President
Bush on Tuesday expressing "grave concern that the nation is dangerously
unprepared for the serious threat of avian influenza."
<more> Oct. 5, 2005 NY Times
U.S. to host world
conference on bird flu - - More than 65 countries and international
organizations will meet at the State Department this week to plan for the
possible outbreak of potentially deadly bird flu. The two-day conference
begins Thursday and will focus on planning for, reporting and responding to
any such outbreak, department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
<more>
Oct. 5, 2005 AP
Maryland farmers plead for
avian flu calm. In wake of Bush remarks, they say adequate safeguards in
place - - Eastern Shore poultry farmers pleaded for calm today after
President Bush said that he's growing more worried about avian flu spreading
to people. Farmers and state officials said current safeguards are adequate
to prevent a pandemic of the disease in people. But poultry farmers said the
nation is safe, for now, from a deadly outbreak of the disease. They pointed
out that the strain of bird flu that sickened humans in Asia has not been
discovered in the United States.
<more> Oct.
5, 2005 AP
Researchers Reconstruct
1918 Flu Virus -- Scientists have made from scratch the Spanish flu
virus that killed as many as 50 million people in 1918, the first time an
infectious agent behind a historic pandemic has ever been reconstructed. Why
did they do it? Researchers say it may help them better understand -- and
develop defenses against -- the threat of a future worldwide epidemic from
bird flu.
<more>
Oct. 5, 2005 AP
Egg Producers Relent on
Industry Seal - - THE label "Animal Care Certified" on egg cartons was
supposed to assure egg buyers that hens were getting enough food, water and
cage space to flap their wings. But after complaints by an animal welfare
group that the labels were misleading consumers into thinking that hens were
receiving indisputably humane care, the Federal Trade Commission approved a
labeling change in late September. The new logos, which will instead say
"United Egg Producers Certified," will affect about 180 egg producers in the
United States, or about 80 percent of the 220 egg producers in the country.
"This is an important victory for animals and consumers," said Erica Meier,
executive director of Compassion Over Killing, an animal welfare group in
Washington that filed complaints two years ago with the trade commission and
the Council of Better Business Bureaus over the old labels. "This allows
consumers to make more informed buying choices," Ms. Meier said. "It is a
step in the right direction for the egg industry."
<more>
Oct. 5, 2005 NY Times
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005
Poultry litter not included
in new FDA animal feed regulations - - The FDA today issued new measures
to help further protect consumers against BSE, also known as "mad cow
disease". The FDA is proposing to amend its animal feed regulations to
prohibit from use in the food or feed of all animals certain high risk
cattle materials that can potentially carry the BSE-infectious agent. The
FDA said it had analyzed comments it had received about its proposed rule to
prohibit the use of poultry litter in ruminant feed and concluded that
“other feed control measures …are not needed if the high-risk tissues
identified in this proposed rule are excluded from all animal feed
channels.”
<more> Oct. 4,
2005 FDA press release
US broadens mad-cow rule to
all animal feed - - The U.S. government on Tuesday said it would tighten
its safeguards against the spread of mad cow disease by banning cattle
brains and spinal cords from all animal feed instead of just from cattle
feed. Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach
said the new rule "will make an already small risk (of mad cow) even
smaller."
<more>
Oct. 4, 2005 Reuters
U.S. Rushes to Finish
Influenza Pandemic Plan. The Health secretary is leading a drive to boost
federal efforts, and funding, to prepare for a global outbreak if avian flu
mutates. - - Even before it can tally the full cost of post-hurricane
reconstruction, the Bush administration is seeking congressional support for
an expanded government effort to prepare for a worldwide influenza pandemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services is rushing to complete its first
comprehensive plan for coping with a possible flu pandemic, and could
release the final version as early as this week. It is expected to be
accompanied by a request for several billion dollars in new funding, and
Congress appears to be willing to cover at least a portion.
<more> Oct. 3, 2005 LA Times
Foster Farms' Cornell earns
'Golden Rooster' - - Bob Cornell of Turlock, a long-time Foster Farms
employee, was named recipient of the California Poultry Federation's highest
honor, the Golden Rooster award. The CPF honored him for his service and
outstanding achievement during their annual conference held last month in
Sonoma.
<more>
Sept. 30, 2005 Turlock Journal.
Lodi resident McLaughlin
honored as a poultry 'pioneer' - - Lodi resident Harry McLaughlin was
among four members of the California Poultry Federation who were honored for
their service and achievement at the federation's annual conference in
Sonoma last week.
<more> Oct.
4, 2005 Lodi News Sentinel
State Weighs New Wave of
Borrowing. Hurricane Katrina helps revive interest in large-scale civic
works projects. But some observers say debt load could become too great.
- - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders are actively
considering another round of government borrowing — this time to pay for
massive building projects such as fixing freeway and cargo port bottlenecks
as well as shoring up delta levees and hospitals that could fail in an
earthquake. A self-described fiscal conservative who has refused to raise
taxes, Schwarzenegger believes California needs a long-term plan that
includes billions in new spending on infrastructure and changes in how the
government allocates such money, administration sources and legislators
said.
<more> Oct.
4, 2005 LA Times
Arkansas Poultry Companies
Seek To Spread Blame -- Attorneys for Arkansas poultry companies accused
of polluting Oklahoma waters with chemicals from chicken waste have taken
legal action to spread the blame. At a news conference at the state Capitol,
a spokeswoman for the poultry industry released legal documents naming 160
other public and private entities contributing to pollution of the Illinois
River and Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma.
<more> Oct. 4,
2005 AP
Tyson to Provide $26 Million to Fuel Contract Poultry Producers --In an effort to help its 6,800 contract poultry producers deal with rising energy costs, Tyson Foods, Inc. will provide them with more than $26 million in supplemental fuel payments this winter, the company reported Oct. 3. Tyson has provided extra energy allowances to producers in the past because of increased fuel expenses; however, this season's total payment will be the largest in company history. <more> Oct. 4, 2005 Grainnet.com
Friday, Sept. 30, 2005
Governor vetoes bills to hike
the minimum wage - - Saying he supports the concept of raising the wages
for California's lowest paid workers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nonetheless
vetoed a bill Thursday that would increase the minimum wage by $1 an hour to
$7.75 over the next two years. The bill, from Assemblywoman Sally Lieber,
D-Santa Clara, would have also required the minimum pay be adjusted each year
to keep up with inflation — a mandate that would begin in 2008. Schwarzenegger
said in his veto message that it was the automatic adjustment that caused him
to reject the proposal.
<more>
Sept. 30, 2005 AP
WHO: Impossible to estimate
pandemic deaths. 'You could pick almost any number,' health official warns
- - The U.N. health agency on Friday said it was impossible to estimate
how many people would die from a new influenza pandemic, adding that it has
warned countries to prepare for a death toll of up to 7.4 million. “We think
that this is the most reasoned position,” said World Health Organization
spokesman Dick Thompson, warning that “you could pick almost any number.” On
Thursday, Dr. David Nabarro — the new U.N. coordinator for avian and human
influenza — had warned that the “range of deaths could be anything between 5
and 150 million” from a new pandemic. “One of those numbers will turn out to
be right,” Thompson told reporters. “We’re not going to know how lethal the
next pandemic is going to be until the pandemic begins.”
<more> Sept. 20, 2005 AP
Senate OKs $4 billion to
fight bird flu. Health officials fear virus will mutate and trigger a
worldwide outbreak - - The Senate voted Thursday to provide $4 billion to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stockpile anti-flu medicine
to protect people against bird flu and prepare for a potential outbreak. By
voice vote, senators agreed to tack the proposal onto next year’s $440 billion
defense spending bill. The Senate still must approve the overall defense bill,
and a vote is expected next week. Then, the Senate must work out a final
version with the House, which did not include money for bird flu preparedness
in its defense bill.
<more> Sept. 30, 2005 AP
Riverside County Fire Kills
80,600 Egg-Laying Hens. The chickens perish in their large coops. The farm's
other 81,800 birds survive the blaze. - - Firefighters battling a blaze in
the foothills of central Riverside County saved dozens of homes Wednesday and
Thursday, but 80,600 chickens at the MCM Poultry egg farm never had a chance.
The blaze incinerated three of the farm's gigantic chicken coops, which were
packed with caged, egg-laying hens. "When you have more than 80,000 chickens,
it's hard to get real close to any one of them, but of course we feel real
bad," said Steve Nichols, owner of the egg farm, a 46-year-old family business
off a dirt road in the Badlands area between Moreno Valley and Redlands. The
fire appears to have started in one of the coops and spread quickly to the
surrounding hillsides, blackening more than 1,100 acres.
<more> Sept. 30, 2005 Los Angeles Times
50 Indonesia bird flu cases suspected. Officials
lower number of virus-related deaths from six to five - - Indonesia faces
more than 50 suspected cases of deadly bird flu, Indonesian health ministry
officials said on Thursday, while lowering their figure on deaths from the
disease to five from an earlier estimate of six. Bird flu has killed 65 people
in four Asian nations since late 2003 and has been found in birds in Russia
and Europe.
<more> Sept. 30, 2005 Reuters
El Pollo Loco to Be Sold for
$400 Million - - A new buyer wants the crazy chicken to fly —
cross-country. El Pollo Loco Inc., a fast-food stalwart in Southern
California, said Wednesday that it was being purchased by New York investors
who plan to upgrade and expand the Irvine-based chain nationwide. Trimaran
Capital Partners agreed to buy the chain, which specializes in marinated
flame-grilled chicken and other Mexican-inspired entrees, for about $400
million from American Securities Capital Partners, a private investment firm.
<more> Sept. 30, 2005 Los Angeles Times
USDA adds raw turkey to school lunch program - - USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has approved the National Turkey Federation’s request for raw ground turkey to be included in the National School Lunch Program. AMS will work with the Food and Nutrition Service to begin purchases during the 2006-07 school year and if market conditions allow, a limited test purchases after the winter holiday season may occur this school year. <more> Sept. 30, 2005 NTF Press Release
Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005
Modesto tallow plant's
closure urged. District wants action now, before trial in odor lawsuit - -
The valley's air pollution control district went to court on Wednesday to
demand the immediate shutdown of Modesto Tallow Co., pending a trial on a
lawsuit over odors from the plant. The closure, if ordered, will not come
before Nov. 3, the date of a hearing on the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District's motion.
<more>
Sept. 29, 2005 Modesto Bee
FSIS issues reminder on
humane handling of poultry - - The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
is reminding all poultry slaughter establishments that, under the Poultry
Products Inspection Act (PPIA) and Agency regulations, live poultry must be
handled in a manner that is consistent with good commercial practices, which
means they should be treated humanely. Although there is no specific federal
humane handling and slaughter statute for poultry, under the PPIA, poultry
products are more likely to be adulterated if, among other circumstances, they
are produced from birds that have not been treated humanely, because such
birds are more likely to be bruised or to die other than by slaughter.
<more> Sept. 28, 2005 FSIS Federal
Register Notice
UN ratchets up preparedness
for expected human avian flu pandemic - -The United Nations announced
plans to ratchet up its battle plan for an expected human avian flu pandemic,
naming a special coordinator to lead a global strategy involving prevention,
preparedness and response. UN chief Kofi Annan appointed David Nabarro, a
Briton who is one of the leading World Health Organization's (WHO) public
health experts, as senior UN coordinator for avian and human influenza. "We
expect the next (human) influenza pandemic to come at any time now. It is
likely to be caused by a mutant of the virus that is currently causing bird
flu in Asia," Nabarro told reporters as he outlined a three-pronged strategy
to deal with the threat.
<more> Sept. 29, 2005 AFP
Water agency denies water
waiver enforcement staff cuts. But environmentalist says Bee story halted
regulatory reduction.- - Top state water-quality officials say a story in
The Bee that said they planned to gut a newly expanded enforcement of polluted
farm runoff was based on a misunderstanding. However, the hands-on regulators
struggling to implement the first water-quality controls on California's
farming empire thought the jobs were being cut. Environmentalists read the
order the same way. One said he believes the deep cuts would have materialized
but for the Sept. 7 story. The apparent problem was that the State Water
Resources Control Board officials had cut farmers too big a break on the cost
of enforcing the new rules and had overestimated by a long shot the amount of
fees they would collect, the board's administrative services chief disclosed
in a memorandum attached to the Aug. 30 order to cut staff.
<more>
Sept. 29, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Rejected air board boss gets new post. After being nixed by Senate, Tuck is named EPA adviser. - - Democrats in the state Senate rejected his choice to head the California Air Resources Board, so Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger found a new job Wednesday for controversial appointee Cindy Tuck that doesn't require Senate confirmation. Tuck, rejected on a party-line vote earlier this month by Senate Democrats who said she was more concerned with protecting business interests than the environment, was appointed assistant secretary for policy at the California Environmental Protection Agency. <more> Sept. 29, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005
California Poultry
Federation honors industry’s outstanding individuals at annual conference
- - The California Poultry Federation honored four members of the
California poultry industry recently for their service and outstanding
achievement. The honors were awarded during the CPF’s annual conference held
Sept. 22-23, 2005 in Sonoma, California. Bob Cornell was honored with the
Golden Rooster Award, Rich Edwards received the Allied Award and Bob Thomas
and Harry McLaughlin were presented with the Pioneer Award.
<more> Sept. 28, 2005 CPF Press Release.
California Experts: Bird
flu stakes too high to ignore. Center will monitor the wild birds along
flyway - - It hasn't hit North America, and it may never morph into a
flu strain virulent enough to wipe out hundreds of thousands of people
worldwide. But the threat of avian influenza should not be ignored, human
and animal health experts said Tuesday at a news briefing in Sacramento. "We
really need to prepare, even though it's uncertain," said Dr. T. Warner
Hudson, a UC Davis family practice doctor and public health emergency
expert. "The stakes are mighty high. It's too big a bet not to prepare like
crazy." Hudson joined two bird health experts and Dr. Howard Backer, acting
health officer for the state Department of Health Services, to describe what
they are doing to watch for avian flu in wild birds, chickens and humans and
to prepare for a potential flu pandemic.
<more> Sept. 28, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Farmers wait to see what
governor does on ag bills - - At a time of the year when many farmers
turn their attention to the harvest, they are also keeping an eye on the
state Capitol, where the stroke of the governor's pen can bring a bounty or
a bust. A crop of agricultural bills awaits action by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, including measures aimed at increasing penalties for
pesticide violations, monitoring water use and restoring a rural crime
prevention program. Like other industries and interest groups, the state's
multibillion dollar agriculture industry anxiously awaits to see what
legislation will do to their fortunes. In recent years, farmers have reaped
legislative tax breaks for farm equipment and absorbed tighter pollution
regulations that affected their bottom line.
<more> Sept. 28,
2005 AP
It's tough making ends
meet. Millions throughout state struggle, even for the basics, report
declares.- - A new economic report grimly depicts life in
California — a family portrait in which millions of people can barely make
ends meet and where homeownership is an unrealized dream. "This study
strives to paint an accurate picture of the basic cost of living in
California and the economic challenges facing many working families," said
Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project. "It shows
that making ends meet is virtually out of reach for millions of families in
this state."
<more>
Sept. 28, 2005 Modesto Bee
Heating bills are likely to chill you. Natural gas charges could rise 50%, with electricity, propane heading same way - - Heating bills for homes warmed by gas could soar by as much as 50 percent this winter in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, and electricity bills are also likely to rise significantly. Coupled with the run-up of gasoline prices this year, the expected utility price hikes leave consumer budgets squeezed from three sides. The culprit on the home utility bills is natural gas prices, which have soared in recent months and remain volatile. Natural gas prices have nearly tripled since early this year, said Kate Hora, a spokeswoman for the Modesto Irrigation District. The natural gas price will most immediately affect home heating costs, since natural gas prices are deregulated and can rise or fall each month, said Jason Alderman, a spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. <more> Sept. 28, 2005 Modesto Bee
MID rates could rise twice
in 2006. Natural gas price spikes could hit utility's budget - -
Residential customers in the Modesto Irrigation District might see a
two-stage electric rate hike next year, one in January and another in July.
That's one possibility the district is discussing to cope with rapidly
rising natural gas prices. The district gets about 28 percent of its power
from natural gas sources — in the form of contracted power supplied by
natural gas-fired plants, and the district's own natural gas-fired plants.
The price of natural gas bought this year to be delivered next year has
risen sharply because of tight supplies and the disruption in production
caused by hurricanes along the Gulf Coast.
<more>
Sept. 28, 2005 Modesto Bee
Governor ousts flood board. Some say the panel's recent move to review new urban development behind levees prompted the change. - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday replaced all seven board members of the state's top flood-control agency. Some questioned the timing of the change in light of the board's recent decision to review urban development in flood-prone areas. The state Reclamation Board handles flood-control policy in California and oversees a 1,600-mile network of vital levees, primarily in the Central Valley. Its members serve at the governor's pleasure and can be appointed or removed at any time. "These appointees represent the Central Valley and are experts in both water issues and engineering," said Julie Soderlund, deputy press secretary to Schwarzenegger. <more> Sept. 28, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2005
School lunches touted in
fat fight. Complete with Hilary Duff radio spot, campaign aims to curb
obesity 'in a cool way.' - - A coalition of farm, food and school groups
Monday unveiled a publicity campaign to get kids to eat school lunches and
stay fit. The campaign was funded with a $400,000 grant secured by the
people who introduced Americans to the dancing raisins, the California
Raisin Board. It features a Web site aimed at kids and a radio spot
performed by pop idol Hilary Duff. The Web site, www.stayfiteatright.org,
will track two California teens trying to lose weight and get fit, promote
essay contests for scholarships at cooking schools and encourage kids to
tell their own health and nutrition stories online.
<more> Sept. 27, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Pombo's stand
on ESA reform draws challenge-
- The House is expected to
vote Thursday on a bill by Tracy Republican Richard Pombo, who has joined
with Central Valley Democrats, including Dennis Cardoza of Merced and Jim
Costa of Fresno, to revamp the 32-year-old
Endangered
Species Act. Backed by the
California Building Industry Association and other developer groups, Pombo
wants to change the way the federal government marks off hundreds of
thousands of acres of habitat to protect endangered or threatened species.
Bill opponents gathered at
a news conference Monday in Stockton and countered that the Endangered
Species Act serves as a buffer against encroaching development from the Bay
Area.
"To many, our Central
Valley appears dull and flat — that the
main value is as an easy
spot to build new houses," said Cindy Lashbrook, a Livingston farmer.
<more>
Sept. 27, 2005 Modesto Bee
Pilgrim's Pride Says It
Sustained Little Damage From Hurricane Rita -- Pilgrim's Pride Corp.,
the nation's No. 2 poultry producer, said Monday it sustained "virtually no
damage" to company-owned plants and "minimal damage" to contracted growing
facilities from Hurricane Rita over the weekend. The Houston port, a major
port used by Pilgrim's Pride, also received no major damage and is expected
to be fully operational before the end of the week, the company said.Two of
the company's roughly 1,850 independent contract chicken grow-out farms in
Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana reported substantial damage, the company said.
Sept. 26, 2005 AP
Leader of the F.D.A. Steps
Down After a Short, Turbulent Tenure - - Lester M. Crawford, the
commissioner of food and drugs, resigned abruptly on Friday, causing further
upheaval at an agency that has been in turmoil for more than a year. Dr.
Crawford, who was confirmed just two months ago, on July 18, after serving
as acting commissioner for more than a year, did not say why he was stepping
down. Senior officials at the Food and Drug Administration said they were
stunned to learn of the resignation in an e-mail message from Dr. Crawford,
who also sent a letter to President Bush stating that he was resigning
"effective immediately."
<more>
Sept. 24, 2005 New York Times
Jones Act Waiver For
Agriculture - - Twenty-one agriculture organizations, including the
National Chicken Council and the National Turkey Federation, sent a letter
to President Bush requesting a temporary waiver of the Jones Act for
agriculture shipments due to the affects of Hurricane Katrina. The letter
states that "U.S. agriculture needs additional transportation capacity to
move U.S. grains and oilseeds to regions, such as the Southeastern U.S.,
traditionally served by domestic transportation modes that have been
stretched beyond capacity." The Jones Act requires goods being transported
by water between U.S. points must travel on U.S.-flagged, U.S.-built,
U.S.-crewed and U.S.-owned vessels. There are a small number of these ships
that are available for agriculture which increases the cost of
transportation. Some of the groups signing the letter included: Agricultural
Retailers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Feed
Industry Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of
Wheat Growers, National Chicken Council, National Corn Growers Association,
National Grain and Feed Association, National Turkey Federation, and North
American Export Grain Association. Source: Beef Magazine
Experts: Another bird flu
epidemic is inevitable. Millions at risk from poultry - - In his article
"Californians have little reason to worry about avian influenza spreading
here" (Opinions, Sept. 16), Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry
Federation, just doesn't have his facts straight.
<more>
Sept. 24, 2005 Modesto Bee Letters to the Editor
Can't keep on truckin' Shortage of drivers,
sky-high diesel prices slam farmland hauls - - Getting farm products
from the fields to processors and store shelves this season is proving to be
more difficult than usual. Trucks are in short supply because of high diesel
fuel prices. Drivers are becoming tough to find, with more opportunities in
the booming construction trades and retirements outpacing new hires. "It's a
huge problem right now," said Stephanie Williams, senior vice president of
the California Trucking Association.
<more> Sept. 24, 2005 Modesto Bee
Campaign hopes California's
children 'stay fit' and 'eat right' - - The California School Nutrition
Association on Monday will launch a major public service campaign that links
agriculture, pop stars, health and recreation organizations and young people
to drive home a message of proper nutrition and exercise. It will feature
"kids talking to kids about staying fit and eating right," said Judy
Hirigoyen, who is with a Rocklin agency that consults with the association
as well as the California Raisin Marketing Board in Fresno. "Stay fit. Eat
right. Looking good, California!" is the campaign slogan.
<more>
Sept. 24, 2005 Fresno Bee
Delta levee funds sliced.
Lawmakers reduce money for flood protection program by two-thirds for '06.
- - A state program that helps local agencies pay for levee upgrades in the
California Delta will see its money reduced by two-thirds next year. Under
current law, the Delta Levee Maintenance Program is set to go out of
existence on July 1, 2006. Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, however, succeeded
in passing a bill to extend the program's life until 2010. Budget cutters,
acting before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and made levees a
national concern, rejected part of the bill that also would have extended
the program's current funding of $6 million annually.
<more>
Sept 24, 2005 Sacramento Bee
In California, Agriculture Takes Center Stage in
Pollution Debate -- On a clear day, San Joaquin looks like a bucolic
farming community, complete with almond groves, cornfields and orange trees.
But most of the time the valley -- trapped between the Sierra Nevada and the
Coast Ranges, with two major highways running north to south through it --
is smoggy, filled with air that has fostered widespread respiratory disease.
Fifteen percent of the region's children have asthma, a rate three times the
national average. Fresno -- the valley's biggest city -- has the
third-highest rate of asthma in the country, and the San Joaquin Valley
rivals Los Angeles and Houston for the dubious title of worst air quality in
the nation. On bad air days, some schools hoist a red flag so parents can
keep their children indoors; on good days, they raise a green flag.
<more> Sept. 26, 2005 Washington Post
Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005
Other countries will pay
more for poultry - - Though the Gulf Coast region's poultry industry was
ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, shoppers in Russia strangely enough may see
higher prices in grocery stores than U.S. consumers will, experts said
Tuesday. Much of the chicken produced in the region is exported to other
countries, Russia in particular, said Bob Young, chief economist with the
American Farm Bureau Federation. With power down after the hurricane,
thousands of tons of chicken leg quarters sitting in cold storage and ready
to be shipped abroad were wasted, said Richard Lobb of the National Chicken
Council.
<more> Sept. 22, 2005 Chicago Sun-Times
Advocates Challenge
Humane-Care Label on Maryland Eggs. Birds Are Cruelly Caged, Lawsuit Argues
- - The "Animal Care Certified" stamp on the grocery store egg cartons
declared that the chickens were raised in humane conditions, but the tapes
tell a different tale. The videos -- shot by Takoma Park animal advocates
who say they have spent years sneaking into local poultry farms -- show hens
closely packed in wire "battery cages," some missing most of their feathers,
with open sores and burned beaks, and dead fowl caged with the living. In
February, the videos prompted the group, Compassion Over Killing, to file a
lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court against area retailers Giant Food, Brookville
Supermarket and Lehman's Egg Service and the organization that administers
the Animal Care Certified certification, United Egg Producers. Giant
recently agreed to drop the logo from egg cartons sold under its brand name
while it reviews Compassion Over Killing's claims that the birds are kept in
inhumane conditions.
<more> Sept. 22, 2005 Washington Post
Mod Squad" kills Dem enviro bills - - On the
last day of session, bill after environmental bill came up for a vote on the
Assembly floor. And bill after bill was defeated as a group of self-styled
moderate Democrats--known as the 'Mod Squad'--refused to support legislation
authored by their fellow Democrats. Everything from mapping out naturally
occurring asbestos to enhanced penalties for severe air polluters failed
passage, as the Mod Squad of business-friendly Democrats joined a united
Republican caucus to stymie the expansion of environmental protections.
<more>
Sept. 22, 2005 Capitol Weekly
Valley rewrite of Species Act endangered? - -
The Bush administration on Wednesday raised warning flags over a Central
Valley rewrite of the Endangered Species Act. Coupled with concerns from
East Coast Republicans, the administration's cautionary notes foreshadow a
long and rocky road ahead. But in the short term, Tracy Republican Richard
Pombo and his valley colleagues have the muscle to win committee passage of
their package today.
<more>
Sept. 22, 2005 Modesto Bee
House Panel Set To Approve
Sweeping Endangered Species Act Rewrite - - Conservative lawmakers
poised to eliminate key provisions of the landmark 32--year--old Endangered
Species Act encountered unexpected support Wednesday: Some environmentalists
and liberal Democrats said they agree with some of the changes. "There is a
recognition that the current critical habitat arrangement doesn't work, for
a whole host of reasons," said Rep. George Miller, D--Calif., a leading
liberal voice on the House Resources Committee. "There are some in the
environmental community who think the answer is just no to any change, and I
think that's a problem." Miller and other Democrats said that without
substantial amendments, they still can't support a bill by Resources
Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R--Calif., that's set for a committee vote
Thursday.
<more>
Sept. 22, 2005 Associated Press
USDA brings vast resources to help with
hurricanes - - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today said USDA has
deployed personnel and resources to assist the efforts by federal, state and
local authorities in preparation prior to Hurricane Rita's landfall, and
noted USDA resources have been widely used to assist victims of Hurricane
Katrina.
<more>
Sept. 22, 2005 USDA press release.
Studies: Bad air even worse killer. Pollution causes more deaths than thought, scientists say - - Two new air pollution studies give the San Joaquin Valley more reason to clean up its air. Polluted air — the type that hangs over the valley in fall and winter — may be causing three times the number of premature deaths as were previously estimated. And children who live next to traffic-heavy freeways appear more likely to suffer from asthma, according to reports released Tuesday by professors at the University of Southern California. <more> Sept. 22, 2005 Modesto Bee
Bird Flu Outbreak Fears Hit Indonesia - - Indonesia announced plans Wednesday for a mass chicken slaughter amid fears of a bird flu epidemic after two more children suspected of having the disease died in the capital. The government scrambled to calm public fears after the deaths of the two girls, ages 2 and 5. If bird flu is confirmed as their cause of death, the country's human toll from the outbreak would climb to six since July. Nine others suspected of having the virus were being treated Wednesday at Jakarta's infectious diseases hospital. <more> Sept. 22, 2005 Associated Press
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005
Poochigian seeks ballot spot for ID theft
crackdown - - Rebuffed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature,
Republican state Sen. Charles Poochigian of Fresno is circulating petitions
for a statewide ballot measure that would impose long prison sentences for
stealing credit card and Social Security numbers. The California Identity
Theft and Personal Information Protection Act will qualify for the November
2006 ballot if Poochigian - who plans to appear in the same election as a
candidate for attorney general - collects enough signatures by a February
deadline. "Stiffer sentences do work - they deter crime," Poochigian said
last week. "Criminals, as irrational as they may be, make rational choices
knowing the consequences of their actions."
<more> Sept. 20, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Rewriting Endangered Species Act House /
Resources panel's OK expected as critics complain -- House Resources
Committee Chairman Richard Pombo of Tracy introduced new legislation Monday
to rewrite the Endangered Species Act that critics say could make it more
difficult to list species as endangered and to set aside land to help them
recover. But the Republican lawmaker, a rancher and longtime property rights
activist, said his proposal was intended to fix a law that had helped only
10 of about 1,300 species recover since it was signed by President Richard
Nixon three decades ago.
<more>
Sept. 20, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
U.S. Launches International
Partnership To Fight Bird Flu. Partnership aims to combat the threat and
improve global readiness - – The United States has announced formally
the creation of an international partnership to combat avian influenza, or
bird flu, by enhancing medical readiness to prevent or contain a global
influenza pandemic in humans. U.S. and international health officials
outlined the mission of the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic
Influenza September 15 after President Bush first announced creation of the
partnership during his U.N. speech September 14. “If left unchallenged, this
virus could become the first pandemic of the 21st century. We must not
allow that to happen,” Bush told the United Nations
<more> Sept. 20, 2005 uninfo.state.gov
World has slim chance to
stop flu pandemic - - The initial outbreak of what could explode into a
bird flu pandemic may affect only a few people, but the world will have just
weeks to contain the deadly virus before it spreads and kills millions.
Chances of containment are limited because the potentially catastrophic
infection may not be detected until it has already spread to several
countries, like the SARS virus in 2003. Avian flu vaccines developed in
advance will have little impact on the pandemic virus.
<more> Sept. 20, 2005 Reuters
Average regular unleaded
gas price under $2.80 - - According to AAA, the national average price
for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.788, compared to $2.805 on
Monday. A month ago, the average was $2.611 and a year ago, it was $1.853.
The record of $3.057 was set September 5, 2005. The lowest average price is
Oklahoma at $2.487. Hawaii has the highest with $3.625. The average for
mid-grade is $2.961, down $.015 from the previous day. Last month at this
time, the average was $2.772 and a year ago, it was $1.967. Oklahoma has the
lowest average with $2.572 and Hawaii has the highest at $3.834. Source:
Brownfield Ag Today
Katrina, drought to cause US farming losses of
$900 million - - Agricultural losses from Hurricane Katrina in the
southern United States are estimated to reach 900 million dollars, US
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns warned.
Losses from a months-long drought in the Midwest affecting corn and soybean
production are estimated at 1.3 billion dollars, the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA) also said Tuesday. Katrina hit a range of farm production
in the states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi including for cotton,
sugarcane and dairy products. About 10,000 cattle and millions of chickens
were killed, it said.
<more> Sept. 20, 2005 Reuters
Lawmakers angling for fishery deal -- Lawmakers are quietly pressing farmers and environmentalists to settle a bitter lawsuit over the San Joaquin River's future. The behind-the-scenes details are fluid but the stakes uncommonly high for fish, Friant Dam, irrigation districts and, perhaps, political reputations. <more> Sept. 20, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Monday, Sept. 19, 2005
FDA chief: U.S. will
tighten feed ban to prevent mad cow - - The government will close a gap
in the U.S. defense against the spread of mad cow disease by changing feed
regulations to mirror those in Canada, FDA commissioner Lester M. Crawford
said Monday. In remarks to a food policy conference hosted by the Consumer
Federation of America, Crawford said the new regulations would be coming
soon but did not say when. Canada has regulations banning at-risk tissues —
brains, spinal cords and other parts that can carry mad cow disease — from
feed for all animals, including chickens, pigs and pets.
<more>
Sept. 19, 2005 Associated Press
HHS Buys Vaccine and
Antivirals in Preparation for a Potential Influenza Pandemic - - HHS
Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced the purchase of vaccine and antiviral
medications that could be used in the event of a potential influenza
pandemic. The department has awarded a $100 million contract to sanofi
pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, to manufacture
avian influenza vaccine designed to protect against the H5N1 influenza virus
strain, which has caused an epidemic of avian flu in Asia. The number of
individuals who could be protected by the newly contracted vaccine is still
to be determined by ongoing clinical studies. In addition, HHS has awarded a
$2.8 million contract to GlaxoSmithKline for 84,300 treatment courses of the
antiviral drug zanamivir (Relenza).
<more> Sept. 18, 2005 HHS Press Release
State's Doctors Fight Rule on Workers' Comp
Review. California regulators want to let insurers use out-of-state
physicians for second opinions. - — In the latest tussle involving
California's workers' compensation system, doctors, insurers and regulators
are battling over who should make the call on how to treat those hurt on the
job. Last year's landmark overhaul of the state's troubled workers' comp
system gave insurance companies the right to ask outside medical experts for
a second opinion if an insurer disagreed with a course of treatment
prescribed for an injured worker. State regulators are proposing rules that
would allow insurers to contract with out-of-state doctors not licensed to
practice medicine in California to render these judgments — which could
result in the disapproval, modification or delay of treatment regimens
ordered by the physician who is actually caring for the injured worker.
<more>
Sept. 18, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Diesel costs sting state growers. Many try to
absorb spike, not raise prices, in tightly controlled market - – Fuel
surcharges and higher prices for feed and fertilizer have put the squeeze on
farmers in California. Most, however, say they cannot easily make up the
difference by raising prices in a market tightly controlled by supply
contracts, middlemen and competitive supermarket chains. Instead, they tune
up engines, skimp on purchases, only dispatch fully loaded trucks and dip
into savings.
<more> Sept. 18, 2005 Copley News Service
Valley economy feels ill wind from Katrina. Broad
price hikes won't be crippling blow, expert says. - - The economic
impact of Hurricane Katrina has rippled through the central San Joaquin
Valley, causing higher prices for cardboard, plastics, asphalt and
transportation. Homeowners could see heating bills rise as much as 40% this
winter, straining budgets already squeezed by record-high gas prices. But
the overall economic impact should be short-lived and relatively minor
outside the Gulf Coast region, says Sean Snaith, director of the Business
Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.
<more> Sept. 18, 2005 Fresno Bee
Ripe crops languish in the fields. It's harvest
time in the Central Valley, but where are the farmworkers? - - It's the
middle of harvest season for California raisin grapes, and only half of the
farmworkers needed are in the fields. What holds for raisin grapes is
happening widely in California agriculture. In the Central Valley alone,
there is a shortage of from 70,000 to 80,000 workers to bring fresh fruits,
nuts and vegetables to market, according to an estimate by the trade
association Western Growers. Some growers are planting fewer acres than
normal as they scramble to save the season. Western Growers is worried that
the lack of workers -- mostly immigrants from Mexico and Central America --
could cause $1 billion in losses to California agriculture this year.
<more>
Sept. 18, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Farm output likely to be strong despite Katrina
- - U.S. farm production is expected to reach near-record levels this year,
despite damage to Mississippi cotton and Louisiana sugarcane crops from
Hurricane Katrina, the Agriculture Department said this week in its first
post-storm crop report. But the Aug. 29 hurricane is affecting farmers near
and far from the Mississippi Delta by clogging a major transportation lane
and contributing to rising fuel prices. For farmers, the combination of high
output and backed-up transportation would mean that prices for major
commodities fall as production costs rise.
<more>
Sept. 17, 2005 Knight Ridder
California's Levees Are in Sorry Shape. A quake
across the delta could imperil water supplies. Back in play: the Peripheral
Canal. - - The threat is well known. A big quake rumbles across the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, knocking out dozens of the primitive levees
that guard the state's main water crossroads. A key source of water for
nearly two out of three Californians and the nation's biggest fruit and
vegetable garden is shut down for months, maybe even a year or two. Can the
state avert such a scenario? The watery calamity that befell New Orleans has
highlighted the sorry state of delta levees, prompting calls from Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and California congressional leaders for federal money
for levee repairs.
<more>
Sept. 19, 2005 Los Angeles Times
An Uncertain Future for a River that Helps Feed
the Nation - - Today, maps still show the San Joaquin River meandering
to the Pacific via San Francisco Bay -- but it is not the river John Muir
marveled at. Its waters, trapped behind dams, disappear into California's
intricate plumbing system, channels that most maps don't show. Diverted
river water nurtures a rich agriculture economy and California's unstoppable
growth, but it's also at the center of a long-running environmental battle.
Should the flow be released down the old river bed to bring back the salmon
Muir described? How to balance commerce, growth and nature? The San
Joaquin's future will offer lessons for America.
<more>
Sept. 19, 2005 11:40 a.m. Associated Press
Pesticide bill had tempers flaring - - Days before the legislative session ended, big-name chemical companies threatened to punish the state Farm Bureau for supporting a bill that would force more generic bug and weed killer into the marketplace, according to an e-mail obtained by McClatchy Newspapers."We need to stand up to this group and send a message," wrote Scott Kohne, a Sacramento-based manager for Bayer CropScience, in a message to his higher-ups earlier this month. He recommended that his company join "Syngenta, Dow and others (that) are pulling all advertising dollars" from the Farm Bureau's weekly newspaper, Ag Alert, and hold back on sponsoring the group's events. <more> Sept. 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005
Air-chilled chickens are
pricier, but tastier - - Pity the lowly chicken, so often taken for
granted. The average American eats more than 90 pounds a year, according to
the National Chicken Council. But unlike naturally-raised beef and pork,
which has attracted interest, the less expensive chicken is tossed into the
grocery cart with little attention. Now American consumers have a chance to
buy what may be the birds of the future: air-chilled chickens, popular for
decades in Europe and Canada, with a better taste, a creamy color, and a
crisper skin after roasting.
<more> Sept. 15, 2005 Boston Globe
Tyson lowers estimated cost
of Katrina damage - - Tyson Foods Inc. Chief Executive John Tyson said
Monday that damage from Hurricane Katrina will cost the company about $10
million to $15 million, or about $5 million less than estimated last week.
The Springdale-based company estimated the loss last week at between $10
million and $20 million.
<more> Sept. 15, 2005 Arkansas Democrat
Gazette
One idea: Use chicken
manure to clean Maryland mines. Panel looks at ways to protect Chesapeake
bay health -- Western Maryland mine operators and Eastern Shore poultry
growers may have a common solution to their biggest environmental headaches.
The chicken farmers' problem? What to do with all that manure, whose
nutrients leach into the state's waterways, throwing the Chesapeake Bay's
ecosystem off-kilter. And the mine operators? Acidic water, full of harmful
metals, seeps out of abandoned mines, poisoning water for miles downstream.
But there may be a way to put that manure to work in the mines to neutralize
acid drainage and encourage healthy plant growth, protecting the environment
in both places. The base in the manure cancels out the acid from the mines
-- a solution so simple that even a high school chemistry student can
understand it.
<more> Sept. 15, 2005 Delmarva
Daily Times
Michael Barr selected as new President/CEO of Ag leadership Foundation - -Michael Barr, an executive with more than 20 years of successful experience in university advancement and fund development, was named on September 7 as the new President/CEO of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation. Barr has been the Director of Advancement for the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo College of Agriculture since 1995. In selecting Michael Barr, Chairman of the Board Richard Pidduck (Class 21) said, "We believe the Search Committee has found the individual to move our organization to the next level of delivering the premier program of leadership development for the agricultural community. Michael brings an exceptional skill set and personal integrity to the position." His management skills and particularly his expertise in fundraising will make him a welcome addition to the staff. Mr. Barr will lead a staff of seven headquartered in Sacramento.
Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005
Bush launches
"international partnership" to fight killer - - US President George W.
Bush launched what he called a "new international partnership" aimed at
preventing avian influenza and other new strains of flu from becoming a
murderous, global pandemic. Bird flu "could become the first pandemic of the
21st century. We must not allow that to happen," Bush told the UN General
Assembly in New York.
<more> Sept. 14, 2005 Today online.com
Natural gas price spike
expected. Winter heating bills in Valley could jump by 40% because of Gulf
Coast damage. - - Valley residents can expect heating bills 32% to 40%
higher this winter as a result of devastation from Hurricane Katrina that is
expected to trigger a shortage of natural gas. Businesses that use natural
gas also could be hit hard, including the many food processors in the
central San Joaquin Valley. The cost already has doubled at one raisin
dehydrating facility.
<more>
Sept. 14, 2005 Fresno Bee
HK hunter hot on the trail
of deadly bird flu virus - - Very few people are as intimate with the
deadly H5N1 bird flu virus as Hong Kong-based scientist Yi Guan. "When I am
not sleeping, I am working, most of the time on the H5N1," the 43-year-old
China-born microbiologist who works at the University of Hong Kong said.
Experts fear the virus will unleash the next pandemic and kill millions of
people. He got acquainted with the bug in 1997 when it made its first known
jump to humans in Hong Kong, where it killed six people. And since 2000,
Guan has been able to track its spread all over China after testing more
than 100,000 stool samples from domestic chickens, aquatic and wild birds.
<more> Sept. 14, 2005 Reuters
Under Secretary for Rural
Development Named - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced today
the appointment of Allan Johnson to serve as Deputy Under Secretary for
Rural Development. "For the past two years, Allan has demonstrated
outstanding leadership at USDA Rural Development," said Johanns. "The people
we serve in rural America and USDA will all benefit from his experience and
knowledge in this new position." Johnson will serve in a leadership role by
assisting Under Secretary Tom Dorr in carrying out Rural Development's
mission to support economic activity and improve the quality of life of
rural residents. Sept. 14, 2005 Source: Brownfield Ag News Service
Katrina Agricultural Losses
Top $3B - - Cotton fields are flattened. Hundreds of chicken houses are
destroyed. Timber and pecan trees are splayed across the ground. Two weeks
after Hurricane Katrina hit, the damage to agriculture in the Gulf states
has topped $3 billion, officials say.
<more>
Sept. 14, 2005 Associated Press
U.S. Researchers Make Progress on Bird Flu Vaccine - - A U.S. research team is working on a method to produce bird flu vaccine that will provide a better public health response in the event of an influenza pandemic. Scientists at Indiana’s Purdue University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are using a harmless virus, an adenovirus, as a transmitting agent to deliver vaccine into cells. This method contrasts with current vaccine production techniques that rely on growing vaccines in fertilized chicken eggs. <more> Sept. 15, 2005 usinfo.state.gov
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005
1,000 chickens that rode
out the storm now escape the frying pan. Vacaville woman leads rescue effort
at Mississippi farm - - Hurricane Katrina left behind a still untold
death toll, but it apparently spared the lives of some 1,000 lucky chickens.
Now, instead of meeting their fate in a Mississippi slaughterhouse, the
birds are on their way to the Bay Area and other parts of the United States
where they will live out the rest of their lives in sanctuaries and
backyards. "Some folks say, 'Why save chickens when there are people and
dogs and cats to save?' '' says the birds' savior, Vacaville resident Kim
Sturla, who traveled to Mississippi to rescue the chickens after learning
about their plight on television. "I'm looking at it from the perspective of
their lives,'' she said. ”The life of the chicken is as important to him as
the life of the dog or cat is to them."
<more> Sept. 13, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Avian flu threat troubles
experts - - This is not a good time to be a free-range chicken.
Authorities in the Netherlands recently ordered thousands of the roaming
chickens caged because of fear over the spread of avian flu. But caging
chickens is only the most recent action in the effort to stop avian flu. The
World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control agree
that the nasty viral strain named H5N1 has huge potential for causing a
deadly pandemic for which there is no vaccine.
<more> Sept. 13, 2005 Palm Beach Post
Drugs plug gap as world
awaits bird flu vaccine. - - Scientists believe they have the know-how
to make an effective vaccine against pandemic bird flu; the problem is how
to make enough of it. As avian flu spreads from Asia into Siberia and
Kazakhstan, health experts are increasingly focused on the medical challenge
of fighting the disease should it "go human" and start to spread easily from
person to person. A vaccine is the best hope to prevent millions of deaths.
But current global manufacturing capacity, at around 300 million regular flu
doses a year, is simply insufficient to meet global needs during a pandemic.
<more> Sept. 13, 2005 Reuters
Marination Madness! - - A wide range of marinades are helping to create more moist and flavorful value-added meat and poultry products. With the explosion of ethnic cuisines, the future looks bright for marinated meat and poultry products. Any piece of meat can be enhanced and flavored with marinades to create a value-added product, both in terms of flavor and convenience. What's more, marinades can be forgiving to an overcooked piece of meat, as well. Since meat and poultry processors are always looking for ways to improve the selling price for their products and consumers will forever want great-tasting products, marinades can be a win-win for processors and consumers alike. <more> Sept. 13, 2005 National Provisioner
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005
Ending Battle With FDA, Bayer
Withdraws Poultry Antibiotic - - For the first time, the Food and Drug
Administration has succeeded in forcing off the market an antibiotic used to
treat animals because of concerns that it will make similar antibiotics less
effective in treating people. After a five-year battle, Bayer Corp. said
yesterday that it would immediately stop selling its poultry antibiotic,
Baytril, a close relative to its widely used human antibiotic, Cipro. The
company could have appealed the FDA ban on the drug to a federal court but
instead decided to comply.<more>
Sept. 9, 2005 Washington Post
Driver's license bill faces new veto. The governor
again will kill illegal-immigrants measure. - - For the fifth year in a
row, state lawmakers Thursday sent a bill to the governor allowing illegal
immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. But as with the previous tries, the
measure will not become law: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's legislative
secretary promised a veto.
<more>
Sept. 9, 2005
Sacramento Bee
Groundbreaking for New USDA
Poultry Facility --A groundbreaking ceremony was held today for a new,
$5.2 million facility for state-of-the-art research on chickens and poultry at
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Md.)
Agricultural Research Center (BARC). "This facility will provide much-needed
space and allow our scientists to conduct research on poultry nutrition,
growth regulation and reproduction," said Edward B. Knipling, administrator of
USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
<more> Sept. 9, 2005 USDA Press Release
CPF communications manager volunteers in Louisiana - - Mark Looker, CPF communications manager, departs Sunday for a ten-day volunteer mission in Louisiana assisting Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s communications team. Looker will work with Bob Mann, Communications Director, as the state deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. “Like a lot of Americans, I felt the call to help out in some way as I watched this tragedy unfold,” said Looker. “I called on a good friend of mine, Fred Hatfield, who had served as chief of staff for recently retired Senator John Breaux of Louisiana, and he put me in touch with Bob Mann. He said they could use my help and asked me how soon I could be there.” Looker’s work will consist of media monitoring and rumor control as the state turns its efforts from search and rescue to long-term recovery. Looker notes that he will have high speed Internet connectivity while working in Baton Rouge, the state’s capitol: “We’ll do our best to maintain the high level of communications that CPF members have come to expect over the year with both the Weekly Update and the Daily Headline News service.”
Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005
Family Suffers A Great Loss
As Poultry Industry Takes A Beating --As Billy Paul and Dodie Davidson
watched helplessly as 20,000 of their broiler chickens died, all they could
think was "we took such good care of them when they were babies." It was
almost like losing a part of the family, Dodie Davidson said through her
tears at the Davidson's home on Friday. The Davidsons are just one of
several families in the area whose chicken farms were damaged or destroyed
from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Out of the Davidson's five
chicken houses, one was completely destroyed and another had significant
damage.
<more> Sept. 8, 2005 Scott County Times Forest, Mississippi
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005
Bayer ends legal battle for
fluoroquinolone - - Bayer Corp. announced it is ending a five-year legal
battle to market Baytril a fluoroquinolone-class antibiotic used in poultry.
Earlier this summer, FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester Crawford ordered the drug's
withdrawal because of evidence that it contributed to drug-resistant
microbes. Last Friday Crawford denied a stay sought by poultry veterinarians
and some industry groups, including Bayer and the Animal Health Institute.
With the legal proceedings now concluded, it becomes illegal to use or sell
the drug after the Sept. 12 deadline FDA set to withdraw its approval of the
drug. Bayer spokesperson Bob Walker told Feedstuffs the company is working
with its customers to implement the withdrawal and will offer refunds for
existing supplies. The deadline for applying for refunds is Sept. 30.
Source: Feedstuffs
Gamefowl breeder flocks
show low use of veterinary services - - Nationally only 18 percent of
gamefowl breeder flock owners used the services of a veterinarian in the
previous 12 months, according to the second phase of a USDA study released
today. The Reference of Health and Management of Gamefowl Breeder Flocks in
the U.S. 2004 addresses information on bird health, bird movement and
biosecurity practices of nontraditional poultry industries, including
backyard flocks, gamefowl and live-bird markets. The full report can be
viewed by clicking here.
<more> Sept. 7, 2005 USDA Press Release
Fresno family's poultry
ties continue under new banner - - The Hestbeck's name is ending a
century-long run, but the family that operated the grocery and poultry
business for those 100 years isn't finished yet. Chris Breckenridge, the
fourth generation, is president and owner of Apple Valley Farms, which is
producing healthy ready-to-cook chicken products under the Conscious Cuisine
label. Apple Valley is leasing Hestbeck's poultry plant near Blackstone and
Hedges avenues to make chicken burgers, chicken mignon and, soon, chicken
bacon through a licensing agreement with Chef Cary Neff, author of the
popular cookbook, Conscious Cuisine, said Durbin Breckenridge, who is Chris'
father and directs marketing efforts.
<more> Sept. 7, 2005 Fresno Bee
Tyson says Katrina losses
could be $20 million - - Officials with Tyson Foods Inc., are estimating
losses and damages from Hurricane Katrina will cost the company anywhere
from $10 million-$20 million. Tyson's four poultry processing plants in
Mississippi shut down operations temporarily following the hurricane, mainly
due to loss of power. The plant in Carthage, Miss., went back online Aug.
31; the two plants in Forest, Miss., were running again Sept. 2; and the
plant in Vicksburg, Miss., came back online on Sept. 3.
<more> Sept. 7, 2005 Memphis Business
Journal
State cuts pollution
enforcers. Staff had just been hired to regulate tainted runoff from
irrigated farmland. - - The Schwarzenegger administration is gutting the
state's nascent program to regulate the biggest uncontrolled source of water
pollution in California - the runoff of pesticides, fertilizers and salt
from 10 million acres of irrigated crops. No sooner had the state completed
its hiring of enforcers to police drainage from Central Valley farms than
top administration officials ordered the staff cut by two-thirds.
<more>
Sept. 7, 2005 Sacramento Bee
House Ag Committee holds
hearing on eminent domain ruling - - Lawmakers have a message for any
local officials who think farmland on the edge of town might make a nice
shopping mall: Seize the property and you'll lose federal funding for your
community. Republicans and Democrats alike want to negate a recent Supreme
Court ruling that gave cities broad power to take private properties for use
as shopping malls or other development. "This potentially could allow a city
to go out and confiscate a sugar beet field and turn it into a shopping
mall," said Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, the senior House Agriculture
Committee Democrat.
<more>
Sept. 7, 2005 Associated Press
Nunes bill seeks
improvement to Central Valley water project - - After more than 13 years
on the books, Rep. Devin Nunes said today it's time to change select
portions of Central Valley water law that has proven unduly burdensome to
users and ineffective for environmental benefits. Rep. Nunes introduced the
Central Valley Project Reform Act of 2005. The bill seeks to amend parts of
the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992 (CVPIA), which the
congressman said contains provisions that have not been met, are punitive,
and result in no environmental benefit. <more>
Sept. 7, 2005 Rep. Nunes Press Release
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005
Bird flu risks spreading to
Europe - - The bird flu virus that had leapt to Russia and Kazakhstan
after causing deaths and huge economic losses in Asia risked spreading
further, borne by migratory birds criss-crossing the globe, experts said
today.
<more>
Sept. 5, 2005 News.com
Nuñez
Stalls Effort to Shut Workers' Comp Loophole -- A bill aimed at closing
a loophole in the state's workers' compensation laws that allows doctors to
profit from big markups on prescription drugs they sell to their patients
appears all but dead for the current legislative session. Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) said he had derailed the measure, SB 292, even
though it had sailed through the state Senate on a 40-0 vote and received
only one negative vote in the Assembly Insurance Committee.
<more> Sept. 6, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Aon
Agribusiness Expert Says Hurricane Katrina Bad News for U.S. Poultry
Producers -- Add agriculture to the list of industries affected by Hurricane
Katrina. "A million pounds of processed chicken is probably rotting in the
heat right now," says Tami Griffin, senior vice president of Aon's
agribusiness group. "Mississippi produces ten percent of the nation's
chickens, and most of the state's 14 processing plants are offline." She
says some have been damaged and that many of them have do not have power or
water. In addition, many of the farms that supply chickens to the processors
have been hit hard by the storm. Hundreds of chicken houses, many of which
contain thousands of birds, were damaged. It is difficult to estimate the
full extent of the damage, but she says it may take weeks or months for full
production to resume.
<more> Sept. 6, 2005 PR Newswire
Machado trying to shake up pollution board. Bill
would add two members to air quality group - - While much of the year's
significant environmental legislation has foundered, at least one major bill
remains: a proposal to shake up the San Joaquin Regional Air Quality Control
Board by adding a scientist and a doctor to the club of politicians who now
control the body.
<more> Sept. 6,
2005 Stockton Record
UC Merced Opens. Crowd of thousands cheers
supporters for making it happen - - It's a rare birth that has an
audience of 4,500 people. But it's not every day a new university comes to
life. This one has been 17 years in the making, and the crowd on hand at the
University of California at Merced on Monday morning was generous with the
standing ovations - for the 1,000 pioneer students; the parents who helped
get their children here; the school's benefactors, faculty, staff and
administrators; and the elected officials who've shown their support for the
UC system's 10th campus.
<more> Sept. 6, 2005 Modesto Bee
Governor's initiatives losing public support. -- The linchpin proposition on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's special election ballot appears headed for almost certain defeat, according to the results of a new Field Poll. The governor's budget measure, Proposition 76, is opposed by 65 percent of voters, including pluralities or majorities of every voter subgroup measured in the poll. Only 19 percent of likely voters said they are inclined to support the measure. <more> Sept. 5, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, Sept. 5, 2005
Bayer Seeks Reprieve For
Baytril - - Bayer Corp. has asked the Food and Drug Administration to
allow it to keep selling its controversial animal antibiotic, Baytril, while
it fights an agency ban on the drug in federal court.
<more> Sept. 2, 2005 Washington Post
Crisis after Katrina:
Supply chain woes mount. Gulf Coast port closures may mean tighter supplies
and higher prices of some goods. - - Middle America's main artery is
blocked, and everyone is about to feel some of the pain, including
Californians. Nearly a week after Hurricane Katrina's rampage, the mighty
Mississippi River - the main transportation artery for Midwest commerce - is
clogged by shutdowns at Gulf Coast ports from Louisiana to Alabama.
<more> Sept. 4, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Mississippi’s poultry
industry dealt tremendous blow - - Because of Hurricane Katrina's wrath,
there are millions of dead chickens in Mississippi, prompting health
concerns and dealing the poultry industry a blow that is expected to take
nearly half a year to recover. As part of the chicken belt, a swath of
chicken growing and processing that runs through Arkansas, Missouri,
Louisiana, Georgia and Texas, Mississippi is a major producer of chicken and
turkeys. According to the National Chicken Council, about 10 percent of the
poultry consumed in the United States comes from Mississippi, much of that
in the south central area that was stricken by the killer storm.
<more> Sept.4, 2005 Hattiesburg American
U.S. farmers feel the pinch
as energy costs soar - - This year alone, energy costs for most farmers
are expected to jump at least 30 percent and could soar even higher as
farmers shell out more for fertilizer, gasoline and diesel fuel,according to
the Washington-based American Farm Bureau Federation. Robert Young, chief
economist for the Farm Bureau, the nation's largest farm group, estimated
that energy bills this year for corn have risen to about $130 an acre, $57
for wheat and $46 for soybeans.
<more>
Sept. 4, 2005 Reuters
Clean-air advocate
leaving. Fresno physician David Pepper to head a San Francisco clinic. -
- David Pepper, a Fresno physician and clean-air advocate who spoke
frequently about the health consequences of air pollution in the central San
Joaquin Valley, is leaving the city to head a clinic in San Francisco.
Pepper starts his job as medical director at the Mission Neighborhood Health
Center in San Francisco on Oct. 1.Pepper grew up in the Bay Area, and the
job there allows him to be close to family. But the Valley's polluted skies
factored into his decision to leave Fresno after 16 years, he said Thursday:
"I don't want to be breathing this air anymore."
<more> Sept. 4,2
005 Fresno Bee
Feinstein reaps farm bureau backing. Early endorsement of re-election bid is sign of a hard-won bond. - - California farmers are showing just how hard it will be for Republicans to uproot Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. With 14 months still to go before the 2006 election, the California Farm Bureau Federation last week formally endorsed Feinstein's re-election bid. The unusually early stamp of approval is money in the campaign bank - and a striking contrast to farmers' reaction to Feinstein's inaugural statewide races. <more> Sept. 4, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Friday, Sept. 2, 2005
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005
In food world, chicken,
seafood bear brunt of hurricane - - While food lovers worry that one
of the most beloved regional cuisines in the United States has been wiped out,
grocery shoppers are warned to brace for a different kind of shock. Because of
Hurricane Katrina, consumers can expect to pay a lot more for chicken in
coming weeks, and some popular seafood items may not be available at any
price. Hundreds of thousands of chickens were killed when Katrina ripped
though the country's prime chicken-producing states. Early reports from
Georgia, the nation's top producer of frying chickens, pegged the loss at more
than a quarter of a million chickens, said Richard Lobb, spokesman for the
National Chicken Council, a Washington, D.C., trade association that
represents farmers and processors.
<more> Sept. 1, 2005 Knight Ridder
Panel Says No to Gov.'s
Appointee. The choice of industry lobbyist Cindy Tuck for chairwoman of the
state air quality board had divided business and environmentalists. - - A
key state Senate committee refused Wednesday to confirm Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's choice of industry lobbyist Cindy Tuck to chair the
California Air Resources Board, an appointment that had sharply divided
business groups and conservationists. On a 3-2, party line vote, including a
no vote from Democratic Senate leader Don Perata of Oakland, the Senate Rules
Committee rejected Tuck, who was described by supporters and detractors alike
as a savvy, personable representative for oil companies and electric power
generators on environmental matters.
<more>
Sept. 1, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Russia considering US poultry
meat import restrictions - - The Russian federal veterinary and
phytosanitary inspection service does not rule out the possibility of imposing
restrictions on chicken meat imports from the US states affected by Hurricane
Katrina, Sergey Dankvert, the service's chief, has told RBC. He stressed that
no restrictive measures had been imposed yet on poultry meat imports from the
US, including the above regions.
<more> Sept. 1, 2005 ROS Business Consulting
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation
Supporting Hurricane Relief Efforts -- Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, the
country's second-largest chicken company, today announced it will match funds
raised by its 40,000 employees up to $1 million to support the humanitarian
efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina through the American Red Cross
Disaster Relief Fund.
<more> Sept. 1, 2005 PR Newswire
Sanderson Farms, Inc.
Assessing Damage to Mississippi Operations From Hurricane Katrina --Sanderson
Farms, Inc. reported that the Company is currently in the process of assessing
damage to its operations in Mississippi caused by the effects of Hurricane
Katrina. Southern Mississippi has experienced widespread property damage,
power outages and failure of its communications infrastructures.
<more> Sept. 1, 2005 Business Wire
Experts See Alaska as U.S.
Front against Bird Flu - - Bird experts working in some of the most remote
areas of Alaska have begun checking migrating birds for avian influenza to see
if they are spreading the feared virus out of Asia. A team heads off later
this week for the Alaskan Peninsula to test Steller's eiders, a type of duck,
for the virus, U.S. Geological Survey experts said. Other teams have already
begun testing geese and ducks in other refuges, taking advantage of regular
ecological studies to test birds migrating from Asia for the H5N1 virus.
<more> Sept. 1, 2005 Reuters
ConAgra Names Ex-PepsiCo CEO As President - - ConAgra Foods Inc. on Wednesday named a former top executive of PepsiCo Inc. as its new president and chief executive. Gary Rodkin, most recently chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Beverages, succeeds Bruce Rohde, who announced earlier this year he was stepping down from the Omaha, Neb.-based food company. <more> Sept. 1, 2005 Associated Press
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005
Gas prices seen well over
$3 on Katrina - - U.S. retail gasoline prices will probably vault well
over $3.00 per gallon in most parts of the country as early as this weekend
after Hurricane Katrina devastated the energy industry in the Gulf Coast,
analysts said Wednesday. "This in many ways is the worst-case scenario that
the oil industry has been fearing," said Geoff Sundstrom, spokesman for the
AAA motorist group." On a national average, we could hit $3.25 at the pump
easily, potentially even by this weekend," said Jason Schenker, economist at
Wachovia Corp. "This is going to cut into consumer demand."
<more> Aug. 31, 2005 Reuters
New energy bill will boost
corn prices - - Increased ethanol demand, mandated by the Energy Policy
Act of 2005, will boost corn prices by an average of 12.5 cents per bushel,
according to a study by the University of Missouri Food and Agricultural
Policy Research Institute.
<more> Aug. 31, 2005
Pump prices put
Californians in bind. Residents spend less elsewhere, poll finds - -
Disturbed by skyrocketing gasoline prices, Californians are starting to cut
back on other areas of spending and change their driving habits, according
to a new Field Poll to be released today. Paying more at the pump has
spurred 40 percent of those surveyed to cut back in spending on such other
areas as food, clothing or dining out. Among those making less than $40,000
a year, 54 percent were cutting back.
<more> Aug. 31,
2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Tyson's 4 Mississippi
Poultry Plants Idled By Hurricane Katrina - - Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN)
said Tuesday power outages caused by Hurricane Katrina have halted
operations at its four chicken-processing plants in Mississippi. More than
4,000 workers are affected, company spokesman Gary Mickelson said.
<more> Aug. 31, 2005 Dow Jones
CPF awarded USDA funds to
boost poultry biosecurity -- USDA Rural Development has awarded $125,000
in rural business grants to help strengthen the state's firewall against
poultry diseases like avian influenza and exotic Newcastle disease. The
grants, presented by USDA Rural Development State Director Paul Venosdel to
the California Poultry Federation, help fund the industry's ongoing
biosecurity program of education and outreach to Northern and Central Valley
small poultry producers and processors.
<more> Aug. 31, 2005 Poultry & Egg News
National Chicken Month
helps boost sales -- The National Chicken Council and U.S. Poultry & Egg
Association sponsor the annual promotional campaign that is geared to
consumers and the poultry industry. This year's theme is "Taste the
Possibilities." According to promotion officials, the campaign has helped
increase chicken sales by more than 50 percent in September.
<more> Aug. 31, 2005 Poultry & Egg News
Debate heats up over Sonoma
county GMO initiative - - The two groups, firmly planted on opposite
sides of a rural Sonoma County fence, each depict themselves as dedicated
friends of "the people" seeking to boost agricultural production, the
economy, health and human rights, and often portray their opponents as
ignorant, self-serving rascals whose scare tactics leave people shaking in
their boots.
<more>
Aug. 31, 2005 Argus Courier
Chronicle Editorial: Cindy Tuck wrong pick for air board - - You can fault Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his stands on schools, taxes or a needless special election coming in November. But on the environment, he has generally proved responsible and attuned to state voters. Why, then, is he pushing a longtime advocate for the energy industry to, of all spots, head of the state smog board? Cindy Tuck is credited with intelligence and a temperate style, but she also comes equipped with the wrong resume to be head of the state Air Resources Board. <more> Aug. 31, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005
Aviagen Acquires British
United Turkeys from Merial - - Aviagen has acquired British United
Turkeys (B.U.T.) from Merial Ltd. Aviagen said B.U.T. will be combined with
its own Nicholas Turkey Breeding Farms brand to create Aviagen Turkeys,
which will be the largest turkey genetics supplier in the world and the only
turkey breeder with pedigree flocks on two continents. Aviagen vice
president Ian Hamilton said the acquisition represents "a strategic move
into the European market," where the company will offer European growers
both the B.U.T. and Nicholas brands. He also said the combination of
Aviagen's and B.U.T.'s expertise and technologies in poultry breeding will
accelerate genetic progress in the turkey industry.
<more> Aug. 30, 2005 Aviagen Press
Release
Calif. poultry industry
focuses on biosecurity - - While the news of threatening poultry
diseases, including the outbreak of avian influenza in Asia, spreads across
the world, California producers are leading the way in strengthening
biosecurity measures.
<more> Aug. 26, 2005 Capital Press
Chicken Eggs Made to
Produce Human Antibodies - - For the past 50 years or so, chicken eggs
have played a vital role in producing the flu vaccine. Now scientists report
another application for the breakfast staple: manufacturing fully functional
human monoclonal antibodies, molecules that mimic the immune system to fight
specific invaders.
<more> Aug. 30, 2005 Scientific American.com
U.S. broiler hatch up
slightly in July - - Broiler-type chicks hatched during July 2005
totaled 808 million, up slightly from July 2004. Eggs in incubators totaled
663 million on July 1, 2005, down slightly from a year earlier. Leading
breeders placed 6.66 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic
hatchery supply flocks during July 2005, down slightly from July 2004.
<more> Aug. 30, 2005 USDA NASS Report
San Joaquin Valley battles
state's worst air. Community works to make the mountains visible again and
let everyone breathe easier - - At Mayfair Elementary in the Fresno
Unified School District, color- coded flags tell asthma-suffering
sixth-grader Robert Hinojoza whether that day's air pollution is low enough
to play hard during recess or just have a walk around and chit-chat with
friends. "If it's a red day, I shouldn't be running around as much. If it's
an orange day, I should probably be in the shade," said Hinojoza, 11. Of
Fresno Unified's 79,000 students, about 30 percent have some form of asthma.
This fall, after a successful pilot program, flags will fly at all of the
district's 95 schools. Modesto City Schools will fly similar flags over its
33 campuses starting Sept. 1. A handful of Stockton schools are starting to
do the same. The flags are an acknowledgement of the San Joaquin Valley's
high asthma rate -- 12 percent of school-age children throughout the region
have it -- and an example of an expanding activism as the valley fights to
lose the unhealthy distinction of breathing the worst air in California.
<more> Aug. 30,
2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Johanns acknowledges
privacy concerns with national animal ID program- - USDA Secretary Mike
Johanns today acknowledge livestock industry concerns about the National
Animal Identification System (NAIS) and said the system will be a
public-private partnership. "We are eager to work closely with industry as
they develop and maintain databases that contain animal movement
information. After hearing the confidentiality concerns of producers, we
envision a system that allows these databases to feed a single, privately
held animal-tracking repository that we can access,” said Johanns.
<more> Aug.
30, 2005 USDA Press Release
Friday, Aug. 26, 2005
Spread of bird flu virus is a
'national emergency' says British scientist- - Veterinary experts from
across Europe are meeting today to develop a strategy to stop the spread of a
deadly strain of avian flu, which one British scientist has declared a
national emergency. <more>
Aug. 26, 2005 Times of London
Playing chicken: No more dark
meat. Professor develops way to transform poultry, but purists cry 'fowl!'
- - Daniel Fletcher has found a way to transform dark meat chicken into white,
a scientific advance some purists say has gone too far. "Leave chicken alone,"
said Mary Raczka, who's in charge of hospitality at Mary Mac's Tea Room, a
prominent Southern-style restaurant in midtown Atlanta that serves more than
500 pounds of fried chicken a week — dark and white meat. But Fletcher, a
University of Georgia poultry science professor, said his other white meat
isn't designed to compete with the real thing on restaurant menus or grocery
shelves. Instead, it's a filler that can be used to add protein and amino
acids to something else, such as chicken nuggets.
<more> Aug. 26, 2005 Associated Press
REDISTRICTING: Incumbents team up to oppose Schwarzenegger on Prop. 77 - -
While a new poll shows that Proposition 77, the redistricting initiative, is
in trouble with the voters, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also faces a revolt
from GOP congress members worried that the initiative could cost them their
seats. Fewer than half of
California's 20-member GOP delegation have endorsed the initiative, while
others are actively working against the measure. Earlier this month,
Conservative Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin (Placer County), joined forces
with liberal Rep. Howard Berman, D-North Hollywood, to persuade the Federal
Election Commission to allow them to collect unlimited amounts of money to
fight the initiative.
<more> Aug. 26, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005
Average of two backyard
flocks within mile of commercial poultry, says USDA report - - There is an
average of two backyard flocks located within a one-mile radius of commercial
poultry operations nationwide and as the flocks grow larger they experience
more health problems, especially those of a respiratory nature, according to a
report released today by the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System.
The study addresses issues important to the U.S. poultry industry, including
information on bird health, bird movement, and biosecurity practices of
nontraditional poultry industries, such as backyard flocks, gamefowl, and
live-bird markets. The report is available at
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/ncahs/nahms/poultry/index.htm
West best for health
benefits. 73% of workers can get coverage through their employers - -
Workers in the West have the highest access to employer-sponsored health care
coverage but are offered retiree benefits at the lowest rate in the nation,
according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Seventy-three percent of employees
in California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Alaska were offered medical
benefits by their employers, a report released Wednesday by the department's
Bureau of Labor Statistics found. That was higher than the 70 percent of
workers nationwide who received such benefits.
<more> Aug. 25, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Governor's numbers fall even
lower in poll. None of his ballot measures wins majority backing - - With
11 weeks until the Nov. 8 special election, just more than one in three
Californian voters approve of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's job performance --
and only one of his special-election measures has even a plurality of support,
a Public Policy Institute of California poll released today shows. Among the
three initiatives the governor is backing, only Proposition 74 -- which
increases the time it would take for public school teachers to gain tenure --
has even a minimum of support. The poll showed that 49 percent of the likely
voters surveyed favor the measure, with 42 percent opposed and 9 percent
undecided.
<more> Aug. 25, 2006 San Francisco Chronicle
Port keeps on trucking late.
Good news for Valley shippers: Busy Oakland facility will allow overnight
deliveries at 1 gate. - - The Port of Oakland, a key destination for much
of California's farm products, will open one of its terminals during some
night hours in a move aimed at coping with peak-hour traffic congestion and
concerns over air quality.
<more> Aug. 25, 2005 Fresno Bee
Pombo moves on fish crisis in the Delta - - A congressional hearing to explore the possible causes of an ecological crisis in the Delta is likely to be scheduled this fall, Rep. Richard Pombo told the Times editorial board on Wednesday. The Tracy Republican said he wants to hear more about what might be causing the fish decline and why, after $250 million in federal money and far more than that in state funds, the Delta's environmental problems have worsened. "I think there will be a lot of questions about whether the money has done any good," Pombo said. <more> Aug., 25, 2005 Contra Costa Times
Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005
Rebates available for ag
ventilation fans - - The Agricultural Ventilation Fan Efficiency Program
offers incentives to California agricultural producers who wish to upgrade
their ventilation fans to more energy efficient models. Over $400,000 in
rebate money is available, with individual rebates ranging up to $1,000 per
fan depending upon the efficiency of the new fans. The program is open to
all agricultural producers who are SCE customers. The program will be
accepting applications through December 2005. Producers interested in
applying for the program may call Helen Hossley at (800) 732-1399 ext. 21,
or visit
www.ensave.com
<more> Aug. 24, 2005
EnSave Energy
Performance Press Release
Tiger salamander losing
some ground - - Federal officials on Tuesday dramatically reduced the
California tiger salamander's critical habitat, highlighting an
environmental fight that's about to resurface on Capitol Hill. Pressed from
all sides, the Fish and Wildlife Service formally designated 199,109 acres
statewide as crucial for the salamander's survival. This is only about half
of the 382,666 acres originally proposed, and it includes significant
reductions throughout the Central Valley.
<more> Aug. 24, 2005 Modesto Bee
Farm water runoff
management practices highlighted in Runoff Rundown- - The Water
Education Foundation has published “Runoff Rundown”, a newsletter
highlighting the efforts of various watershed coalitions to comply with the
state’s conditional waiver programs. The State Water Board funded the
publication which can be downloaded in PDF format by
clicking here.
Aug. 24, 2005 Water Education Foundation
Pilgrim's Pride Reaffirms 4th
Quarter Guidance -- Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the nation's second-largest
poultry producer, on Wednesday reaffirmed its fourth-quarter earnings
guidance at 90 cents to $1 per share, a day after rival Sanderson Farms Inc.
reported disappointing third-quarter results.
<more> Aug. 24, 2005 Associated Press
Poultry takes cover as fears rise over avian flu - - With the media and scientists touting the possibility that avian flu could migrate to the EU from Russia, the chicken is facing another round of bad publicity. If the disease hits here the EU might have to cull entire flocks to stop the disease from spreading and infecting humans, raising not only a supply problem for food processors, but also a drop in consumption due to consumers fears. <more> Aug. 24, 2005 Foodproductiondaily.com
Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2005
Scientists Race To Head Off
Lethal Potential Of Avian Flu - - Robert G. Webster is watching his
40-year-old hunch about the origin of pandemic influenza play out before his
eyes. It would be thrilling if it were not so terrifying. Four decades ago,
Webster was a young microbiologist from New Zealand on a brief sojourn in
London. While he was there, he did an experiment that pretty much set the
course of his scientific career. In just a few hours, he showed that the
microbe that swept the globe in 1957 as "Asian flu" bore an unmistakable
resemblance to strains of virus carried by certain birds in the years
before.
<more> Aug. 23, 2005 Washington Post
Poultry antimicrobial
eliminates need for chlorine - - A new antimicrobial solution helps
reduce Salmonella and other bacteria in poultry during processing and also
eliminates the need for chlorine in the chilling tank, according to its
manufacturer.
<more> Aug. 23, 2005
Foodproductiondaily.com
Terror experts focus on
food. Viruses, transport attacks could disrupt supply, conference told.
- - Terrorists aiming to spread fear, disrupt the economy and undermine
confidence in the U.S. government could do all three with a focused strike
on agriculture, experts said Thursday during a conference on the unthinkable
- a surprise attack on food. If 180 attendees hadn't arrived in Sacramento
already edgy about possibilities of another terror attack on U.S. soil, they
left with an unsettling vision of all the ways it could happen again:
introducing viruses to animals, adding poisoned additives to snack foods or
crippling a transportation system to empty urban localities of their typical
seven-day supply of food.
<more> Aug. 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Farm Groups Are Pushing for
the Repeal of the Federal Estate Tax - - Farm groups and some
government officials are mobilizing for a final push to repeal the estate
tax, despite the lack of hard evidence that it affects most farmers and
ranchers. The U.S. Senate is poised to consider repealing the estate tax
when lawmakers return from their August break in early September. A change
in the law is necessary because of the way the 2001 tax cuts structured
estate-tax provisions, creating no tax at all in 2010 and then reverting to
an exclusion of $1 million the next year.
<more> Aug. 23, 2005 Omaha World-Herald
Firefighters called to help
Arkansas chickens beat the heat - - Firefighters were called to a
poultry farm when a well ran dry and Dale Humphrey didn't have a way to keep
his chickens cool. Prolonged heat and a lack of rain have left farmers with
too little water to raise crops and keep their chicken houses cool.
<more> Aug. 23, 2005 Associated Press
Bird Flu Again Detected in
Japan Poultry - - Authorities have detected another outbreak of bird flu
at a poultry farm near Tokyo, the Agriculture Ministry said Monday.
Officials have extracted and identified a virus in the H5 family from
chickens at a poultry farm in Ibaraki state, the ministry said in a
statement.
<more> Aug. 23, 2005 Associated Press
Sanderson Farms 3Q Profit Down on Prices -- Poultry producer Sanderson Farms Inc. on Tuesday said its profit fell 29 percent in the fiscal third quarter as prices for chicken parts plunged from record levels the year before. The report pulled down Sanderson's stock, which plunged $4.06, or 10.4 percent, to $34.63 on the Nasdaq. Shares have fallen nearly 30 percent from a 52-week high of $49.19 in mid-July. <more> Aug. 23, 2005 Associated Press
Monday, Aug. 22, 2005
State increases efforts to
shield poultry producers from disease - - The California Poultry
Federation this fall will step up its outreach to the Valley's small poultry
producers and processors to protect against diseases that include avian
influenza and exotic Newcastle disease.
<more> Aug. 20, 2005 Fresno Bee
A new union
at Foster Farms? - - By Labor Day weekend, Foster Farms plant employees
could find themselves represented by a different union that labor leaders
say could help in their ongoing contract dispute.
<more> Aug. 22, 2005 Modesto Bee
Russian sanitary services
take urgent measures to create bird flu vaccine - - The Russian Federal
Service for Protection of Consumers and Human Welfare is taking measures to
create the special influenza A (H5N1) or the bird flu vaccine.
<more>Aug. 21, 2005 Pravda
Bird Flu Suspected at Big
Russian Farm. Presence of Deadly Virus, if Verified, Would Be the Nation's
Biggest Outbreak -- Russian officials have quarantined a large poultry
farm in Siberia because of a suspected outbreak of bird flu, news reports
said Saturday. If confirmed, it would be the first major occurrence of the
lethal virus among birds in Russia, and international health officials
expressed concern that the disease had spread closer to Western Europe.
<more> Aug. 21, 2005 Washington Post
Consumers
stockpiling avian flu drug. Sales of antiviral drug surging in Canada and
U.S. Concerns that demand could outstrip supply - - North American sales
of the drug oseltamivir have more than tripled in recent months, a trend
public health experts see as evidence individuals are stockpiling the once
little-used antiviral as a hedge against a possible flu pandemic.
<more> Aug. 22, 2005 Canadian Press
Wines Fail the ... Smog Test? Controls are proposed to curb ethanol, a pollutant, from San Joaquin Valley vintners. - - Uncork a bottle of fine California wine and the delightful aroma it exudes is called bouquet. But multiply that bottle by the millions produced in the Central Valley, and regulators refer to those same wine gases by a less pleasant name: smog-forming pollution. <more> Aug. 22, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Friday, Aug. 19, 2005
CPF conference
hotel registration deadline Monday Aug. 22 - -
CPF members and supporters who plan
to attend the CPF annual conference in Sonoma Sept. 22-23 are reminded that
the deadline to make hotel reservations is Monday Aug. 22 in order to take
advantage of the special group rate offered by the Lodge at Sonoma.
Reservations must be made through the CPF office at (209) 576-6355. This
year’s conference will feature talks by Lloyd Day, newly appointed USDA
Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator; Dr. Neal Westgerdes, USDA Food
safety Inspection Service; state Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Modesto); Sacramento Bee
political columnist Dan Walters. Thursday night’s banquet will feature comedy
entertainment by Eric Schwartz.
Group Questions Whether Wild
Birds Carry Much Flu - — An outbreak of avian flu in Mongolia seems to have
died out quickly on its own, wildlife experts said Thursday, raising questions
about how easily migrating birds will spread the virus.
<more> Aug. 19, 2005 Reuters
Bid to forge special vote deal collapses.
Governor says he'll put state overhaul plan on the ballot. - -
Last-minute talks on a possible compromise over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
special election initiatives collapsed Thursday night with the Republican
governor vowing to take his government overhaul measures directly to voters.
"I'm actually very sad that we were just told by Secretary (of State) Bruce
McPherson that we ran out of time and we passed the deadline,"
Schwarzenegger told reporters who waited outside his office for the two-hour
negotiating session to end.
<more>
Aug. 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Tallow firm sued as promised. Plant accused of operating with odor reducer shut off - - During the past three years, Modesto Tallow Co. routinely processed animal carcasses without turning on odor reducing equipment, according to a lawsuit filed this week by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. The lawsuit, filed in Stanislaus County Superior Court, accuses the 88-year-old rendering plant of creating a public nuisance, failing to maintain and monitor equipment, letting carcasses sit longer than 24 hours and processing foam meat-packing trays and plastic wrap along with the plant's regular intake. <more> Aug. 19, 2005 Modesto Bee
Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005
USDA Rural Development awards
funds to CPF to boost poultry biosecurity - - USDA Rural
Development has awarded $125,000 in rural business grants to help strengthen
the state’s firewall against poultry diseases like avian influenza and
exotic Newcastle disease. The grants, presented by USDA Rural Development
State Director Paul Venosdel to the California Poultry Federation, help fund
the industry’s ongoing biosecurity program of education and outreach to
Northern and Central Valley small poultry producers and processors.
<more> Aug. 18, 2005 USDA Press Release
Thousands Sign Up for Animal Feeding Operations
Air Compliance Agreement - - More than 2,000 animal feeding operations (AFOs)
have signed agreements for EPA's air compliance initiative. Sign-up ended
Friday, but the agency will continue to process agreements postmarked with
Friday's date. Many of the companies that signed up have several farms that
will come under the agreement. Applicants originate from more than 37 states
across the United States and include representation from the pork, egg
layers, meat birds, and dairy industries.
<more> Aug. 18, 2005 EPA Press Release
Rescued Gilroy area
chickens see the sun - - More than 700 Gilroy egg farm-raised chickens
got their first glimpse of sunlight and a chance to scratch in the dirt when
they stumbled out of the truck that carried them to The Animal Place in
Vacaville.
<more> Aug. 18, 2005 Fairfield Daily Republic
Vietnam's mass bird
vaccination to end in November - - Vietnam, the country worst hit by the
deadly bird flu that now threatens Europe, plans to complete vaccinating all
its poultry in November before periods of high demand for chicken early next
year, state media reported.
<more> Aug. 18, 2005 Reuters
Truckers, farmers feel burn as diesel tops $3 a
gallon - - California’s diesel fuel prices are topping $3, according to
the latest survey produced by Energy Information Administration. Monday’s
report said diesel fuel cost $3.04 per gallon in California, that’s 47
cents, or 18 percent, higher than the national average.
<more>
Aug. 18, 2005 Bakersfield Californian
Ag leader surveys Valley's bounty. Nunes invites
head of House panel to examine value of specialty crops. - - Rep. Bob
Goodlatte, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, got a firsthand look
at the diversity of Fresno County crops Tuesday before an evening fundraiser
in Fresno.
<more> Aug. 18, 2005 Fresno Bee
FEC lets lawmakers raise unlimited funds against redistricting - - The Federal Election Commission voted Thursday to let members of Congress raise unlimited donations of so-called soft money to fight Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's redistricting initiative. The 6-0 decision by the commission came in response to a request from U.S. Reps. Howard Berman, D-North Hollywood, and John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, both of whom oppose the redistricting plan. The decision will allow federal officeholders to raise unlimited sums from unions, corporations and other donors to support or oppose any measure on the Nov. 8 special election ballot. <more> Aug. 18, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Friday, Aug. 12, 2005
Federal rule limits 'critical
habitat'. Map exempts large areas targeted for development - - The Bush
administration on Thursday issued a revised rule identifying parts of
Sacramento and Placer counties as "critical habitat" for vernal pool species
while exempting large portions of both counties where developers intend to
build.
<more> Aug. 12, 2005
Sacramento Bee
Merced County critical
habitat again. Fish and Wildlife reversal might impact UC Merced; Stanislaus
affected, also - - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reversed its
decision to exempt Merced County from critical habitat designation under the
Endangered Species Act. The decision, announced Thursday, identifies nearly
150,000 acres of critical habitation for vernal pools in Merced County but
gives no direction on how to preserve them.
<more>
Aug. 12, 2005 Modesto Bee
Air pressure. Regulators
address ethanol released by valley wineries - - Wineries in the San
Joaquin Valley are the next target of regional air regulators, and proposed
rules could cost area winemakers tens of millions of dollars. The San Joaquin
Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District may require large wineries to
install duct work and pollution control equipment on red wine fermentation
tanks.
<more> Aug. 12, 2005
Modesto Bee
FSIS seeking comments
on financial impact of HACCP on small and very small plants - - The
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
today announced it is seeking public comments on the financial impact of the
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations on small and very
small plants.
<more> Aug. 12, 2005 USDA Press Release
How America eats - - What is it about Americans
and food? We love to eat, but we feel guilty about it afterward. We say we
want only the best, but we settle for--and even heartily enjoy--junk food.
We're obsessed with health and weight loss but face an unprecedented epidemic
of obesity. Perhaps the answer to this am- bivalence lies in our history. The
first Europeans came to this continent searching for exotic spices. Instead,
they got the lowly spud. The first cash crop wasn't eaten but smoked. Then
there was Prohibition, intended to curtail drinking but actually encouraging
more creative ways of doing it.
<more> Aug. 12, 2005
U.S. News & World Report
Dr. Curt Mann appointed USDA
Deputy Under Secretary for food safety - - Agriculture Secretary
Mike Johanns today announced he has appointed Dr. Curt J. Mann to serve as
Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety.. Dr. Mann will begin his new duties at
USDA August 22nd. Previously he served with the Biological and Chemical
Defense Policy Directorate of the White House Homeland Security Council as the
Director of Food, Agriculture, and Water Security.
<more> Aug. 12, 2005 USDA
Press Release
CPF Headline News on Hiatus - - CPF Headline News will take a vacation for the next few days, returning to publication on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005.
Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005
Laurie Garrett: Are We
Prepared for Avian Flu? - - Laurie Garrett, the only reporter to win all
three of journalism’s big “P” awards (the Peabody, the Polk and the Pulitzer)
is extraordinarily well positioned to tell the frightening and emerging story
of avian flu. The author of two major public health books, Betrayal of Trust
and The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World out of Balance, she
was a science correspondent at National Public Radio before joining the
science-writing staff of Newsday in 1988. Today, Garrett is Senior Fellow for
Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her story “The Next
Pandemic?” was published in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs, the
Council’s bi-monthly magazine. In it, Garrett traces the history of U.S.
pandemics, including the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, which killed 675,000
Americans. Avian flu could be even worse.
<more> Aug. 11, 2005 The Environmental Magazine
U.S. ag secretary to attend
forum in Fresno - - California Department of Food and Agriculture
Secretary A.G. Kawamura will join U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on
Friday at a forum on the next farm bill. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m.
in the Junior Exhibit Building at the Fresno County Fairground.
<more>
Aug. 11, 2005 Fresno Bee
No Relief in Sight for
Gasoline Prices. Oil hits a new high, but improved fuel-efficiency since the
last big run-up in 1980 means the economy can take it. Still, some drivers
can't. - - Motorists got a barrelful of bad news Wednesday when oil prices
soared to a new high, gasoline set another record in California and the
Department of Energy warned that pump prices could remain above $2 a gallon
through much of next year. The latest round of woe was spurred by a spate of
refinery problems in the U.S., increasing instability in the Middle East and a
growing imbalance between demand for petroleum, which is rising rapidly, and
production capacity, which isn't.
<more> Aug. 11, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Wanted: Live Production
Supervisor - - Diestel Turkey Ranch is looking for a Live Production
Supervisor. The right applicant should have experience in poultry husbandry
practices and leadership qualities. Position will oversee company and
contract ranches. Please send resume to: P.O. Box 576, Sonora, CA 95370.
Chicken ranks as country's
most popular meat - - Americans will purchase 26 billion pounds of chicken
in 2005 - 87 pounds for each man, woman and child - making chicken by far the
country's most popular meat. And as the poultry industry marks the seventeenth
consecutive September as National Chicken Month, new survey statistics confirm
that we're eating more chicken than ever, both at home and in restaurants.
<more> Aug. 11, 2005 Bartlesville
Examiner-Enterprise
University of Georgia scientist takes dark out of chicken meat - - University of Georgia poultry and food scientist Daniel Fletcher can make "a silk purse" if he wants to. In his research, he's turning dark meat, the underused "sow's ear" of chicken, into something more valuable: white meat. <more> Aug. 10, 2005 Physorg.com
Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005
Valley's growth causing
concern. Regional cooperation suggested to address farmland loss, other
issues - - By 2040, the population of the San Joaquin Valley — assuming
projections are accurate — will have grown by 7 million to 8 million people.
"That's the equivalent of building 10 more Fresnos in the next 35 years,"
former Modesto Mayor Carol Whiteside told a high-powered "town hall"
audience Tuesday. With three of Gov. Schwarzenegger's Cabinet members
looking on at Modesto Centre Plaza, Whiteside noted that the valley's
population already is larger than 20 states. We are, she said, certain to be
pummeled with additional "astronomic, unremitting and constant growth." So,
the question becomes not whether the valley will grow, but how, participants
agreed. Consensus proved hard to achieve.
<more> Aug. 10, 2005 Modesto Bee
Modesto tallow plant faces
suit - - San Joaquin Valley air quality officials said Monday they plan
to take legal action against Modesto Tallow Co. that would force the
rendering plant to clean up its act or face possible closure.
<more>
Aug. 10, 2005 Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County board
supports biotech - - Stronger, more resilient fruits and vegetables, or
"Frankenfoods"? Stanislaus County entered the growing debate over
genetically engineered crops Tuesday as the Board of Supervisors unanimously
adopted a resolution in support of biotechnology in agriculture.
<more>Aug. 10,
2005 Modesto Bee
U.S. showing confidence in
beef safety - - Forty-eight hours after the U.S. Department of
Agriculture cleared a cow of having mad cow disease, consumer Michelle Boyer
walked into an Elk Grove supermarket Friday with plans to buy chicken and
fish. Like most Americans, Boyer believes U.S. beef is safe and wasn't
making her choice based on fear of mad cow disease. "My kids like chicken
and fish better," she said.
<more> Aug. 10,
2005 Sacramento Bee
Diesel Price Soars.
Truckers, canners reel at $3 a gallon; low supply blamed- - Diesel fuel
prices are soaring, sometimes exceeding $3 a gallon. Since a July 20 fire at
a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, supplies of diesel fuel have run short,
causing prices to skyrocket. Truck drivers said the price spike is hurting
their bottom line.
<more> Aug. 10, 2005 Modesto Bee
Appellate ruling halts
Prop. 77. Redistricting backers will ask state Supreme Court to reinstate
ballot measure. - - A state appellate court Tuesday refused to reinstate
the Proposition 77 redistricting measure for the November special election,
ruling the initiative was fatally flawed due to proponents' "negligence" in
circulating one version for voter signatures and submitting another version
for the ballot.
<more> Aug. 10, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Suit challenges management
plan for water in state. Environmentalists say approval process violated
federal laws. - - A coalition of environmental and fishing groups
alleged Tuesday that the federal government chose "political science" over
pure science in approving a plan to alter water management in California.
The groups, led by the nonprofit Earthjustice, filed suit in federal court
in Oakland on Tuesday against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. They claim the Bureau of
Reclamation violated the National Environmental Policy Act in approving the
water management plan without first conducting an environmental impact study.
<more>Aug. 10,
2005 Sacramento Bee
Russian bird flu advances, Kazakhs say virus deadly - - A bird flu outbreak extended its reach in Russian Siberia and spread to Mongolia on Wednesday, and neighboring Kazakhstan confirmed a fowl virus found in the Central Asian state could kill humans.<more> Aug. 10, 2005 Reuters
Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2005
Garamendi urges cuts in workers' comp rates.
State commissioner wants more relief for employers. - - While California
employers are seeing the steepest cuts in their workers' compensation
insurance rates in years, the state's top insurance official Monday called
on carriers to slash premiums even further. Insurance Commissioner John
Garamendi urged insurers to roll back rates to match the reductions he's
proposed over the past two years.
<more>
Aug. 9, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Dan Walters: Garamendi
dances cautiously through workers' comp minefield - - California
politicians know - or soon learn the hard way - that workers' compensation
is, despite its nondescript name, a political minefield through which one
treads very carefully. Workers' compensation is the multibillion-dollar
system that provides medical care and sustenance to those with work-related
injuries and illnesses. Its immensity and the fact that politicians control
the size of the pie and who gets which slice have made it a permanent
fixture of Capitol politics.
<more> Aug. 9,
2005 Sacramento Bee
State Employers Reaping
Benefits of Workers' Comp Overhaul - - Owners of small and medium-sized
companies in California are beginning to see significant benefits from the
cost savings that followed two years of retooling the state's program for
providing benefits to injured workers. Premiums for workers' compensation
insurance fell an average of 14.6% for policies written or renewed after
July 1, Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi reported Monday, reflecting
renewed competition among insurers and sharp cuts in the benefits collected
by workers.
<more>
Aug. 9, 2005 Los Angeles Times
An Avian Flu Vaccine -
- The announcement that an experimental vaccine could provide good
protection against a dangerous strain of avian influenza is an encouraging
development. But it's also a reminder of how ill prepared the world is to
cope with an influenza pandemic that could kill millions of people.
<more> Aug. 9, 2005 New York Times
Editorial
Bush Signs Overhaul of U.S.
Energy Policy. The ceremony culminates a 4½-year drive by the president.
Critics say the law doesn't go far enough to cut oil dependence. - —
President Bush on Monday signed the nation's first comprehensive energy
legislation in 13 years, saying it eventually would "help every American" by
boosting the economy and lessening the nation's dependence on foreign energy
sources.
<more> Aug.
9, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Company reaffirms plans for ethanol plants - - An Orange County company renewed its option to buy 60 acres in Hanford with plans to build California's fourth corn-to-ethanol plant, a spokesman said Monday. The company plans to start the permitting process on the ethanol plant this month, said Matt Schmitt, managing partner of Calgren Renewable Fuels LLC. <more> Aug. 9, 2005 Fresno Bee
Monday, Aug. 8, 2005
Avian Flu Vaccine Set for
U.S. Production - -Mass production of a new vaccine that scientists
believe can protect against an avian flu outbreak could begin as early as
mid-September, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases said Sunday. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci said the government is
ready to move ahead with ordering significantly more than the 2 million
doses it acquired from a French vaccine maker before testing began earlier
this year to jump start the U.S. vaccine stockpile in case the tests were
successful.
<more> Aug. 7, 2005 Associated Press
Avian Flu Vaccine Called
Effective in Human Testing - - Government scientists say they have
successfully tested in people a vaccine that they believe can protect
against the strain of avian influenza that is spreading in birds through
Asia and Russia. Health officials have been racing to develop a vaccine
because they worry that if that strain mutated and combined with a human
influenza virus to create a new virus, it could spread rapidly through the
world. (The vaccine cannot lead to such a situation because it is made from
killed virus.)
<more>
Aug. 7, 2005 New York Times
A
Successful Vaccine Alone Is Not Enough to Prevent Avian Flu Epidemic - -
Health officials, who over the weekend announced success in an initial test
of a human vaccine against avian influenza, cautioned Sunday that the
existence of a vaccine in itself would not be enough to avert a worldwide
pandemic.
<more> Aug. 8, 2005 New York Times
State Feeling Pain of High Diesel Prices. Truckers, farmers and other big users are hurt as the surging cost of the vital fuel threatens to crimp California's economic growth. - - A refinery outage and ill-timed shipments of diesel from California to Chile are pushing prices of the vital fuel past the $3-a-gallon mark and threatening to crimp the state's economic growth as truckers, farmers and other big users struggle to cope. <more> Aug. 8, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Friday, Aug. 5, 2005
Fowl play. Shares of poultry
companies have been hot performers. Should you be doing a chicken dance? -
- There's a lot of talk about bulls and bears on Wall Street. But the market
should perhaps be thinking of another animal: chickens. Investors have been
dipping their beaks in shares of poultry producers as healthy consumer demand
for chicken and lower grain costs have led to strong profits.
<more> Aug. 5, 2005 CNN Money
Bird Flu May Hit Europe, Russia Says. Migratory fowl could help spread the virus, officials warn. They note that the outbreak in Siberia includes a strain that affects humans. - - Russian authorities, struggling to contain an outbreak of avian flu that has killed thousands of birds in Siberia, acknowledged Thursday that a spread of the virus into Europe seemed almost inevitable. "It is quite likely that the flu will creep westward. What else can it do? The infection is picking up momentum," said Viktor Maleyev, deputy director of the Russian Health Ministry's Institute of Epidemiology. Equally worrisome, health officials confirmed that the outbreak included H5N1, a strain that has been known to affect humans. Scientists fear that expansion of the virus' terrain increases the risk of a major outbreak within the human population. <more> Aug. 5, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005
Vietnam vaccinates poultry to
fight bird flu - - Vietnam has begun to vaccinate 210 million poultry as
part of an all-out effort to eradicate the deadly bird flu virus which has
killed 42 people in the country, half of them since December. The Agriculture
Ministry said it would use more than 400 million batches of vaccine imported
from China and the Netherlands to inoculate chickens, ducks and quails against
the deadly H5N1 virus.
<more> Aug. 4, 2005 Reuters
Pilgrim's Pride Says It Will
Use Proceeds From Stock Offering to Buy Out ConAgra Foods' Stake --
Pilgrim's Pride Corp. on Thursday said it will use proceeds from a stock
offering to buy out ConAgra Foods Inc.'s 23.2 percent stake in the poultry
producer.
<more> Aug. 4, 2005 Associated Press
New USDA Ag Marketing Service
Administrator named - - Lloyd Day has been named as Administrator of the
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. He has served as Special Assistant to
the Administrator, Foreign Agriculture Service for the past three years
focusing on U.S. trade issues. Before joining USDA, he served as Deputy
Secretary of the International Trade and Investment Division of the California
Trade and Commerce Agency. He officially joins AMS Aug. 8.. Source: USDA
Aug. 4, 2005
Diesel Fuel Prices Hit Record
High of $2.764 a gallon - - Diesel prices in California hit a record-high
average of $2.764 per gallon Wednesday, reflecting the higher cost of oil and
a crimp in supplies caused by an outage at a Southern California refinery. The
new statewide average is 17 cents above the average price for a gallon of
regular gasoline, and is nearly 54 cents a gallon higher than the diesel pump
price a year ago, according to survey data from AAA. The average cost of
regular gasoline in California was $2.595 a gallon Wednesday, still a nickel
below the peak reached in April.
<more>
Aug. 4, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Modesto Assemblyman’s car trade could cut pollution. Program might ask companies to donate low-emission autos- - About 10 percent of cars in California pump out about half of all smog-forming emissions from vehicles, experts estimate. For air quality to improve, California must make a bigger effort to get those high-polluting vehicles off the road, says Assemblyman Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto. His idea: Provide incentives for people to donate lower polluting cars to the state. The state, in turn, would give those cars to owners who agree to give up their high-polluting cars. <more> Aug. 4, 2005 Modesto Bee
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2005
Researchers Model Avian Flu
Outbreak, Impact of Interventions - - A carefully chosen combination of
public health measures, if implemented early, could stop the spread of an
avian flu outbreak at its source, suggest two international teams of
researchers in Nature (August 3) and Science (August 5). The researchers
used computer modeling to simulate what might happen if avian flu were to
start passing efficiently between people in Southeast Asia. They found that
antiviral treatment is a critical component of any multi-pronged approach.
<more> Aug. 3, 2005 National Institute
of General Medical Sciences Press Release
Rare `sexing' skill valued
highly in the poultry world - - So much depends on Tai Toelken, his
false thumbnail and an almost mystical ability to draw a simple distinction
1,200 times an hour. Toelken is what's known as a poultry sexer. His work is
to detect the minuscule anatomical differences between newly hatched male
and female turkey poults. And he's paid quite well to do it 2 million times
a year. In the business of birds, Toelken is a rare and coveted breed of
worker.
<more> Aug. 3, 2005 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Candidates for AG see cash
roll in. Brown leads, but rivals not far off pace - — The election for
state attorney general is more than a year away, but the contributions
flowing to candidates for the job indicate a race already in full swing.
Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown's experience as a fund-raiser did not wane with
the new year, despite such distractions as his wedding to longtime companion
Anne Gust. Brown added $1,114,222.74 to his war chest during the six months
ending June 30, and July 31 campaign finance statements show the candidate
has $2,381,533.96 in total cash on hand after expenditures. His Republican
rival, state Sen. Chuck Poochigian of Fresno, has shown he's no slouch in
the money department either. He outpaced Brown with $1,167,162.31 in new
contributions. According to records filed with the secretary of state,
Poochigian has $2,054,895.27 in cash on hand.
<more> Aug. 3, 2005 Oakland Tribune
Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005
Tyson Foods reports lower
profit - - Top U.S. meat processor Tyson Foods Inc. on Monday said
quarterly profit fell nearly 19 percent on weaker results in its beef
business and charges related to a settlement with hog farmers and poultry
plant closings. The company also trimmed its full year earnings outlook.
Tyson expects difficulty in its beef and pork businesses in the fourth
quarter, executives told analysts during a conference call. Its stock fell
3.7 percent.
<more> Aug. 2, 2005 Reuters
CAFTA battle casts doubt on
future pacts - - President Bush signed a free trade agreement with six
Latin American countries on Tuesday, celebrating a victory in Congress so
narrow and grueling that it cast doubt on the future of other trade-opening
pacts the administration is negotiating.
<more> Aug. 2, 2005 Associated Press
Free Trade Agreement
Symposium Aug. 18 in Fresno - - A Free Trade Agreement and Intellectual
Property Rights Symposium sponsored by the Center for International Trade
Development will be held on Aug. 18, at the University of California Center
in Fresno at 550 E Shaw, Fresno 93710. Special guests from Washington D.C.,
and San Jose, Costa Rica, and San Francisco will be discussing entry market
opportunities for companies in the global market. For additional information
and to register,
please click here.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Govt. to assess food chain
security in 50 states - - The Bush administration will send public health
and homeland security experts to each state within the next year to identify
where the U.S. food chain is vulnerable to an attack, the Agriculture
Department said on Tuesday.
<more> July 29, 2005 Reuters
To read the official press release,
please click here
Transit bill: Rich haul for
state. The $286 billion plan is moving toward approval in House and Senate.
-- Congress is racing to complete action today on a six-year, $286.4
billion highway bill that will boost road spending in California by nearly
$1.2 billion a year and deliver more than $115 million in Sacramento-area road
and transportation projects.
<more> July 29, 2005 Sacramento Bee
House Ag Committee schedule
hearings on eminent domain - - The Chairman of the House Committee on
Agriculture joined Representatives Henry Bonilla (R-TX) and Stephanie
Herseth (D-SD) in introducing the Strengthening the Ownership of Private
Property (STOPP) Act. This bipartisan legislation was introduced in
response to the narrow 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. City of New
London, giving local governments broad eminent domain power to seize private
property from one party and give it to another. Chairman Goodlatte was
pleased to announce that the Committee on Agriculture has been granted
primary jurisdiction of this legislation and pledged to hold hearings on the
issue in early September.
<more> July 29, 2005 Ag Committee Press
Release
NCC Chicken Cooking Contest featured on TV Sunday - - A one-hour program on the 2005 National Chicken Cooking Contest will premiere at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, July 31, on the Food TV Network, and will be repeated several times in the following week. The film was shot during the run-up to the National Cook-off in Charlotte, North Carolina, in May and during the Cook-off itself. Currently scheduled air times are: Sunday, July 31, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT; Monday, August 1, 2:00 a.m. ET/PT ; Thursday, August 4, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT ; Friday, August 5, 1:00 a.m. ET/PT ; Saturday, August 6, 6:00 p.m. ET/PT; and Sunday, August 7, 3:00 p.m. ET/PT. Food Network is available on most satellite and cable TV systems. July 28, 2005 NCC Press Release
Thursday, July 28, 2005
FDA Bans Use of Baytril in
Poultry - - The Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of the
antibiotic Baytril in poultry because of concerns the drug could lead to
antibiotic-resistant infections in people. The agency's commissioner, Lester
M. Crawford, on Thursday ordered that approval for use of the drug, known
generically as enrofloxacin, be withdrawn effective Sept. 12.
<more> July 28, 2005 Associated Press.
Industry reacts to Baytril ban - -
The National Chicken Council and the Animal Health Institute expressed
"disappointment" at the FDA's decision today to withdraw approval of Baytril
in poultry. .
<more> July 28, 2005
EPA grants extension to Aug. 12
for Air Consent Agreement signup - -
The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it will extend the
sign-up period for the Air Consent Agreement for an additional two weeks. The
new sign-up deadline will be August 12, 2005.
House narrowly passes CAFTA -
-The House narrowly approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement early
today, a personal triumph for President Bush, who campaigned aggressively for
the accord that he said would foster prosperity and democracy in the
hemisphere. The 217-215 vote just after midnight adds six Latin American
countries to the growing lists of nations with free trade agreements with the
United States and averts what could have been a major political embarrassment
for the Bush administration.
<more>
July 28, 2005 Modesto Bee
Valley lawmakers faced tough political choice -
- A Central American trade deal that was approved by the House early today
pitted key Central Valley constituencies against one another. The conflict
contributed to a nip-and-tuck race that the White House ultimately won. It
complicated decision-making for lawmakers like freshman Fresno Democrat Jim
Costa and veteran Tracy Republican Richard Pombo. And it showed, vividly, the
increasing difficulty facing free-trade deals.
<more>
July 28, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Electricity issue back on
ballot. State high court quickly rules, saying legality of Prop. 80 can be
decided if it passes. - - California's voters will get a chance to
determine how tightly to regulate electricity, the state Supreme Court ruled
Wednesday, ordering election officials to put Proposition 80 back on the
November ballot. The high court did not decide the merits of the legal
challenge to the proposition, saying that can wait until after the vote. The
decision ends a brief legal limbo for the electricity measure, which on Friday
had been scrapped by the 3rd District Court of Appeal for being
"unquestionably invalid."
<more>
July 28, 2005 Sacramento Bee
High costs prompt smaller
firms to band together to self-insure for workers' comp - - Workers'
compensation premiums were doubling each year in the early 2000s for
Achievekids, a South Bay private school for children with emotional and
developmental disorders. School administrators wondered if they would have to
forgo raises for their 120 employees to maintain their workers' comp coverage.
But then Achievekids joined a self-insurance group made up of other private
schools with good track records on workers' comp claims. Its workers' comp
costs dropped from $357,000 in 2004 to $210,000 this year. "It's a significant
amount of savings," said Achievekids Executive Director Michael Gennette.
<more> July 28, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
NCC Chicken Cooking Contest featured on TV Sunday - - A one-hour program on the 2005 National Chicken Cooking Contest will premiere at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, July 31, on the Food TV Network, and will be repeated several times in the following week. The film was shot during the run-up to the National Cook-off in Charlotte, North Carolina, in May and during the Cook-off itself. Currently scheduled air times are: Sunday, July 31, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT; Monday, August 1, 2:00 a.m. ET/PT ; Thursday, August 4, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT ; Friday, August 5, 1:00 a.m. ET/PT ; Saturday, August 6, 6:00 p.m. ET/PT; and Sunday, August 7, 3:00 p.m. ET/PT. Food Network is available on most satellite and cable TV systems. July 28, 2005 NCC Press Release
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Will we be ready? Most
Americans consider bird flu a distant threat, but U.S. health officials are
preparing for a potential pandemic. - - Across East Asia, an influenza
virus known by the scientific designation H5N1 has killed at least 55 people
and tens of millions of birds. As potential aggressors go, this one's about
as insidious as they get — fast-moving, deadly and extremely unpredictable.
Before it can mount an all-out offensive, this "bird flu" virus must change
its genetic makeup so that it can jump easily from human to human. Once it
has done so, the resulting germ could spread quickly, inflicting heavy
casualties among a global population with no natural immunity against it.
That final shift might never happen — or it could happen next week. But
scientists think that roughly three times each century nature creates an
influenza virus capable of global devastation and a "pandemic" flu sweeps
the world. The prospects increase when a virus long out of circulation
extends its geographic range, its hold on different animal species and its
contact with humans. By those measures, H5N1 is a virus on the march.
<more> July 27, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Possible case of BSE
investigated - - The government is investigating another possible case
of mad cow disease, an Agriculture Department official said Wednesday.
Testing indicated the presence of the disease in a cow that died on the farm
where it lived, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because the department had not yet announced the news. The official would
not say where the farm was. The department is conducting further tests and
is sending a brain tissue sample to the internationally recognized
laboratory in Weybridge, England, the official said.
<more> July 27, 2005 Associated Press.
Statement by Dr. John Clifford Regarding
Non-Definitive BSE Test Results
July 27, 2005
Poultry Industry Executive
Urges Congress to Adopt Poultry Industry Executive Five Billion-Gallon RFS
in the Energy Bill. - - The poultry industry urged Congress last week to
adopt a five billion-gallon Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) that would
protect livestock and poultry producers in the event of a major crop
shortfall. The request was made by James L. Mason, general manager of the
Virginia Poultry Cooperative, before the House Agriculture Committee hearing
on agriculture’s role in a RFS. Mason was testifying on behalf of the
National Turkey Federation and the National Chicken Council.
<more> July 27, 2005 NTF, NCC press
release
“America’s Heartland” TV
show comes under fire from activist groups - - A 40-member coalition of
food safety groups, environmentalists and anti-biotech organizations is
demanding that a Sacramento public television station withdraw its national
weekly TV series on U.S. food production scheduled to debut in September.
The groups claim that sponsorship of "America's Heartland" by agricultural
biotechnology giant Monsanto Co., the American Farm Bureau Federation and
other national farm organizations will present viewers "biased" programming
favoring genetically engineered crops and other conventional farming
methods.
<more>
July 27, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Senate panel debates plans for immigrant workers
-- The Senate Judiciary Committee began to grapple with two conflicting
approaches to immigration reform Tuesday: one emphasizing "mandatory return"
of an estimated 10 million illegal workers, and the other a big new guest
worker program to provide those workers a way to gain legal status.
<more> July 27, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Study: Calif. will need more water in 2030 - - At current rates, California's thirst for water will jump by 40 percent over the next 25 years, with much of the water used for landscaping, a new study warns. <more> July 27, 2005 Associated Press
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Agroterrorism Seminar set
for Sacramento Aug. 18 - - Understanding the dangers of agroterrorism
will be the theme of a Aug. 18 seminar in Sacramento sponsored by the
Department of Homeland Security along with the Western Institute for Food
safety and Security and Anon Risk Services, Inc.
<more> July 26, 2005 CDFA press release
BK Launches Chicken Band
- - Crispin Porter & Bogusky is behind yet another poultry-based viral
effort for Burger King. The fast food chain is launching and promoting its
own teen-targeted metal group, through both TV spots and a Web site.
<more> July 26, 2005 ClickZ Network
Energy bill backs ethanol,
not oil savings plan - - To stretch America's gasoline supplies, a joint
Senate-House conference committee racing to finish a U.S. energy bill voted
late on Monday to almost double production of the motor fuel additive
ethanol to 7.5 billion gallons a year by 2012.
<more>
July 26, 2005 Reuters
Bush Working to Stitch
Together Political Support for Trade Deal. The White House, still short
votes for CAFTA, makes side agreements with some lawmakers. - - With a
congressional showdown looming on a high-profile trade pact with Central
American nations, Bush administration officials scrambled Monday to
negotiate side deals that might get them the two dozen or so additional
votes needed to ensure passage. By day's end, they appeared to have nailed
down at least five.
<more> July 26, 2005 Los Angeles
Times
Gasoline Prices Increase in
State - - The average price of gasoline in California inched higher in
the latest week while the national price edged lower, the federal government
said Monday. Self-serve regular in the state sold for an average $2.541 a
gallon, up three-tenths of a cent, according to the Energy Information
Administration, the statistics arm of the Energy Department. Though modest,
the gain was the sixth straight weekly increase in the state's average pump
price, which is now only a nickel below its record high of $2.592 a gallon
reached April 11. The price also is 37.9 cents higher than a year ago, the
EIA said.
<more> July 26,
2005 Los Angeles Times
Bird Droppings Linked to Indonesia Deaths - - Three family members who died of bird flu earlier this month were infected by chicken droppings that contained the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, Indonesia's agriculture ministry said Tuesday. <more> July 26, 2005 Associated Press
Friday, July 22, 2005
Foster Farms union mulls
union merger. International groups are seeking poultry workers - - The
independent union representing about 2,000 Foster Farms workers here is
being courted by other labor organizations interested in having the poultry
plant workers join their ranks, officials said. "We've been approached by
four different international unions asking us to merge with them," said
Ralph Meraz, who heads the League of Independent Workers of the San Joaquin
Valley. "We'll be looking at that in the next 30days," Meraz said. The league
is not affiliated with any other union.
<more> July 22, 2005 Modesto Bee
No resolution in row
stalling US Treasury nominees - - The U.S. Treasury Department and a key
senator remained deadlocked on Wednesday over a Cuba trade dispute that is
holding up Senate approval of officials to fill vacant senior jobs at the
Treasury. Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, the top Democrat on the Senate
Finance Committee, told four Treasury nominees at a hearing that he
continues to be upset at an export rule change that makes it harder for
agricultural producers to ship goods to Cuba. Baucus has threatened to block
Treasury nominees until the rule is reversed.
<more> July 22, 2005 Reuters
California farmers still
confused about water monitoring requirements - - California's first
attempt to monitor farm pollution flowing into rivers and streams also marks
the first time a program has required farmers to comply with clean water
regulations that already apply to businesses and cities. But two years into
the effort, state water regulators are still unsure how many farmers have
joined the program.
<more>
July 22, 2005 Associated Press
Daylight Saving Time
Advances. Lawmakers agree to a four-week extension, which is less than
initially proposed. But work remains on an energy policy overhaul. - -
House and Senate negotiators agreed Thursday to extend daylight saving time
by four weeks as part of a sweeping energy bill. Under the measure, clocks
would be turned forward an hour on the second Sunday of March and turned
back an hour on the first Sunday of November. Currently, daylight saving
time runs from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. The
extension would become effective one year after the enactment of the energy
bill and would require the Energy Department to study the impact of the
change.
<more> July 22,
2005 Los Angeles Times
House Ag Committee examines renewable fuels standard. Looks at the Role of Agriculture in Biofuels Production - - House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Bob Goodlatte chaired a hearing today to review agriculture's role in a renewable fuels standard (RFS). The Chairman's hearing was particularly timely as House and Senate conferees met to iron out differences in the energy bills passed in those chambers earlier this year. The House energy bill includes a five billion gallon RFS while the Senate has an eight billion gallon RFS in its version. <more> July 22, 2005 House Ag Committee press release
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Energy industry seeks to
delete proposition - - Lawyers for an energy-industry trade group argued
Wednesday before a state appeals court that Proposition 80 should be taken off
the Nov. 8 special election ballot. The Independent Energy Producers
Association opposes the measure because it would limit retail power sales by
non-utilities. The group is trying to get it thrown off the ballot on a legal
technicality: The group's lawyers told the California 3rd District Court of
Appeal that the measure should be written as an amendment to the state
constitution rather than as just a change in state law.
<more>
July 21, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Eco-friendliness not aiding
governor. Despite efforts, he slips in poll - - When it comes to the
environment, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is learning what Kermit the Frog
discovered years ago: It's not easy being green. According to a new statewide
poll released today, Californians by large margins support many of
Schwarzenegger's environmental efforts -- from increasing solar power and
hydrogen cars to reducing global-warming emissions. But as the governor's
overall approval ratings continue to tumble, the public is giving him little
credit for being an environmental leader. Just 32 percent of Californians
approve of the way Schwarzenegger is handling the environment, according to a
new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, a non-partisan
research center in San Francisco.
<more> July 21, 2005
San Jose Mercury News
Lawsuit Blames Arkansas
Poultry Farmers for Runoff - - Poultry farmer Gene Pharr scoffs at the
thought of chicken droppings as hazardous waste. Poultry waste spread along
the Ozark Mountains has turned the region into a lush green, he says. And
chickens have made this corner of Arkansas truly prosperous. That's why
Pharr fears a lawsuit targeting the industry that could put chicken waste on
par with industrial solvents, pesticide remnants and old car batteries.
<more>
July 21, 2005 Associated Press
Senate confirms Dorr's Ag nomination - - Ending a four-year battle, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Thomas Dorr to head the Agriculture Department's rural affairs office after he apologized for making racially insensitive remarks and evading limits on farm payments. The Senate voted 62-38 to approve the nomination. Dorr sent a letter of apology Thursday to the Senate Agriculture Committee chairman. <more> July 21, 2005 Associated Press
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Indonesia confirms first human deaths from bird flu - - Indonesia confirmed its first human deaths from bird flu, saying tests had shown that a man and his two daughters who died this month were suffering from the disease. <more> July 20, 2005 AFP
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Water board starts waiver enforcement- - In its
first major enforcement action related to Conditional waivers for Irrigated
Lands, the Central Valley regional water Quality Control Board is sending
certified letters to growers it suspects are not complying with the
requirements of the waiver program.
<more> July 15,
2005 Summer 2005 issue of Watershed Coalition News
State Board adopts waiver fees - - The State
Water Resources Control Board has approved a new fee for farmers of
irrigated lands in California. The plan includes a three-tier, acreage-based
fee schedule with collections expected to begin as soon as September 2005.
State officials expect to collect a total of $1.9 million annually.
<more>
July 15,
2005 Summer 2005 issue of Watershed Coalition News
U.S. May Need Animal-Health
Czar to Protect Consumers - — Consolidating U.S. animal disease
oversight under one high-level government czar may be the best way to
protect consumers from mad cow disease, bird flu and other serious animal
ailments that can jump species, a National Academy of Sciences panel said
Monday.
<more> July 19,
2005 Reuters
Researchers: Tamiflu works
against bird flu -- Roche's influenza drug Tamiflu suppresses the often
deadly avian flu strain seen in Vietnam, which experts fear will soon cause
a human pandemic, U.S. government researchers said on Monday.
<more> July 19, 2005 Reuters
Study Says Ethanol Not Worth the Energy - - Farmers, businesses and state officials are investing millions of dollars in ethanol and biofuel plants as renewable energy sources, but a new study says the alternative fuels burn more energy than they produce. <more> July 19, 2005 Associated Press
Friday, July 15, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
A shrinking crop of young farmers - - Young
farmer? Nationwide -- and statewide -- that's an oxymoron if there ever was
one. At all of 32 years of age, Watsonville strawberry farmer Rob Rodriguez
stands out. Most other farmers he knows are of his father's generation, not
his. According to census data, the number of farmers under 35 fell 44
percent in California and 18 percent nationwide from 1997 to 2002. As a
result, in 2002, only 5.8 percent of all farmers nationwide could count
themselves in Rodriguez's age group.
<more> July 14, 2005 San Jose Mercury News
Farmers say illegal workers should be granted
residency - - Farmers and farmworkers are struggling with an immigration
system that keeps willing workers from jobs that need to be done, farmworker
advocates argued Tuesday. Speakers at a news conference urged Congress to
support a bill that would let agricultural workers earn legal residency and
to back other measures that would increase access to education and job
training.
<more>
July 13, 2005 Associated Press
Workers' comp
lawsuit rejected
- - The California Supreme
Court on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit aimed at overturning new workers'
compensation rules, a ruling that means the issue will have to first be
decided in local workers' compensation courts.
It is the second such decision in a month for labor
leaders and advocates of injured workers who asserted that a new formula to
calculate benefits for workers with permanent disabilities was illegal and
would result in sharply reduced benefits.
<more> July 14,
2005 Sacramento Bee
Report on Delta Water Is Faulted. A federal audit says a U.S. fisheries official skipped key steps in determining that additional pumping would not harm fish. - - A U.S. inspector general has found that a federal fisheries official in California skipped several key internal reviews when his office concluded last year that pumping more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would not seriously hurt endangered salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service biological opinion reversed draft findings that the proposed increase in delta pumping and other planned changes in the operation of the federal government's massive Central Valley Project would threaten two imperiled fish species: the Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon and the Central Valley steelhead. <more> July 14, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
California mulls emissions
plan for big trucks - - California air-quality regulators are
considering a requirement that big-rig trucks install computer systems to
pinpoint on-the-road emissions problems, a move that could spur a change in
federal rules.
<more>
July 13, 2005 Reuters
Fresh case of bird flu hits Thai chicken exporters hard - - Stocks in Thai chicken exporters nosedived Monday as news of a fresh outbreak of bird flu dashed the poultry industry's hopes of resuming exports in the next few months, the Bangkok Post reported today. <more> July 13, 2005 Bangkok Post.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Monday, July 11, 2005
State Vet will address S.F. symposium on A.I. - - State veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer will discus how California allocated its private and government resources to deal with the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease in Southern California and how it is working to prevent future disease outbreaks when a special symposium on avian influenza is held July 28-29 in San Francisco. <more> July 11, 2005 CPF news item
State May Penalize Grocers
Over Ads. Ralphs and Food 4 Less could face big fines for labeling Mexican
grapes as California-grown. - - In what officials are describing as an
unusual violation of the state's California Grown marketing campaign, Ralphs
Grocery Co. and its sister Food 4 Less chain could face steep fines for
advertising Mexican-grown grapes as coming from California farms. The
California Department of Food and Agriculture, responding to complaints from
farmers, has launched a formal review of the violation.
<more> July 9, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Pilgrim's Pride Boosts 3Q Profit Outlook - - Poultry company Pilgrim's Pride Corp. raised its profit forecast for the third quarter Monday following better-than-expected results from its U.S. and Mexico chicken operations. <more> July 11, 2005 Associated Press
Friday, July 8, 2005
Cash infusion resuscitates
the Valley's rural crimes unit. - - The San Joaquin Valley rural crime
task force won a new financial lease on life Thursday when lawmakers approved
$3.3 million for it in the new state budget. The program had faced the
prospect of a $1.9 million cut in the governor's proposed budget.
<more> July 8, 2005 Visalia Times Delta
First case of bird flu hits
Philippines - - The Philippines has suffered its first case of bird flu
after ducks were found to be infected in a town north of Manila, prompting the
country to immediately halt poultry exports to Japan, government officials
said on Friday.
<more>
July 8, 2005 Reuters
International conference draws up strategy to fight avian influenza: Funds needed to stave off risk of influenza pandemic -- International animal and human health experts today unveiled a multi-point plan designed to reduce the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza virus spreading from poultry to humans, and appealed to the international community to come forward with funds to make it work and help stave off the risk of an influenza pandemic. <more> July 8, 2005 FAO press release
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Bird flu seen in wild geese in China. Scientists worry the disease, once confined to domestic fowl, will spread via migrators - - An outbreak of deadly bird flu among wild geese at a remote mountain lake in China is adding to the international concern about a rogue strain of influenza that could evolve into one capable of killing millions of humans. Teams of American and Chinese researchers published two separate reports Wednesday on the incident at Qinghai Lake, in central China, where 1,500 birds perished in May from a strain the so-called H5N1 flu that has killed millions of domestic ducks and chickens in Vietnam and Thailand, a thousand miles to the south. <more> July 7, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle.
More restaurants serving up "Certified Humane" foods - - Six upscale restaurants in New York City have all signed on to serve only animal-food products that have been "Certified Humane." <more> July 7, 2005
Wednesday, July 6, 2005
McDonalds Releases
Controlled Atmosphere Stunning Study for Chicken Slaughter - - McDonalds
Corp. has announced the results of an internal study regarding the
feasibility of using controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) for chickens
raised for meat. Some of McDonalds' European suppliers are already using the
system. Based on those supplier relationships and other information,
McDonalds concluded that its "current standards for animal welfare are
appropriate for the Company's global supply chain at this time," meaning
they will not require their suppliers to use CAS. The report cited CAS's
"early stage of development" as the primary reason for not using it now, but
it also said the technology "has potential" and that management will examine
it further.
<more>
July 6, 2005 McDonald’s press release.
UN unveils master plan to
quell deadly bird flu - - The World Health Organization and other
international health experts have unveiled a new plan for fighting the
deadly strain of bird flu that has killed at least 54 people in Vietnam,
Thailand and Cambodia.
<more> July 6, 2005 Canadian TV News
Artificial Meat Could Be
Grown on a Large Scale - - Scientists at the University of Maryland
think that large quantities of artificial meat could be produced to supply
the world with animal-free meat products, like chickenless nuggets. This is
based on experiments for NASA that created small amounts of muscle fibre
cultured from single cells. According to the researchers, larger quantities
could be grown in thin sheets and then stacked up to create thickness. Of
course, they need to figure out a way to exercise it to make it taste like
regular meat.
<more> July 6, 2005 Universe Today
Animal Rights 2005 starts
tomorrow in Los Angeles - - Animal Rights 2005, a national conference
for animal rights activists, will take place July 7 through 11 at the Westin
LAX Hotel in Los Angeles. This is an annual gathering of activists, with
meetings, seminars, and many other events aimed at training participants,
sharing tactics and networking. The four-day program features 90 speakers
representing more than 50 organizations. A trade show with more than 80
exhibitors distributing products and merchandise accompanies the conference.
Get more information about the conference at
http://www.arconference.org
Marin biotech crop bans face 'hijack' threat - - Marin's biotech crop ban, approved by voters last November, could be threatened by "hijacking" attempts in the state Legislature that would pre-empt county ordinances, local activists said." They're trying to sneak it in at the end of the legislative session," said Mark Squire, leader of GMO Free Marin, which spearheaded the successful Measure B initiative last year. "The end of the Legislature (session) is traditionally the way to sneak things in so there's not time for opposition to build or for the public to make a lot of comment." <more> July 6, 2005 Marin Independent Journal
Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Gambling on rooster fights
not so funny. Controversial new state legislation would make some
cockfighting a felony - - It wasn't too long ago — maybe 15 years — when
illegal cockfighting wasn't considered much more than a nuisance in rural
California. Frank Swiggart, a detective with the Merced County Sheriff's
Department, recalls breaking up cockfights in orchards deep in the Central
Valley just to chase spectators off a farmer's land. Even "Seinfeld" poked
fun at cockfighting in an episode when Kramer bought a fighting rooster."Everyone
wants to snicker and laugh and giggle because it's a chicken," Swiggart
said. But Swiggart and other law enforcement officials say cockfighting is
anything but a laughing matter.
<more> July 4, 2005 Modesto Bee
Mad Cow Proposals Lead to
Fight. Ranchers and grocers are facing off with consumer and health groups
over legislation that seeks to bolster public safety measures. - - In
the wake of confirmation that a U.S.-reared animal had mad cow disease,
California cattle ranchers and grocers are battling consumer, health and
labor groups over legislation aimed at allaying fears about tainted meat.
One lawmaker wants to require that beef carry labels showing its country of
origin, and to force health authorities to make detailed public
announcements about recalls of all contaminated meat and poultry. Another
wants to permit ranchers to voluntarily test their cattle for bovine
spongiform encephalopathy, so-called mad cow disease.
<more> July 4, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Productivity push. Sonoma
County companies increase revenue while trying to hold down costs - -
About a year ago, Petaluma Poultry decided the machinery the company was
using to debone its chicken left too much meat on the bone. Constantly on
the lookout for ways to improve productivity, company managers took an
unusual step -- unusual because machines are usually considered more
efficient than people -- and switched to human hands. Today, 40 people staff
three deboning production lines at the Petaluma plant, work that was once
performed by 10 machine operators. The extra meat they produce more than
offsets the cost of the added labor, plus the quality of the meat is better.
<more> July 3, 2005 Santa Rosa Press
Democrat
Ruling the roost. Madelyn,
a pet chicken, is high in the pecking order in the Parr household - -
Love is a many-feathered thing for Deborah Parr.Her suburban Sacramento home
is a nesting spot for all things chicken: chicken statues, chicken pillows,
a chicken purse, chicken oil and vinegar holders, chicken salt and pepper
shakers, a chicken soup tureen, chicken-print curtains, and a sign that says
"Kitchen closed, this chick's had it." She even has a chicken silhouette
tattooed on her lower back. But the real reason Parr is called "the chicken
lady" is her real-live chicken, Madelyn. If you haven't seen them together
yet, it's probably just a matter of time. The two go everywhere, drawing
stares, squeals and questions in Home Depot, PetsMart, and even at the nail
salon, where Madelyn gets the polish treatment along with Parr.
<more> July 3, 2005 Sacramento Bee
NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR FOODS
TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING - - The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
announced today that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological
Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public meetings July 12 - 15, 2005.
<more> July 5, 2005 USDA press release
Friday, July 1, 2005
Senate approves Central
American trade pact - - The U.S. Senate voted 54-45 to approve a
controversial free trade agreement with Central America on Thursday, setting
the stage for a bruising final battle next month in the U.S. House of
Representatives .
<more>
July 1, 2005 Reuters
Builders criticize planned
air rule. Home buyers could be priced out of market, developers argue. - -
The building industry pulled few punches Thursday in opposing an air pollution
rule that would tack thousands of dollars onto the price of a new home. "For
each additional $1,000 of cost in a home, 21,348 buyers are priced out of that
market," said Bob Keenan, executive vice president of the Building Industry
Association of Tulare and Kings Counties. "Tens of thousands of people will be
priced out of the market."
<more>
July 1, 2005 Fresno Bee
Japan finds second case of weaker bird-flu strain - - A second case of a weaker strain of bird flu has been discovered on a chicken farm in eastern Japan, close to where an initial instance of the virus was detected earlier in the week, local government officials said on Friday. <more> July 1, 2005 Reuters
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Perks sweeten deal for
Valley. Poultry producers seek approval of free trade with Central America.
- - Central Valley poultry producers this week are urging Congress to
hatch a controversial Central American trade deal. Their timing is apt.
After a scrambled start, the Central American Free Trade Agreement is
starting to move. That gratifies the poultry producers now lobbying on
Capitol Hill for its passage. "We believe an open market helps the entire
poultry industry," Bill Mattos, president of the Modesto-based California
Poultry Federation, said Tuesday.
<more> June 29, 2005 Fresno Bee
Senate panel narrowly
endorses CAFTA - - Senate supporters of the Central American Free Trade
Agreement, a market-opening deal with six Latin American nations, predicted
victory Wednesday after it was endorsed by a crucial committee. President
Bush and his top trade officials have lobbied hard for CAFTA, but it has
drawn tenacious opposition from lawmakers who believe their states would be
hurt. A Senate vote could come as early as Thursday.
<more>
June 29, 2005 Associated Press
Industry Lobbyist Named to
Air Board. Democrats vow to fight the governor's selection, but others say
Cindy Tuck is a good choice. - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday
named a personable energy industry lobbyist who has fought against many of
the state's toughest air pollution regulations to head California's powerful
air quality agency. Cindy Tuck, whose efforts on behalf of oil refineries
and power plants include opposing a landmark law to combat global warming
that the governor champions, was named chairwoman of the Air Resources
Board. Although environmentalists denounced the appointment, business groups
and some air quality officials supported Schwarzenegger's choice of Tuck, a
registered lobbyist for the California Council for Environmental and
Economic Balance.
<more> June 29,
2005 Los Angeles Times
Poll: Governor would lose in '06. In another reversal, Democrats Angelides and Westly would both win in one-on-one races. - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's streak of lousy poll readings continued Tuesday with the latest Field survey showing most California voters disinclined to re-elect him and two Democratic contenders narrowly beating him in one-on-one match-ups. Schwarzenegger has yet to say whether he plans to seek another term in the November 2006 statewide election. But in a reversal of his standing from four months ago, Schwarzenegger is now finding that 57 percent of the electorate is "not inclined" to support him compared with the 39 percent who are still in his corner, according to the Field Poll of registered California voters. <more> June 29, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Third Annual 'Cook Like a
Californian' Chicken Recipe Contest Starts July 1 - - The third annual
"Cook Like A Californian Chicken Recipe Contest,'' hosted by the California
Poultry Federation (CPF), begins July 1 and runs through September 30, 2005.
CPF is looking for creative home chefs to "Cook Like a Californian" and
submit original chicken recipes over the next three months and vie for over
$6,500 in prize money. The contest features two categories -- Chicken
Traditions with Flair and Chicken with an Ethnic Twist. A newly printed
brochure with the 2004 winning recipes is now available.
<more> June 28, 2005 CPF Press Release
Gov. Schwarzenegger Appoints Cindy
Tuck Chair of the Air Resources Board - - Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Cindy Tuck as chair of the
Air Resources Board (ARB). "Cindy has dedicated her career to developing
solutions to challenging environmental problems in order to protect and
improve California's environment. She has worked so Californians for
generations to come will have clean air to breathe, water to drink and
beautiful landscape to enjoy," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Her expertise
is vital to ensuring California continues to lead the nation in setting air
quality standards while at the same time balancing the need to keep our
economy strong and thriving. I am confident she will bring diverse interests
together to meet our ambitious air quality goals."
<more>
June 28, 2005 Gov. Schwarzenegger press release
Inspectors overlooked bird flu at Japanese poultry farm - - The discovery of bird flu at a poultry farm in Mitsukaido, was delayed by a month because a private inspection firm with no expertise with the disease overlooked mild symptoms among the chickens, it was learned Tuesday. <more> June 28, 2005 The Yomiuri Shimbun
Monday, June 27, 2005
A pricey proposition. Overhaul of Prop. 13 could
cost taxpayers millions to implement -- A proposed initiative ending
Proposition 13 protection for commercial property would cost Los Angeles
County taxpayers more than $26 million annually to implement, according to
an analysis by the California Assessors' Association.
<more> June 27, 2005 Los Angeles
Daily News
Face to Face With the Foie
Gras Problem - - The web of life can be a trap for the conscience. Try
twisting your mind around the human relationship with animals and it may
quickly snarl in crisscrossing strands of compassion and guilt. Contortions
may ensue. Consider, for example, the strange role reversals behind an
effort in Albany to outlaw the force-feeding of waterfowl to engorge their
livers into foie gras, the fatty restaurant delicacy. One Senate sponsor,
John Bonacic, is an upstate Republican who says he has no special sympathy
for ducks or geese, despite what his bill says. He says he wants only to
help a Sullivan County constituent - Hudson Valley Foie Gras, the nation's
leading producer of fresh foie gras, which has not only lobbied for the
bill, but also helped to write it.
<more> June 26, 2005 New York Times
Sonoma County to vote on genetically-modified crop ban, no movement stirring in Napa - - The political mudfight over genetically engineered crops that has swept through the North Coast is now in Napa County's backyard -- Sonoma County. Voters there will decide on a proposed 10-year moratorium on genetically engineered crops in the upcoming November election. <more> June 26, 2005 Napa Valley Register
Friday, June 24, 2005
Coalition cites risk of
mismanaged Conservation Reserve Program - -
With the increasing
domestic and global demand for U.S. agricultural crop commodities, a
mismanaged Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will cause severe economic harm
to U.S. agricultural producers, especially poultry and livestock producers,
NCC’s Bill Roenigk explained today to USDA’s Farm Service Agency’s (FSA)
public meeting on reenrollment and extension of certain CRP contracts.
<more> June 24, 2005
National Chicken council
Washington report June 24, 2005
House Appropriations Committee votes to change Cuba trade rule - - The House Appropriations Committee this week approved an amendment that would reverse a Treasury Department rule issued in February requiring Cuba to pay for food imports before they leave U.S. ports. Under the amendment offered by Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), food and agriculture sales to Cuba would be governed by previous rules allowing shipment to be in transit and payment received before title to the goods changed hands. The rule change by Treasury’s office of Foreign Assets Control has resulted in reduced sales of many U.S. agricultural commodities and food products to Cuba. Before December 2001, agricultural exports to Cuba were nonexistent. Since 2001, the market grew significantly to a level of $474 million in 2004. The Emerson amendment was approved by voice vote in full committee and attached to the funding bill for the Treasury Department and other agencies. The bill is expected to be considered by the full House of Representatives next week and in the Senate following the July 4th recess. Source: National Chicken Council Washington report June 24, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
GMO foods can bring
benefits, vigilance needed, says World Health Organization - -
Genetically-modified foods can bring benefits both to farmers and
consumers, but safety checks will always be needed before they are marketed,
the World Health Organization said on Thursday. As the debate rages in
Europe on what are often branded there as "Frankenstein" foods, the United
Nations' health agency said there was no evidence to suggest that any foods
currently on the market posed health risks. In a 58-page report, the WHO
said genetically-modified organisms (GMO) can increase crop yields and food
quality, thereby improving health and levels of nutrition, as well as boost
profits for farmers and industry.
<more> June 23,
2005 Reuters
Poultry's new pecking order: 'Air-chilled' birds - - First there was the free-range chicken. Then came natural, organic, and pastured brands. Now, a handful of specialty-chicken companies are starting to push the next got-to-have-it bird: the "air-chilled" chicken. <more> June 23, 2005 Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Field Poll: Special
election turns off voters. When told of the cost, 61 percent oppose the Nov.
8 balloting. - - In the first statewide voter survey since he called a
special election last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to go to
the ballot box in November is decidedly unpopular. Registered voters opposed
the special election 52 percent to 37 percent, even when the matter of
election costs wasn't included in the question, the Field Poll released
Monday found. When voters were told the Nov. 8 election would cost at least
$45 million, opposition rose to 61 percent, with just 28 percent in favor.
<more> June 21, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Energy earns spot on ballot. The electricity
initiative would limit independent providers. - - Nearly five years
after blackouts rolled across California, electricity surged back toward the
spotlight Monday when the last of eight voter initiatives qualified for
November's special election. Like the claims and counterclaims that wracked
the state during the 2000-2001 energy crisis, nothing about the electricity
initiative is likely to be simple.
<more> June 21, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Machado decides not to run
against Pombo -- State Sen. Michael Machado won’t challenge Rep. Richard
Pombo next year. Machado told The Record on Monday that he decided not to
run against the seven-term incumbent, because he had promised voters to
serve out his Senate term, which ends in 2008.
<more> June
21, 2005 Stockton Record
Information sought on Petaluma
poultry farmer - - Terry Schaub has contacted the California Poultry
Federation looking for information about a poultry farmer circa 1900-1915
named Henry W. Atkinson who was located in Petaluma area. CPF members with
information can contact Terry Schaub at
tmseagle@sbcglobal.net
Poultry Legend Retires From
Merial Select - – Ernest Lee literally grew up professionally with the
poultry industry. After 21 years as a salesman and trainer of sales and
technical personnel for Merial Select, and 46 years in the poultry industry,
he recently retired, leaving a legacy that traces the growth of the industry
from mostly backyard flocks to a highly sophisticated, vertically integrated
business.
<more> June 21,
2005 Merial Select Press Release
Valley speaks out on merger: State panel holds local hearings on plan to link SBC and AT&T. - - State regulators on Monday listened to how a proposed merger between telecommunications giants would affect Huron farmers, Stanislaus County grocery-store owners and others in the San Joaquin Valley. <more> June 21, 2005 Fresno Bee
Monday, June 20, 2005
More At Stake In Arkansas,
Okalahoma Lawsuit Than Just River, Poultry Farms - - There is more at
stake in a lawsuit against poultry companies like Tyson Foods than just
phosphorus pollution in the Illinois River or even the chicken business.
<more> June 20, 2005 Associated Press
Bird Flu Drug Rendered Useless -- Chinese farmers, acting with the approval and encouragement of government officials, have tried to suppress major bird flu outbreaks among chickens with an antiviral drug meant for humans, animal health experts said. International researchers now conclude that this is why the drug will no longer protect people in case of a worldwide bird flu epidemic. China's use of the drug amantadine, which violated international livestock guidelines, was widespread years before China acknowledged any infection of its poultry, according to pharmaceutical company executives and veterinarians. <more> June 18, 2005 Washington Post
Friday, June 17, 2005
Gaps Remain in Mad Cow
Disease Defenses - - American cattle are eating chicken litter, cattle
blood and restaurant leftovers that could help transmit mad cow disease — a
gap in the U.S. defense that the Bush administration promised to close nearly
18 months ago. "Once the cameras were turned off and the media coverage
dissipated, then it's been business as usual, no real reform, just keep
feeding slaughterhouse waste," said John Stauber, an activist and co-author of
"Mad Cow USA: Could the Nightmare Happen Here?" He contended, "The entire U.S.
policy is designed to protect the livestock industry's access to
slaughterhouse waste as cheap feed."
<more>
June 17, 2005 Associated Press
Swap engines, reduce rates.
Utilities help farmers who switch from diesel. - - State power regulators
Thursday approved a utility plan that will make electricity more affordable
for farmers who want to ditch their dirty diesel engines. Beginning Aug. 1,
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Edison will offer lower
rates to farmers who replace their diesel irrigation pump motors with cleaner
electric models. PG&E rates will be about 20% lower than what the utility now
offers its agricultural customers, and Southern California Edison's rates will
be about 12.5% lower.
<more>
June 17, 2005 Fresno Bee
PETA must be stopped -
-The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals say they're just animal
lovers. In reality, they call humans a "cancer" and demand we all become
vegetarians. They also say that all animal testing - necessary for discovering
new drugs and critically important treatments - be eliminated.
<more> June 17, 2005
Michael Fumento columnist, Scripps Howard News Service
Two PETA employees arrested
for animal cruelty - - Two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals have been charged with animal cruelty after dumping dead dogs and
cats in a North Carolina shopping center garbage bin, police said.
<more> June 17, 2005 Associated Press
Senate Makes Environment the Focus of Energy Bill - - Heading toward a collision with the House and White House, the Senate sought Thursday to put an environmentally friendly stamp on its energy legislation as lawmakers and President Bush struggle to agree on an elusive national power policy. In an effort to strengthen their hand in looming negotiations with the House, senators voted 52 to 48 to require power companies to use more renewable fuels like wind and solar power to generate electricity. At the same time, the Finance Committee approved a $14 billion tax incentive package that rewards alternative fuels and energy efficiency. <more> June 17, 2005 New York Times
Thursday, June 15, 2005
N.H. Firm Carves Niche
Selling Pasteurized Chicken Manure as Organic Fertilizer - - A good
business plan can capitalize on anything -- even pasteurized chicken manure.
"Within five years, there's going to be a billion-dollar-plus company in the
organic and natural lawn-and-garden market," predicts John Packard, founder
and CEO of Portsmouth-based Pure Barnyard. Pure Barnyard probably won't be
that company: It has only a dozen full-time employees, and its most recent
round of equity funding was just $1.7 million, most from within New
Hampshire. But Pure Barnyard may well be part of that company.
<more> June 16, 2005 Knight Rider News
Service
Indonesia reports first human case of deadly bird flu virus - - Health authorities reported Indonesia's first human case of bird flu, saying a farm worker had tested positive for the disease that has killed 54 people in Southeast Asia. <more> June 16, 2005 AFP
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
U.S. Chicken and Turkey
Industries Welcome Signing of U.S.-Russian Poultry and Meat Trade Agreement
- - The official signing of the U.S.-Russian poultry and red meat agreement
today marks a significant step towards greater assurance of continued trade
in poultry, beef, and pork between the
United States and Russia, the National Chicken Council and National Turkey
Federation said today. The two governments reached agreement in principle
in September 2003, and today's signing is the official approval.
<more> June 15, 2005 NTF/NCC
press release
Poultry plant strike simply
one 'option' - - After several weeks of saying a strike was inevitable
at Foster Farms, an employees group leader now says his organization has
other alternatives in its contract dispute with the poultry processing
company.
<more> June 15,
2005 Modesto Bee
National Turkey Federation
declares "Turkey Breast Alla Strada" Delicios. NTF Announces Winners of the
Turkey Trendsetter Recipe Contest -- Chef Carlos Garcia and Proprietor
Michael Mormando of La Strada Ristorante in Chicago, Ill., won the 2005
National Turkey Federation’s Turkey Trendsetter Recipe Contest with their
Turkey Breast alla Strada entrée. Claiming second and third prize were
winners, Chef Howie Velie of Magnolia in Scottsville, Va., for his Turkey
Brunswick Stew with Pastry Crust and Chef Amy Visco of Ellington’s
Restaurant in Sanibel Island, Fla., for her Sweet Potato and Apple
Spice-Stuffed Turkey Roulade with Coffee-Nut Streusal, Calvados Gastrique.
<more>
June 15, 2005 NTF press release
NTF and USAPPEC Hosts
U.S.-Mexico Symposium July 12: Hawks To Address Meeting-- Bill Hawks,
undersecretary for marketing and regulatory services at the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA), will keynote the second annual technical symposium on
poultry issues between the United States and Mexico. Several high-ranking
U.S. and Mexican government officials, along with representatives of the
poultry and egg industries of both countries, will participate in the
symposium, which will focus mainly on food safety and animal disease issues
of common interest to the industries and governments of both countries.
<more>
June 15, 2005 USAPPEC press release
Tennessee law against cockfighting weak compared to other states - - While cockfighting critics would jail anyone who participates in the ancient blood sport, enthusiasts question why it should be illegal at all. The weekend raid at the Del Rio Cockfight Pit near Newport in rural Cocke County, about 42 miles east of Knoxville, has renewed attention on Tennessee's legal position against battling roosters and the wagering that goes with it. Officials say the Del Rio "chicken pit" busted Saturday was possibly the largest illegal cockfighting operation in the country. The ramshackle venue has operated for about 60 years despite at least two raids in the 1980s in which some 400 people were arrested. <more> June 15, 2005 Associated Press
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Governor Puts Agenda on the Ballot - - His
ultimatums rebuffed by lawmakers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday
ordered a Nov. 8 special election that could trim the power of California's
Legislature and dampen the influence of the public employee unions that help
finance its Democratic majority. Along with Schwarzenegger's agenda, the
ballot is expected to include initiatives that, if approved, would change
the way minors obtain abortions, electricity is sold and prescription drug
prices are set. But at its heart are three measures that Schwarzenegger
hopes will alter — in his favor — the way Sacramento operates. The
centerpiece initiative would give him much more power to cut state
expenditures, a change he said was essential for California's fiscal health.
<more> June
14, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Lawsuit Targets Farm's Treatment of Sows - -
California: home of unhappy sows? That's the question at the heart of a
lawsuit that pits an animal rights group against a Central Valley pork farm
over the living conditions of pregnant pigs. The suit, filed by Farm
Sanctuary, which operates a shelter for rescued farm animals in Orland,
Calif., has been wending its way through Los Angeles County Superior Court
since September. In a hearing today, the group may learn whether it can
proceed with its case, which seeks to apply the state's animal cruelty law
to force Corcpork Inc. of Corcoran to stop housing its 9,000 pregnant sows
in individual metal stalls.
<more>
June 14, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Continued strife between
union, Foster Farms - - Foster Farms workers remained on the job Monday,
but the struggle between the union and management continues, with each side
lodging complaints with the National Labor Relations Board. The board ruled
against the union representing Foster Farms workers last week, federal
officials said. The League of Independent Workers of the San Joaquin Valley
had been charged with using illegal tactics in telling nonunion employees
that they faced fines if they crossed picket lines, the board said.
<more> June 14, 2005 Modesto Bee
Machado considers a run for Congress. The
Democratic senator may challenge Pombo, but the GOP doesn't seem to be
worried. - - State Sen. Mike Machado is considering a run for Congress
only months after winning a $9.9 million campaign, California's most
expensive legislative contest of all time. Democratic leaders said they
believe Rep. Richard Pombo, a Tracy Republican, could be vulnerable enough
to warrant a challenge from Machado in the Republican-leaning congressional
district that spans four counties between the Central Valley and the Bay
Area.
<more> June 13, 2005 Sacramento Bee
CAFTA takes step forward in Senate - - A major
free trade agreement with Central American nations moved forward in the
Senate Tuesday, although senators put off for another day how to deal with
the sugar industry opposition that is the biggest obstacle to passage. The
Senate Finance Committee accepted one change in conjunction with the Central
American Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA, extending to service workers
a federal program to assist workers displaced by trade competition.
<more> June 14,
2005 Associated Press
The Stench Lingers. Modesto
Tallow holds its own nose at $765,000 in fines - - It was a carefree
spring day on the playground of Shackelford Elementary School in south
Modesto. A girl hung upside down from monkey bars. Boys herded around a
soccer ball. A third-grader teased a classmate with a marker. Then the wind
picked up. Christian Esperiqueta wrinkled his face in disgust and pulled his
T-shirt over his nose. "It makes me want to puke," said the third-grader,
referring to the stench from Modesto Tallow Co., the 88-year-old rendering
plant less than 1,000 feet from the playground. "I'd rather smell a trash
can," added fifth-grader Selena Ortiz. Every month, Modesto Tallow collects,
grinds and cooks more than 10,000 tons of dead cattle, chickens and turkeys,
turning them into pet food and livestock feed.
<more>
June 12, 2005 Modesto Bee
Testimony given over
reservoir. Congressional subcommittee hearing held in Fresno. - - Four
members of Congress came to Fresno Saturday asking one basic question: How
many reasons can you name to build a bigger reservoir for snowmelt from the
San Joaquin River?
<more> June 12, 2005 Fresno Bee
Thursday, June 9, 2005
House Passes Amendment to
Ban School Lunch Program from Buying Chicken Treated with Antibiotics -
- The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday passed a measure to ban the
federal school lunch program from purchasing poultry treated with Cipro-like
antibiotics because this use promotes spread of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria that cause severe food poisoning.
<more> June 9, 2005 Keeping Antibiotics
Working Press Release
Matthews aide: Democrats
want her boss to face Pombo - - National Democrats are trying to recruit
California Assemblywoman Barbara Matthews, D-Tracy, to run for the U.S.
Congressional seat held by Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, according to Matthews
chief of staff Cathleen Galgiani. Galgiani said that House minority leader
Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, called California Speaker of the Assembly
Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, on Monday and asked him to personally invite
Matthews to run.
<more>
June 9, 2005 Tracy Press
Maldonado to run for
controller. - - Just six months after being elected, state Sen. Abel
Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, has filed to run for state controller in 2006. In
April, Maldonado told The Tribune he was considering a bid for the state
insurance commissioner. Both jobs are considered potential springboards to
higher office. "I just think it's one of the most important jobs in state
government -- to stop runaway spending -- and I think I've got a proven
track record for that," he said Wednesday, two days after filing with the
secretary of state.
<more> June 9, 2005 San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
Oklahoma Attorney general,
poultry companies negotiate litter - - For the first time this year,
Attorney General Drew Edmondson and poultry company representatives met
Tuesday to negotiate a chicken litter settlement. "The parties had a frank
discussion of the issues," a joint statement said. "We are continuing to
talk and will resume our meeting tomorrow."
<more> June 8, 2005 The Oklahoman
Grand jury refuses to
indict chicken plant workers - - A grand jury refused to indict former
chicken plant workers who kicked and stomped live birds while being filmed
undercover by an animal rights group. Special prosecutor Ginny Conley had
previously said she had no evidence to warrant criminal charges, but said
today that more evidence had been found that persuaded her to present the
case to a grand jury. Pressure from the animal rights group People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals did little to sway her, she said.<more>
June 8, 2005 Associated Press
Cashing in on chicken Got a
$100,000 chicken recipe? - - Folks, there's money to be made in
chicken. I learned this at the National Chicken Cooking Contest last month,
where Camilla Saulsbury of Bloomington, Ind., beat out 50 other contestants
to win $100,000 for an East-West dish of marinated chicken skewers with
lime-accented sweet potatoes and a bright-flavored chimichurri sauce.
<more> June 8, 2005 Honolulu Advertiser
Preliminary AI finding at
New York duck farm - - The USDA has reported that preliminary test
results indicate that a large duck producer in New York State is positive
for H7N2 LPAI. The affected premises is under State quarantine. Biosecurity
on the premises has been tightened. State officials are now determining what
additional containment or response activities to undertake. APHIS will
assist the State as needed. June 8, 2005
EC Proposes Law Setting Broiler Welfare Standards - - For the first time ever, the European Commission (EC) has proposed a law to set animal welfare standards for broiler chickens. The proposed law would establish requirements for all EU member states, beyond their individual laws pertaining to broiler animal welfare. This directive is the first in a series of minimum standards for farm animal welfare by the EC. <more> June 8, 2005 Animal Agriculture Alliance
Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Time to crack down on
chicken abuse - - Few feathers fly when scientists announce new
discoveries regarding the intelligence of animals and how our
underestimation of their mental faculties couldn't be more outdated. While
terms like "bird-brained" have become part of our lexicon, it now seems that
being compared to birds should be considered a compliment.
<more> June 6, 2005 Christian Science
Monitor Opinion Piece by Paul Shapiro, Humane Society of the U.S.
EU proposes new law on
broiler chicken welfare - - 06/06/2005 - The EU's farmers will have to
take better care of their broiler chickens under a proposed directive the
European Commission has adopted for submission to the bloc's Parliament.
<more> June 6, 2005 FoodProductionDaily.com
Friday, June 3, 2005
Chickens come first: Wild
Oats' eggs cage-free - - Boulder-based Wild Oats Markets Inc. has
committed to selling eggs exclusively from cage- free chickens in its chain of
natural and organic food stores. An official from the Humane Society of the
United States, which had been negotiating the agreement with the grocer since
February, commended the move. "We view this as a tremendous step forward for
farm animal rights," said Paul Shapiro, manager of the Humane Society's
factory farming campaign.
<more> June 3, 2005 Denver Post
Avian Flu - Special Report on YaleGlobal The Next Pandemic? - - H5N1. This string of numbers and letters - representing a strain of avian influenza, or bird flu - has the international public health community deeply concerned. <more> June 3, 2005 YaleGlobal.edu
Thursday, June 2, 2005
Rate cut sought in workers'
comp. Garamendi wants an 18 percent reduction by insurers, the most since 1995
- - Taking a swipe at what he called hefty insurance industry profits,
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi urged carriers Wednesday to slash
workers' compensation rates by 18 percent this summer. Garamendi's proposed
cut - the largest ever since rates were deregulated in 1995 - ratchets up the
pressure on insurers to give employers further financial relief from steep
workers' compensation costs.
<more> June 2, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Delaware No. 1, N.C. No. 2 in
use of antibiotic feed, report finds. - - Delaware uses more antibiotic
feed additives per square mile than any other state, potentially placing
residents who live near large farms at greater risk for exposure to antibiotic
resistant bacteria, an environmental group said Wednesday. About 187,000
pounds of antibiotic additives are used per thousand square miles in Delaware,
nearly three times that of the next closest state, North Carolina, which led
the nation in overall usage. Maryland was fourth in estimated usage per square
mile at 44,467 pounds, according to the state-by-state assessment released by
the advocacy group Environmental Defense.
<more> June 2, 2005 Associated Press
Governor acts to curb state's
gas emissions. Goals put him at odds with many in GOP - - Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, in a strongly-worded speech declaring global warming an
imminent threat, announced broad goals Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gases in
California that many environmentalists and scientists hailed as an effort that
could have profound ramifications around the world.
<more> June 2, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Bush names California Rep.
Cox to SEC post - - Acting quickly, President Bush on Thursday named
conservative California Rep. Christopher Cox (R- Newport Beach) to lead the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Cox would succeed William Donaldson, who
announced the day before he was stepping down after 28 months on the job. Cox,
52, a member of the House Republican leadership, has a wide-ranging
background, from foreign policy and economic issues to homeland security. He
has represented California in Congress for 16 years.
<more> June 2, 2005 Associated Press
EPA orders continued ethanol use in California - - The Environmental Protection Agency ordered three populous states - California, New York and Connecticut - to continue using air pollution-reducing gasoline additives. The decision Thursday helps the ethanol industry at a cost of up to 8 cents a gallon in pump prices. The states had asked the EPA to waive a 1990 requirement in the Clean Air Act that gasoline contain an oxygenate to help fight air pollution. They argued they could meet federal air standards without the oxygen content requirement for reformulated gasoline. <more> June 2, 2005 Associated Press
Wednesday June 1, 2005
Bill to boost state authority on
A.I. outbreaks rolls through Assembly - - Legislation sponsored by the
California Poultry Federation (CPF) that would provide additional authority
to state veterinarians in their efforts to control outbreaks of Avian
Influenza has been unanimously approved by the state Assembly. Today’s 67-0
vote in favor of AB 460 by Assemblymember Nicole Parra (D-Bakersfield)
sends the bill to the state Senate.
<more> June 1, 2005 CPF press release.
Spending Plans Fall Victim to Politics. Democrats
appear set on killing budget items that might win the governor points with the
public. - - The plan to partner the state with local farms to get fresh
fruit on school breakfast trays hardly seemed controversial, and it wouldn't
have cost much. But it apparently had a fatal flaw: It was championed by Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Legislature swiftly rejected the $18.2-million
program in budget hearings this month, leaving the nonprofit group that pushed
for the project stunned.
<more> May
31, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Farmers prepare for burn
bans. The first to prohibit burning prunings from some orchard and field crops
begins Wednesday. - - Farmers in eight Valley counties are gearing up for
the first in a series of agricultural burning bans that takes effect
Wednesday, prohibiting using fires to dispose of prunings from a couple dozen
orchard crops and about 18 field crops.
<more> May 31, 2005 Fresno Bee
Parra vs. Florez a Democratic
Armageddon -- Whoa! A head-to-head battle between Dean Florez and Nicole
Parra? That became a distinct possibility Friday when Assemblywoman Parra was
asked about a rumor reported on a political blog that she might challenge
Florez for his state Senate seat in the Democratic primary election next year.
"My first priority is my re-election next year," Parra said. "But I have been
approached by a number of people to run against him, and I'm not going to rule
anything out."
<more> May 31, 2005 Bakersfield
Californian
Opponents
seek to derail CAFTA deal - - It took less than three months for President
Bush to push through Congress separate trade deals with Australia, Chile,
Morocco and Singapore, but his biggest one - Central America - has been
lingering for a year.
<more> May 31, 2005 Associated Press
Okalahoma, Arkansas Squawk Over Water-Quality Monitors - - Arkansas and Oklahoma, which have been at odds for years over poultry-farm pollution flowing into the rivers they share, are squabbling again after Oklahoma researchers secretly slipped across the state line and set up water-quality monitors in Arkansas. <more> June 1, 2005 Associated Press
Monday, May 30, 2005
Food
processors under scrutiny. The industry's wastewater disposal is a concern.
- - Wineries, cheese-makers and hundreds of other food processors each year
pour billions of gallons of rank wastewater onto open fields with little
oversight. Ghastly episodes marked by stench and flies have irritated the
nearest neighbors, but food processors have remained low on the radar
compared with city sewage treatment plants. In the bucolic San Joaquin
Valley, food processors are as common as cotton fields -- a natural fit for
the nation's leading farmbelt. But in the past 10 years, this
multibillion-dollar spinoff of agriculture has expanded so much that
authorities now worry about the drinking water for 3.5 million people in the
Valley. Could this growing load of wastewater percolate far enough
underground to foul wells?
<more> May 30, 2005 Fresno Bee
A strike might be on hold -
- The command post has been dismantled and mounted deputies sent home
because city police believe there will not be a strike at Foster Farms over
the three-day holiday weekend. But labor organizers at the poultry
processing plant don't agree with that assessment.
<more> May28, 2005 Modesto Bee
Radanovich Announces Water and Power Hearing to be Held June 11 in Fresno
. - - Congressman George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) today announced
that the Water and Power Subcommittee will conduct a field hearing to be held
in Fresno, California.
<more> May 27, 2005 Radanovich Press
Release
Indonesian pigs have avian
flu virus; bird cases double in China - – Avian influenza could be
infecting up to half of the pig population in some areas of Indonesia, but
without causing symptoms, Nature magazine reported in this week's edition.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials said a flu outbreak among wild birds is twice as
large as previously reported, but they denied reports of human cases.
<more> May 27, 2005 (CIDRAP News)
Dr. Joe Jen resigns post as USDA undersecretary - - STATEMENT BY AGRICULTURE SECRETARY MIKE JOHANNS REGARDING THE RESIGNATION OF DR. JOSEPH JEN AS UNDERSECRETARY FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ECONOMICS May 26, 2005 - - "It is with sincere regret that I have accepted on behalf of President Bush the resignation of Dr. Joseph Jen as Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics. Dr. Jen has demonstrated tremendous dedication during his tenure with USDA. Dr. Jen has been instrumental in the effort to increase recognition of the importance of agricultural science and technology. His hard work and vision have led USDA to many great accomplishments in the areas of research and education. I appreciate that Dr. Jen has agreed to remain in his position until a successor is appointed and I certainly wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Broiler, turkey, egg values up
in California in 2004 reports USDA - - The USDA has released a report
showing the values for California chicken, turkeys and eggs increased in
2004. To read the full report,
click here. May 26, 2005
Flu pandemic looms, experts
warn world. Many millions could die if Southeast Asian bird virus mutates to
easily transmitted form - - A lineup of leading infectious disease experts
warned Wednesday that the world is unprepared for the health and economic
consequences of an outbreak of pandemic influenza that could spring from a
lethal strain of bird flu now ravaging poultry flocks in Southeast Asia.
<more> May 26, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Poll
rejects special election -- A solid and growing majority of voters
want Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to put his government reform proposals on the
regular ballot in June 2006 rather than holding a special election this fall,
a poll being released today shows. The Public Policy Institute of California
found 62 percent of likely voters support delaying the vote, up from 52
percent in January.
<more> May 26, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection Meets June 16-17 - - The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today that the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) will meet June 16 and 17, 2005. <more> May 26, 2005 USDA Press Release
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Tyson to Probe
Chicken-Slaughter Methods - - Tyson Foods Inc. said Wednesday it will
investigate allegations of inhumane chicken slaughter, but contended that an
undercover animal-rights photographer apparently violated company policies
by videotaping "what he should have been preventing." The People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, distributed videotapes and launched a
Web site accusing Tyson of mutilating birds and scalding thousands while
they were conscious in an Alabama slaughterhouse. The group also said its
videotape shows workers tearing heads off live chickens.
<more> May 25, 2005 Associated Press
Follow these four food
safety rules. SIMPLE: Frequent hand washing and other steps can assure
guests go home full, not ill. - - When it comes to food safety, Bill
Mattos has a simple rule: "Either keep it hot, keep it cold or don't keep it
at all," he said. As president of the California Poultry Association, Mattos
said that rule is critical when it comes to chicken and other fowl.
<more> May25, 2005 Riverside Press Enterprise
Livingston braces for a
strike - - The signs of a pending strike at the Foster Farms plant are
everywhere. The police command post is activated, mounted officers are
positioned near the Foster Farms restaurant and security guards are visible
on the poultry plant grounds. But there is no word when the strike will
happen. "It could be tonight, or it could be Labor Day," said Ralph Meraz,
who heads the employees' League of Independent Workers of the San Joaquin
Valley.
<more> May 25, 2005 Modesto Bee
China dismally unprepared
for bird flu crisis: expert - - China remains woefully ill-equipped for
tackling avian flu, a top scientist said, as other experts spelt out fears
that hundreds of millions of people may die or fall sick if the virus
triggers a global pandemic.
<more> May 25, 2005 Agence France Presse
Senate bill would double ethanol use - - Over the strong objections of oil companies, a Senate committee on Wednesday approved a requirement that refiners use more corn-based ethanol and other renewable fuels in gasoline. The legislation would mandate that refiners annually use at least 8 billion gallons of renewable components - almost all of it ethanol from corn - in gasoline by 2012, doubling ethanol production, a boon to farmers.<more> May 25, 2005 Associated Press
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Legislators to Receive 12%
Raise. An independent panel approves the hike, the first since 1998. Some
lawmakers question its appropriateness as they consider budget cuts. - -
California's consistently unpopular lawmakers, the most highly paid in the
nation, got a 12% raise Monday — a windfall that made some of them wince.
Lawmakers' pay will jump from $99,000 a year to $110,880 starting Dec. 5,
under a unanimous decision by the California Citizens Compensation
Commission, a panel that meets annually to set salaries and benefits for the
state's top elected officials.
<more> May 24, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Beef Makers
Can Be Forced to Pay for Ads - - The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that
the government was within its rights to force beef producers to pay for a
multimillion-dollar "Beef: It's what's for dinner" marketing program, even
when individual cattle producers disagreed with the campaign. The 6-3 decision
is a defeat for farmers in several agricultural sectors who oppose paying
mandatory fees for advertising they may later oppose. Currently, there are
dozens of similar federal and state ad campaigns for products including milk,
pork and cotton, many of which are being challenged on free speech grounds.
<more> May 23, 2005 Associated Press
Animal rights activists target
corporate boardrooms - - Feathers will be flying in boardrooms and
shareholder meetings across America this year. Animal rights activists are
launching a high-profile, well-financed campaign against what they deem
abusive practices by well-known restaurants.
<more> May 23, 2005 New York Post
U.S. chickens cross the
ocean to help Vietnam - - About $50,000 worth of U.S. chicken meat is
being shipped to Vietnam to fund a bird-flu educational program and to ease
the plight of Vietnamese poultry producers who have suffered huge losses
because of the deadly disease, officials say.
<more> May 24, 2005 Associated Press
Negotiations Set In Oklahoma-Arkansas Poultry Flap - - Representatives of nine poultry companies will meet with Attorney General Drew Edmondson in two weeks to try to avoid a lawsuit over water quality issues that have fouled Oklahoma lakes and streams. <more> May 24, 2005 Associated Press
Friday, May 20, 2005
Now you can stroke a chicken via the Web - - Beijing - Scientists
have developed a system that enables people to stroke a chicken over the
Internet. It's seen as the first step to virtual physical interaction, reports
Wired News.
<more> May 20, 2005 Wired News
Farm Bureau prevails in court
ruling on waiver - - A Sacramento County Superior Court judge last week
agreed with California Farm Bureau Federation's position that the State Water
Resources Control Board and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control
Board (RWQCB) abused their discretion and overstepped their bounds in adopting
a waiver for farm-water discharges that violated private property and privacy
rights.
<more> May 20, 2005 Ag Alert
Garamendi increases pressure
on insurers. He says small firms are paying too much on workers' comp. - -
State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi wants to follow the money saved
from the dramatic overhaul of California's mammoth workers' compensation
system. The commissioner Thursday blasted insurance industry profits and vowed
to pressure carriers to lower employers' insurance bills, including calling
hearings to probe pricing practices. He also renewed his call to revamp the
quasi-public State Compensation Insurance Fund, accusing the carrier of
propping up industry rates.
<more> May 20, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Air rule delay sets off activists. Board votes to hold off on requiring clean diesel buses. - - Sparks flew between activists and the local air district again Thursday when the governing board delayed new rules while tweaking a plan to clean up dust, soot and other airborne specks. <more> May 20, 2005 Fresno Bee
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Governor says special
election would return power 'to the people' - - Saying he wants to give
political power "back to the people," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday
defended his plans to put ballot measures before voters in a possible special
election this fall, largely to fulfill the legacy of the 2003 recall. "The
only thing that changed a year and a half ago is the governor," Schwarzenegger
told listeners of KGO-AM radio in San Francisco. He said leaders of the
Democratic majority in the Legislature are to blame for the state's ongoing
budget problems.
<more> March 19, 2005 Associated Press
Foster Farms gathers workers
- - Foster Farms has replacement workers ready to process and pack its
fresh chicken in case employees strike, a spokesman for the poultry giant said
Wednesday. "We have every intention of keeping the plant running and shipping
product to customers," said Tim Walsh, the poultry plant's vice president of
human resources. "We have lined up replacement workers and existing staff to
work."
<more> May 19, 2005 Modesto Bee
Water project funding is
closer. In some cases, House panel OKs more money than Bush sought. - -
From Folsom Dam to San Joaquin River water storage studies, Central Valley
projects would receive tens of millions of dollars under a federal funding
bill that sailed forward Wednesday. In a crucial step, the powerful House
Appropriations Committee approved the annual energy and water bill loaded with
Valley projects. In some cases, including work along the Sacramento River, the
funding is more than President Bush sought.
<more> May 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Chicken processor one of biggest -- The chicken processing facility on the verge of a strike is the largest in one of the biggest poultry companies in the nation. Privately held Foster Farms, the seventh-largest poultry company in the United States, processes 600,000 chickens each day here, making up a significant portion of the company's nearly $1.6 billion in 2004 sales. <more> May 19, 2005 Merced Sun-Star
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Rumbles of strike at Foster
Farms. Proposal offers little more; labor predicts walkout, but many
reluctant to lose pay - - Word around town is that Foster Farms
employees are divided over the prospect of a strike at the plant. The
workers aren't thrilled with current wages and working conditions, yet many
remember the two-week strike of 1997 and the hardship caused by the loss of
pay. But a strike is looming, labor officials said.
<more> May 18, 2005 Modesto Bee
Species act draws Pombo,
Cardoza fire - - The courtroom has become a natural habitat for the
Yosemite toad and critters like it. Along with the mountain yellow-legged
frog, the Yosemite toad is at the center of a lawsuit designed to secure
better federal protection for the species. But while the Sierra Nevada
amphibians are unique, the lawsuit they have inspired is not.
<more> May 18, 2005 Modesto Bee
L.A. MAYORAL ELECTION:
Villaraigosa Landslide. Voter Discontent Helps Propel Challenger to a
Historic Victory - - Antonio Villaraigosa romped past incumbent James K.
Hahn to make history Tuesday, winning election as the first Latino mayor of
Los Angeles since the city's pioneer days. Riding a huge wave of voter
discontent, the challenger avenged his 2001 loss to Hahn, who possessed an
iconic family name but never connected strongly with voters during a rocky
four-year term.
<more> May 18, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Chicken dish wins $100,000.
Mashed sweet potatoes, spicy sauce take 1st place in national competition
- - A Bloomington cook turned poultry and sweet potatoes into a dish that
won her $100,000 for first place in a long-running cooking competition.
Camilla Saulsbury, 35, won the prize in The National Chicken Cooking
Contest, an annual contest that began in 1949.
<more> May 18, 2005 Fort Wayne, Indiana Journal-Gazette
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Holds Hearing on Animal and Eco Extremists - - The FBI told a Senate committee this morning that attacks by animal rights and environmental extremists are growing in frequency, size, and threat. “Harassing phone calls and vandalism now co-exist with improvised explosive devices and personal threats to employees,” John E. Lewis, FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. He noted that from January 1990 to June 2004, animal and environmental rights extremists have claimed credit for more than 1,200 criminal incidents, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and monetary loss. Currently, 35 FBI offices have over 150 pending investigations associated with animal rights/eco-terror activities. <more> May 18, 2005 Americans for Medical Progress Special Report
Tuesday , May 17, 2005
Strike possible as talks at
Foster Farms stall - - Stalled contract negotiations could prompt the
first strike in eight years at Foster Farms' poultry processing plant,
Merced County's largest employer. The League of Independent Workers of the
San Joaquin Valley declined to vote on an offer from the company last
weekend, setting the stage for a strike, union President Ralph Meraz said.
<more> May 17, 2005 Merced Sun-Star
Liberal, larger-than-life
Willie Brown lobbies for Bakersfield -- Willie Brown, who for years was
demonized as the autocratic liberal who stymied Kern County's Republican
politicians, has become a registered lobbyist, and one of his first clients
is the city of Bakersfield.
<more> May 17, 2005 Bakersfield
Californian
Governor Readies Special
Election to Attack Legislature, Unions - - After five months of failing
to sway Democrats to his "year of reform," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has
directed his political staff to prepare for a special election campaign that
would attack the California Legislature and its union benefactors.
<more> May 17, 2005 Los Angeles Times.
Sen. Jeff Denham. Is he stand-up or grandstand? - - Republican Sen. Jeff Denham, a hunky 6-foot-5-inch former college football player, bounded into Sacramento at age 35 with no political experience after a surprise victory in the November 2002 election. <more> May 15, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Friday, May 13, 2005
Spicy But Balanced Chicken
Dish Wins $100,000 in National Chicken Cooking Contest -- Broiled
chicken on skewers praised for a complex but satisfying balance of flavors
won first place and $100,000 for an Indiana University sociology professor
in the cook-off of the 46th National Chicken Cooking Contest here Friday.
<more> May 13, 2005 National Chicken Council Press Release
Applebee
Shareholders Nix Chicken Proposal - - Applebee's International Inc.
shareholders on Thursday rejected a proposal that the nation's largest
casual dining chain adopt a more humane way of slaughtering chickens.
<more> May 13, 2005 Associated Press
Fast-paced American lifestyle
fuels demand for chicken, industry council chairman says -- America’s
growing appetite for chicken has been fueled largely by a fast-paced
lifestyle favoring tasty and nutritious food that is quick and easy to
prepare, according to the chairman of the National Chicken Council, the
chicken industry’s trade association. Today’s hectic lifestyle, in which
people have less time to plan and cook the main meal, has benefited chicken,
Tom Shelton said, since it is quick and easy to prepare and hard to ruin.
<more> May 13, 2005 National Chicken
Council Press Release
Joint Bill Would Revamp
Immigrant Worker Rules - - Describing America's immigration system as
broken, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to set up a
temporary worker program that could lead to permanent resident status and
would allow undocumented foreigners already here to work legally after
paying sizable fines and undergoing background checks.
<more> May 13, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Revision sets stage for fight. Governor says key areas funded; critics fault spending on schools. - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a revised budget Friday that sets the stage for a bitter fight over funding for schools, with new spending that falls well short of what teachers and other education groups say they were promised. <more> May 13, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Bush urges Central American
trade pact -- President Bush, faced with stiff opposition to the
free-trade pact he wants with Central American and Caribbean nations, on
Thursday portrayed its passage as crucial to America's security and commitment
to democratic change in the neighborhood.
<more> May 12, 2005 Associated Press
Fertile Fields for Tourism.
Many farmers across the state are grafting entertainment to agriculture. For
some, luring city slickers is a matter of survival. - - At the reins of a
team of Clydesdales, Craig Underwood posed for photos with a posse of
suburbanites and city slickers before taking them on a wagon ride around his
farm in eastern Ventura County. This isn't exactly where he thought his career
would lead. His family has farmed in these parts for four generations, raising
vegetables for markets around the world. But today, the 62-year-old grower is
pushing a cash crop of a different kind. Underwood has created the equivalent
of an agricultural amusement park amid the Southern California sprawl of tract
homes and shopping malls, providing an authentic farm experience to people
hungry to reconnect with their rural roots.
<more> May 12, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Gov. Scraps $1.3-Billion Transit Cut. Schwarzenegger relents after an uptick in the state economy boosts revenues. But other interests also seek added funding in new budget. - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday abandoned his plan to cut state transportation spending by $1.3 billion, and will instead call for full funding of California's freeways, local roads and commuter trains for the first time in years. <more> May 12, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Center for Consumer Freedom
launches "PETA Kills Animals Campaign" - -
The Center
for Consumer Freedom (CCF) unveiled a large billboard in Times Square on
Monday, claiming that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had
euthanized over 10,000 dogs, cats and other animals it took in between 1998
and 2003. CCF maintains that animal groups like the Norfolk SPCA (where
PETA headquarters is located) found homes for 73 percent of the animals it
housed, while PETA only managed 14 percent. Accusing PETA of being
hypocritical in its statements that it cares for animals, CCF has launched a
website,
www.petakillsanimals.com,
to publicize its allegations. May 11, 2005
Safe Egg Labeling rules proposed - - The Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to amend its food labeling
regulations to permit the egg industry to place the safe handling statement
for shell eggs on the inside lid of egg cartons if the statement "Keep
Refrigerated" appears on the top or side panel. This proposed rule applies
to shell eggs that have not been treated to destroy Salmonella bacteria that
can cause food-borne illness. If the rule is finalized, consumers may see
the safe handling statement every time they open the egg carton. Currently,
the safe handling statement must appear on either the top or any side panel
of egg cartons.
<more> May 11, 2005 FDA Press Release
On Food: Foie gras: Fan or
foe? It's a hot debate - - The special of the day is foie gras, a topic
that's hotter than the pan that sears it. Truthfully, I've been laying low
on the subject, because I didn't want to draw activists to Seattle
restaurants. I didn't want them protesting outside of our restaurants,
hassling chefs and diners, as they've done in Portland. Alas, I can't put
off weighing in any longer. Now that there is a counter-campaign called In
Defense of Foie Gras -- a play on In Defense of Animals -- I think we're
going to see much more vocal debates on the issue.
<more> May 11, 2005 Seattle
Post-Intelligencer
Agriculture Dept. paid
freelance writer - - The Agriculture Department paid a freelance writer
for stories in hunting and fishing magazines where he promoted the agency's
conservation efforts. The writer, Dave Smith, later was hired by the
department. He is now a biologist for the department's Natural Resources
Conservation Service in Missoula, Mont.
<more> May 11, 2005 Associated Press
Signatures in, but will vote happen? Governor, Democrats have until mid-June to avoid an election. - - Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger submitted thousands of signatures for a special election Tuesday and assuming they're certified, the next bit of suspense is whether he decides to call for the vote.The Democrat-and organized labor-backed Alliance for a Better California had threatened a variety of initiatives as a strategy to combat Schwarzenegger at the polls. But when the final petitions were turned in, the group - like the Republican governor - had significantly peeled back its agenda. <more> May 11, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Reaction is mixed on animal
Ids - - Beef, poultry and dairy producers in the Northern San Joaquin
Valley have mixed feelings about the proposal for a national animal
identification system announced Thursday.
<more> May 9, 2005 Modesto Bee
Avian flu catastrophe may
loom. Disease is just a mutation away from launching a human pandemic - -
A disaster brews in Asia as avian influenza threatens an explosion of human
disease more deadly than anthrax or smallpox. And the health community is
urging closer attention to the virus' "catastrophic potential.""Mother
Nature is the mother of all terrorists," said Dr. Stanley Lemon, a
virologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. "Given
the magnitude of the threat, many people believe we haven't gone far
enough."
<more> May 8, 2005 Houston Chronicle
Latin leaders face Congress on trade - - Lobbyists for a day, six Latin American presidents are making a rare joint trek to the Capitol, trying to convince U.S. lawmakers that a free trade agreement linking the United States with their countries is in everyone's best interest. <more> May 10, 2005 Associated Press
Saturday, May 7, 2005
Politics of Poultry - -
Bill Mattos worries about "enhanced chicken" these days. And misconceptions
about animal welfare and food safety. He's also concerned about taxes and
regulations that may be putting California's poultry industry at a
competitive disadvantage. As president of the California Poultry Federation,
it's Mattos' job to worry about those things.
<more> May 7, 2005 Modesto Bee
Dairy cows pass gas, but
how much? - - Dairy cows either: a) pollute the air a lot less than
previously thought, b) a lot more than previously thought, or c) about the
same as was thought. The answer is all of the above, according to a
committee charged with figuring out what the San Joaquin Valley's dairy cows
contribute to smog.
<more> May 7, 2005 Modesto Bee
Unions
sue over workers' comp -- The California Labor Federation is asking
the state Supreme Court to throw out a formula that critics say is flawed and
sharply cuts permanent disability awards by 50 percent or more for severely
injured workers. The federation's lawsuit against the state Division of
Workers' Compensation fuels renewed debate over last year's sweeping changes
to the giant state-run program.
<more> May 6, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Innovation creating greater packaging needs - - Demand for meat, poultry and seafood packaging is expected to increase 4 percent annually to $6.9 billion in 2009 because meat, poultry and seafood processors are offering items in smaller, more-convenient sizes, as well as increasing their further-processed offerings. <more> May 6, 2005 Food Production Daily.com
Thursday, May 5, 2005
Nunes takes
seat on Ways and Means Committee - - Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, took
his seat today on the House Ways and Means Committee. He was selected to
serve on the committee in January, but took a leave of absence. Rep. Nunes
fills the void left by Rep. Rob Portman (R-OH), who was confirmed by the
Senate as the United States Trade Representative. The Republican steering
committee, which makes committee assignments for members, made the
appointment of Rep. Nunes earlier today.
<more> May 5, 2005 Rep. Nunes
Press Release
Draft plan unveiled for national animal ID system - - The USDA has unveiled a thinking paper and timeline on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and called on agriculture producers, leaders, and industry partners to provide feedback. Both documents are available on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's NAIS Web site at http://www.usda.gov/nais and will be published in the Federal Register. <more> May 5, 2005 USDA Press Release
Valley reps again target
species act - - Central Valley lawmakers have been more successful at
criticizing the Endangered Species Act than they have been at rewriting it.
That's where Turlock Irrigation District official Steven Boyd comes in. On
Wednesday, amid a renewed congressional campaign, Boyd put an acutely local
spotlight on the 32-year-old environmental law. Water districts such as
Turlock's, Boyd testified, need relief.
<more> May 5, 2005 Modesto Bee
Farmers may pay more per
acre to aid with cleanup costs. Up to an additional 30 cents would help in
treating water pollution -- State water pollution regulators are leaning
toward charging farmers 12 cents to 30 cents for each acre they farm --
money that would pay to clean up water pollution caused by farming
operations. The State Water Resources Control Board has showed support for a
proposal that would raise up to $1.9 million a year to pay for an additional
22 staffers. The extra employees would review water-testing reports, help
teach farmers ways to reduce pollution and otherwise aid efforts to enforce
pollution rules.
<more> May 5, 2005 Stockton Record
KFC spat not all clucking: experts - - The plight of Canadian chickens isn't quite as bad as actress Pamela Anderson claims in her continuing spat with KFC Canada, but there are issues the food industry must address, say animal welfare experts. Ms. Anderson, a noted animal rights activist, has called for a boycott of KFC Canada because of what she says is the company's mistreatment of chickens. <more> May 5, 2005 The Globe and Mail
Foster Farms Launches New TV Commercials Focusing on Quality, Family Values and the Joy of Shared Experiences - - On the heels of one of the longest-running ad campaigns in California history, Foster Farms today is unveiling its new "We Foster Pure Honest to Goodness" advertising campaign throughout California. The new campaign emphasizes Foster Farms values, its standard of quality for more than three generations as a family-owned business and how important those values are for a company that markets the number one protein choice among consumers. <more> May 5, 2005 Foster Farms press release
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Schools crumble as Oregon
lawmakers fixate on foie gras and pledges. Legislature: Lawmakers focus on
the indivisible, the indigestible. You can't say this Legislature isn't
on top of things. It's focused on your priorities like a laser -- if you're
a flag or a duck.
<more> May 4, 2005 The Oregonian
Nunes reported to get seat
on powerful House Ways and Mean Committee - - The Congress Daily is
reporting that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) will take the House Ways and
Means seat being vacated by former Rep. Bob Portman of Ohio, who was just
confirmed as the new U.S. Trade Ambassador.
<more> May 4, 2005 Congress Daily AM
Governor Shelves Plan to
Reorganize Cal/EPA - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is
shelving yet another part of its once ambitious effort to refashion state
government. After months of discussions, officials have decided against
going forward this year with a reorganization of the state's environmental
agency, according to an internal administration e-mail obtained Tuesday.
<more> May 4, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Valley rural crime funds
hang by a thread - - Legislation to extend a Central Valley program
that fights rural crime narrowly survived a key policy committee Tuesday
after unexpected opposition had threatened its defeat. The Senate Public
Safety Committee approved the bill by Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno, on a
4-0 vote — the bare minimum necessary for passage. The committee rejected
Senate Bill 453 in March after a statewide public defenders group opposed
it, hoping for a share of the funding.
<more> May 4, 2005 Fresno Bee
Rep. Collin Peterson to
Keynote Turkey Federation’s Sixth Annual Leadership Conference - - Rep.
Collin Peterson, ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, will
deliver the keynote address at the National Turkey Federation’s (NTF) sixth
annual Leadership Conference. Peterson is expected to discuss food safety,
trade and the agriculture budgets. More than 150 turkey industry executives
are expected to converge on Washington for the NTF Leadership Conference,
July 11-13, at The L’Enfant Plaza Hotel.
<more> May 4, 2005 NTF Press Release
Vietnam to vaccinate some poultry against avian flu - - Vietnam is moving forward with a plan to fight the spread of avian influenza by vaccinating roughly 600,000 chickens in Ho Chi Minh City, according to news reports today. <more> May 4, 2005
Tuesday, May 3, 2005
Tyson Earnings Slump in
Second Quarter - - Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest meat processing
company, said Monday that its second-quarter earnings declined 36 percent
from last year, due in part to losses from the company's commodity risk
management activities related to grain purchases.
<more> May 2, 2005 Associated
Press
New Mexico Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Poultry -
- Nine people from New Mexico and four other states have been reported with
salmonella infections in the past two months, and six of those cases are
linked to young poultry from a New Mexico hatchery.
<more>
May
2, 2005 Associated Press
Family Fare Follows 'Foster Imposters' - - SAN
FRANCISCO WPP Group's Young & Rubicam here breaks a campaign today for
Foster Farms that focuses on premium chicken for family dinners, a
turnaround from the previous 10-years of advertising from Goodby,
Silverstein & Partners.
<more>
May
2, 2005 AdWeek Online
Governor seeks support in
Fresno. Schwarzenegger brings signature drive to Valley. - - Gov.
Schwarzenegger took on the role of autograph-seeker Sunday afternoon, urging
diners at a north Fresno restaurant to sign petitions that would qualify his
government overhauls for the ballot. The Republican governor brought his
star power to the Elephant Bar restaurant to win backing for his efforts to
restrict teacher tenure, redraw legislative district lines and place caps on
state spending.
<more> May 2, 2005 Fresno Bee
U.S. Value of Production
and Sales Up 24 Percent - - The combined value of production from
broilers, eggs, turkeys, and the value of sales from chickens in 2004, was
$28.9 billion, up 24 percent from the $23.3 billion in 2003. Of the combined
total, 71 percent was from broilers, 18 percent from eggs, 11 percent from
turkeys, and less than 1 percent from chickens.
<more> May 2, 2005 USDA National Ag Statistics Report
State proposes more water
fees - - New fees are on tap for California farmers participating in the
state's agricultural runoff regulatory program. The State Water Resources
Control Board plans to hear a staff proposal May 3 in Sacramento that would
collect nearly $2 million more in fees from farmers and ranchers. A
California Farm Bureau spokesman says the proposal would, in essence,
require private landowners to pay the salaries of new state employees, whose
work would duplicate regulation already undertaken by other government
agencies.
<more> May 2, 2005 Ag Alert
Lawmakers' Help for Drug Firm Tests Limits. FDA Calls Efforts For Bayer Illegal - - The German pharmaceutical giant Bayer suffered a serious setback last year when a federal administrative law judge backed a proposed ban on a drug used to fight poultry infections at factory farms. The judge cited growing scientific evidence suggesting that the practice was reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics vital to human health. Facing defeat in a three-year legal battle, Bayer sought help in a new arena -- Congress. In a letter written in the office of Rep. Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. (R-Miss.), and with the assistance of a Bayer lobbyist who was a longtime Pickering friend, 26 House members argued that the poultry medicine was "absolutely necessary to protecting the health of birds." It called on Lester M. Crawford, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to set aside the judge's decision regarding the class of drugs. The Bayer product is known as Baytril. <more> April 30, 2005 Washington Post
Friday, April 29, 2005
Senate Votes to Confirm
Workers' Comp Director - - Prodded by Democratic leader Sen. Don Perata,
the state Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
appointment of Andrea Hoch to oversee the overhaul of California's workers'
compensation insurance system.
<more>
April 29, 2005 Los Angeles Times
A pioneering ethanol plant.
Valley facility will be 1st commercial site in California to turn corn into
the gasoline additive. - - A rural whistle-stop north of Visalia is on
track to be the first commercial site in California to convert corn kernels to
ethanol, a renewable energy source that is added to gasoline.
<more> April 29, 2005 Fresno Bee
Tyson Foods, Ex-Exec To Pay SEC $2.2M In Perk Case --Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) and former chairman Don Tyson agreed to pay a combined $2.2 million to settle charges that the poultry company failed to disclose perks such as lawn maintenance, housekeeping, and vacations that the executive received while he led the company and after he retired. <more> April 29, 2005 Dow Jones News Service
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Aviagen Becomes Part of the
Erich Wesjohann Group; Aviagen to Maintain Independence and Share Knowledge
- - Aviagen International Group, Inc. (Aviagen), the world's leading
poultry meat science company, has been acquired by Erich Wesjohann GmbH & Co.
KG (the Erich Wesjohann Group), the leader in the poultry science for the egg
layer industry. These complementary poultry science leaders represent
unprecedented genetic knowledge and research resources in the industry.
<more> April 28, 2005 Aviagen Press
Release
Schwarzenegger's rating drops
sharply. Since January, his popularity has plunged 20 points. - - Just as
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger prepares to sell a reduced "reform" agenda to
voters, a newly released statewide poll shows the Republican governor's
popularity has plummeted. The poll from the nonpartisan Public Policy
Institute of California found that only 40 percent of adults now approve of
the way Schwarzenegger is handling his job as governor, a whopping 20
percentage point drop since January. Among "likely voters," his approval
rating was a higher 45 percent, but that fell from 63 percent at the start of
the year.
<more> April 28, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Valley air hits children
hardest. Children in the Northern San Joaquin Valley pay a high price for the
region's inability to clear its air of pollution. - - An American Lung
Association study released today shows that children in the valley have: *
Diminished lung capacity * Increased susceptibility to asthma and many other
chronic respiratory diseases * The loss of months or even years from expected
life spans. In its "State of the Air 2005" report, the Lung Association gives
failing grades to Stanislaus, Merced, Tuolumne, San Joaquin and Calaveras
counties.
<more> April 28, 2005 Modesto Bee
Governor hedges on
redistricting agenda. He admits it may not be possible to redraw voter
boundaries by the 2006 elections -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared to
soften his stance on another key element of his agenda Wednesday, suggesting
he wasn't committed to forcing the redrawing of the state's voting districts
next year. Speaking at a steel factory in Southern California, Schwarzenegger
indicated it might not be possible to quickly enact a proposal designed to
strip lawmakers of their power to create the boundaries for the districts they
and California's congressional delegation represent. The governor wants a
panel of retired judges to create districts instead and has previously said he
wants the change made before the 2006 elections.
<more> April 28, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Panel OKs Appointee to
Workers' Comp Post. Head of the state Senate Rules Committee is criticized
after breaking with fellow Democrats in favor of Andrea Hoch. - - The
state's top workers' compensation official got a key legislative endorsement
Wednesday, but only after the Senate's Democratic leader said he had a
commitment from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to consider changes in
controversial new regulations that allegedly slash benefits to injured
workers.
<more> April 28, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Air quality standard is
expected to go up. Ozone rules would be toughest in the nation - -
California regulators are expected to adopt the nation's toughest ozone
pollution standard today on the heels of a new study that reports nine out of
10 state residents are threatened by unhealthy air despite big improvements
during the last decade.
<more> April 28, 2005 San Diego
Union-Tribune
Pombo fires back at critics report on species act - - Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, is sparring with environmentalists again, this time over a report he asked the federal government's General Accounting Office for on the Endangered Species Act. <more> April 28, 2005 San Joaquin News Service
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
California bill to ban
killing birds in woodchippers is not dead, say activists - - Assembly
Bill 1587, which would ban the grinding, burning, drowning, suffocating,
freezing, and live burial of cattle, calves, horses, mules, pigs, sheep,
goats, fallow dear, and birds is not dead, says the California Animal
Association (CAA), which consists of United Poultry Concerns, the
Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, Animal Place, Farm
Sanctuary, and Viva!USA. Read their press release by
clicking here. April 27, 2005
Farmers Insurance Group
workers' comp costs drop - - In a possible sign that insurers are
feeling the heat over their sluggish reductions in workers' compensation
premiums, Farmers Insurance Group of Companies trumpeted a 10 percent cut in
premiums.
<more> April 27, 2005 Contra Costa Times
Senators threaten to flush
delta funds - - Two state senators are threatening to pull funding from
a joint federal and state agency charged with restoring the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta. Democratic Sens. Mike Machado of Linden and Sheila Kuehl of
Santa Monica said they would not go along with the California Bay-Delta
Authority's plan to spend $8 billion over a decade to protect and improve
the delta, which filters water used by 22 million Californians.
<more> April 27, 2005 Associated Press
Watchdogs: Don't extend
water fund. Group contends money benefits large agribusinesses - - A
Ralph Nader watchdog group on Tuesday opposed an extension of a state fund
to protect fish, asserting the fund instead supports large agribusiness such
as Paramount Farming Co. in Bakersfield. A Kern County Water Agency official
called the protest "a substantial overstatement of the situation." Public
Citizen, which says it has 160,000 members in the nation and 35,000 in
California, protested AB 1245 by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis. The bill
would extend the Environmental Water Account fund, which has paid out $140
million since it was created in 2000.
<more> April 27, 2005 Bakersfield Californian
International Respect for Chickens Day May 4 Celebrates Chickens -- United Poultry Concerns is launching International Respect for Chickens Day on May 4th. We're urging everyone to do an ACTION of compassion for chickens on that day. This can range from writing a letter to the editor to tabling at a local mall to showing the movie Chicken Run to students, family and friends. <more> April 27, 2005 United Poultry Concerns press release
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Workers' Comp Costs
Questioned. Insurers haven't passed most of their savings on to the state's
employers, Garamendi says. - - Workers' compensation insurers saw
their costs from paying claims drop dramatically last year, but they haven't
passed most of those savings on to hard-pressed California employers, state
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi said Monday. For every dollar they
received in premiums last year, workers' comp insurers paid out 45 cents in
medical treatments and disability benefits for injured workers, Garamendi
said. That was down from loss ratios of 60 cents in 2003 and 89 cents in
2002.
<more> April 26, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Premium reductions are
urged. Insurers told they should reduce rates for workers' comp - -
California baseline workers' compensation premium -- which has already come
down on average about 24 percent in the past two years -- should be reduced
further, an industry advisory group recommended Monday.
<more> April 26, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
Conflict raised in chicken arsenic debate -- Scientific experts have gone toe-to-toe in an editorial debate over potential hazards of arsenic-fed chickens. Bruce Bernard, a 30-year toxicologist from Cambridge, was recently cited in an issue of Environmental Health Perspectives refuting an earlier article by a Johns Hopkins University scientist about Lower Shore studies regarding antibiotics in chicken feed. Bernard, also a consultant at SRA International -- a toxicology research firm in Washington -- claims Johns Hopkins' Ellen Silbergeld based a magazine article on opinion rather than fact, saying she made several errors in her writings on the topic in a letter to the editor that appeared in a May 2004 issue. Silbergeld's so-called error also was cited in the April 8 issue of the National Chicken Council Washington Report. <more> April 26, 2005 DelMarvaNow.com
Friday, April 22, 2005
House approves energy
package. After debate over MTBE liability for companies, lawmakers pass bill
that includes drilling in refuge - - The House passed a comprehensive
energy bill Thursday that includes a provision to drill for oil in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge, protects manufacturers of the gas additive MTBE from
lawsuits, and extends daylight-saving time by two months.
<more> April 22, 2005 Fresno Bee
Agriculture theme for Great
Valley Conference May 11-12 - - The Central Valley’s agricultural economy
will be center stage when the Great Valley Center hosts its annual conference
May 11-12 in Sacramento. The conference’s theme: “Growing A Community” refers
to the Valley’s agricultural roots and the challenges facing the Valley as its
population grows.
<more> April 22, 2005
Bird Flu Hits Vietnam Right
Where It Hurts. Chicken soup is king, and raising poultry is a way of life.
Culling the animals affects millions. - - To know the effect of avian
influenza here, order a steaming bowl of pho ga, or chicken noodle soup — if
you can find one. Since last year, pho ga has virtually disappeared in this
soup-obsessed city, which has more noodle shops than Seattle has espresso
bars. Pho 2000 — perhaps the nation's most famous soup cafe owing to a visit
by former U.S. President Clinton five years ago — has literally crossed the
dish off its menu. Once commonplace eateries that specialize in chicken soup
have closed by the dozen. "No one will buy chicken," said the manager of Pho
24, a trendy downtown soup restaurant. "Try some beef."
<more> April 22, 2005 Los Angeles Times
State farm lobby blocks bill to stop killing chickens via wood chippers - - The powerful farm lobby yesterday blocked legislation that would have barred ranchers from killing chickens by feeding them into wood chippers, a practice described by animal rights activists as barbaric. <more> April 22, 2005 San Diego Union Tribune
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Ag water waiver fee proposal
subject of May 3 hearing - - A proposal to collect fees from agricultural
landowners to pay for 22 positions at the State Water Board to implement the
agricultural waste discharge waiver program for the Central Valley will be the
subject of a May 3 hearing in Sacramento.
<more> April 21, 2005
Animals in chipper OK, say
legislators - - It's not a question of how much wood wood chippers could
chip, but rather what wood chippers should be chipping in the first place.
Lawmakers on the Assembly Agriculture Committee didn't have trouble with the
tongue twister at a hearing Wednesday. They rejected an effort by
animal-rights activists to ban the killing of farm animals by using the
chipping machinery, more commonly used to grind up trees and other yard
trimmings.
<more> April 21, 2005
Modesto Bee
Activists seek ethics probe
for Pombo -- Two California environmental groups have asked Congress to
launch an investigation into whether Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, violated
ethics rules when his staff sought to alter wind energy regulations without
disclosing his parents' financial interest in an Altamont Pass wind farm.
<more> April 21, 2005 Contra Costa Times
EPA Pollution Plan Has Delmarva Poultry Farmers Fuming - - Emotions ran high Wednesday night in what was almost a showdown between Delmarva's poultry farmers and Uncle Sam. A volatile crowd of poultry farmers from across the peninsula filled Del Tech's Georgetown campus as they met with Environmental Protection Agency officials to discuss the agency's new plan that would ask farmers to help pay up to $2,500 of their own money for a pollution study and how they could also pay to avoid getting sued for polluting. <more> April 21, 2005 WBOC-TV
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Assembly speaker ready to
fight over workers' comp. Núñez threatens to delay budget talks unless the
governor recasts new rules. - - Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez threatened
Tuesday to hold up budget talks unless Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
administration reworks rules to carry out last year's workers' compensation
legislation. "Democrats would have never signed onto a deal that puts
injured workers in harm's way," Núñez told more than 500 workers and labor
union advocates during a rally on the east lawn of the Capitol.
<more> April 20, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Senate rejects 2 farm job
bills. Guest-worker measures' failure leaves immigration reform in doubt.
- - The Senate on Tuesday rejected competing agricultural guest-worker
bills, casting into doubt the timing and prospects for broader immigration
reform. In a much-anticipated 53-45 vote, proponents of the main
guest-worker bill fell short of the 60 votes needed to proceed. It marked
the first time since 1996 that either the House or Senate had taken up
sweeping guest-worker legislation.
<more> April 20, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Economic toll due to bird
flu may not be as bad as expected, UN says - - Some Asian countries
ravaged by bird flu have been able to limit the loss of billions of dollars
by modifying their poultry exports, a UN animal health economist said
Wednesday, pointing to Thailand which is now cooking much of its meat.
<more> April 20, 2005 Canadian Press
Vietnam sees a long fight against bird flu- - The bird flu virus, which has killed 36 people in Vietnam, may not be contained until 2007 because the way it spreads still baffles experts, officials said Monday as the country extends ban on water fowl raising. The government aimed to contain the H5N1 virus by next year or 2007 and eliminate it by 2010, Deputy Agriculture Minister Bui Ba Bong told a conference reviewing the fight against bird flu in Vietnam, the country hit hardest by the epidemic. <more> April 20, 2005 Reuters
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Workers' comp haunts
Capitol. Despite landmark law, a prickly issue roars back to life. - - A
year ago one of California's most powerful Democrats declared that lawmakers
and Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had fixed a broken workers'
compensation system. "Workers' comp has seen the last of John L. Burton,"
the then-Senate president pro tem said after hammering out a sweeping
compromise package with the governor. He lied.
<more> April 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee
New Food Pyramid Symbol
Introduced by USDA - - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today unveiled
MyPyramid, a new symbol and interactive food guidance system. "Steps to a
Healthier You," MyPyramid's central message, supports President Bush's
HealthierUS initiative which is designed to help Americans live longer,
better and healthier lives. MyPyramid, which replaces the Food Guide
Pyramid introduced in 1992, is part of an overall food guidance system that
emphasizes the need for a more individualized approach to improving diet and
lifestyle.
<more> April 19, 2005 USDA Press Release.
Senate rejects competing
farmworker bills - - The Senate balked Tuesday at using an
Iraq-Afghanistan aid bill to make it possible for immigrant farmworkers to
win permanent or temporary legal status. The lawmakers quickly dispensed
with two competing agricultural worker measures. A 53-45 vote indicated
support for a measure offered by Sens. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Edward M.
Kennedy, D-Mass., offering permanent residency to certain immigrant workers.
Craig and Kennedy, however, needed 60 votes to prevent opponents from
blocking their measure.
<more> April 19, 2005 Associated Press
Chicken Farmers Outraged by
Uncle Sam's Research Plan - - Extortion. Shakedown. Scheme. Those are
words area chicken farmers are using to describe an Environmental Protection
Agency proposal. The EPA is asking farmers to pay the federal government
money to research whether emissions are a problem on chicken farms, and then
possibly pay more money to fix it.
<more> April 16, 2005 WBOC-TV Delamrva
E.U. Votes Ban on U.S. Corn Gluten -- European Union nations voted Friday to ban U.S. shipments of suspect corn gluten animal feed unless they are assured that the imports are free of unauthorized genetically modified corn. <more> April 16, 2005 Washington Post
Friday, April 15, 2005
Foster Farms will hire 90.
Poultry plant plans to boost production by 80%. - - A growing
appetite for Hot n' Spicy chicken wings and other ready-to-eat products is
fueling Foster Farms' decision to hire 90 workers at its Porterville
cooked-chicken plant by September, company officials said Thursday. The
100,000-square-foot plant is starting a fourth production line that will
increase plant capacity by 80% — or 960,000 pounds of chicken a week — said
Ted Maisch, Foster Farms' manager of cooked chicken.
<more> April 15, 2005 Fresno Bee
Foodborne Illnesses
Continue Downward Trend: 2010 Health Goals for E. Coli 0157 Reached - -
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in
collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed important declines in foodborne
infections due to common bacterial pathogens in 2004.
<more> April 15,2005 CDC Press Release
Click here for NTF statement
USDA announces marketing support for egg industry
-- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced its intent to purchase fowl meat products for school lunch and other domestic food assistance programs. The purchase will create a much-needed market for light spent fowl meat, which is produced from egg-type laying hens. Egg producers have been unable to dispose of egg laying hens in sufficient numbers because fowl processors cannot increase normal markets for fowl meat. <more> April 15, 2005 USDA News ReleaseRegulator tells crowd air
laws benefit farmers -— Farmers face a challenge with new air pollution
rules, but the rules can also be beneficial, a state regulator said Thursday
night. For example, planting crops with minimal tilling of the soil can save
tractor fuel while reducing dust, said Dorene D'Adamo, who serves on the
California Air Resources Board.
<more> April 15, 2005 Modesto Bee
Stanislaus, 3 neighbors in
top eight fastest growing counties - - Stanislaus County and three of
its neighbors were among the eight fastest-growing counties in California
from 2000 to 2004, the Census Bureau reported Thursday. The numbers reflect
the influx of people to the Northern San Joaquin Valley from the Bay Area,
where several counties lost population over the four years.
<more> April 15, 2005 Modesto Bee
Bush says border law too
harsh. President backs away from new passport requirement - - President
Bush distanced himself Thursday from his own administration's proposal to
require passports for U.S. residents re-entering the country from Canada or
Mexico. Barely a week after his Department of Homeland Security made public
the new passport proposal, Bush declared he was uncomfortable with the idea.
<more> April 15, 2005 Modesto Bee
Find could lower cost of
ethanol -- A Davis biotech firm announced a breakthrough Thursday in the
production of the gasoline additive ethanol, but the development won't
affect the current sky-high price of gas. Novozymes Biotech Inc. said it
found a way of drastically reducing the cost of enzymes needed to create
ethanol out of rice straw and other agricultural waste, also known as
biomass.
<more> April 15, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Bipartisan House Bill Would Set Renewable Fuel Standard at 8 Billion Gallons Per Year - – The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) today praised Representatives Stephanie Herseth (D-SD), Tom Osborne (R-NE), Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Steve King (R-IA) for introducing a renewable fuels standard (RFS) bill that would require the use of 8 billion gallons of renewable fuels, like ethanol and biodiesel, by 2012. The legislation mirrors S. 650, a Senate RFS bill. <more> April 15, 2005 Renewable Fuels Association Press Release
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Innovative turkey-to-oil
plant eats money, spits out fowl odor - - The eyes of the world have
been on this Missouri town for several years to see if a New York
businessman can really turn turkey leftovers into oil. The answer: A
resounding yes. In fact, a revolutionary plant is turning 270 tons of
poultry waste into 300 barrels of crude oil every day. That would be cause
for wild celebration in many circles if not for two not-so-minor problems.
<more> April 13, 2005 Kansas City Star
CAFTA facing growing
opposition - - The Central America Free Trade Agreement appears to be in
for a rough ride when the Bush administration submits the trade pact to
Congress sometime later this year. One of the latest to express misgivings
about the agreement with five Central American countries and the Dominican
Republic is Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, chairman of the Senate Committee
on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
<more> April 13, 2005 Delta Farm Press
EU to propose scientific
checks on US corn imports after GMO scare - - Some corn imports from the
United States could face quality tests before being shipped to Europe after
an unauthorized genetically modified strain of maize was mistakenly
exported, a European Commission spokesman said. The proposal come in
reaction to news that a potentially harmful type of genetically modified
corn known as Bt-10 -- produced by Swiss group Syngenta -- was exported from
the US to Europe.
<more> April 13, 2005 Agence France Press
S.J. River bill passes
first test - - A controversial proposal to restore the San Joaquin River
passed its first test Tuesday. The Senate Natural Resources Committee
approved a bill sponsored by state Sen. Michael Machado, D-Linden, that
would help Delta farmers, migratory fish and Stockton-area taxpayers by
releasing water from behind Friant Dam, partially restoring the flow of the
often-stagnant river. The flushing would leave the San Joaquin cleaner and
could encourage salmon, shad and other fish to return. It would also reduce
exorbitant environmental cleanup costs faced by city water plants in
Stockton, Tracy and Manteca.
<more> April 13, 2005 Stockton Record
Nobel scientist warns on bird flu - - Avian flu - caught directly from birds, and which kills in seven cases out of 10 - could suddenly sweep through the human population, killing 70 million people according to World Health Organization estimates, a Nobel laureate warned yesterday. <more> April 13, 2005 The Guardian
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Canadian producers warned
the government avian could be carried by wind - - Poultry producers
warned the Canadian Food Inspection Agency last spring that the avian flu
virus might be carried by the wind on Matsqui Prairie, but they were ignored
initially. Their fears, however, proved right.
<more> April 12, 2005 MetroValley News
Meat, Milk from Clones Look
Normal, Study Finds - - Meat and milk from cloned cattle
are virtually identical to the same products from prize animals bred the
old-fashioned way, researchers in Japan and the United States reported on
Tuesday. While cautioning that their study is not the definitive report on
whether it is safe to eat cloned animals, the researchers said it suggested
they might be.
<more> April 12, 2005 Reuters
Ag air quality topic for Thursday CSU Stanislaus talk - - What is the future outlook for air quality issues facing the Central Valley’s agricultural community? DeeDee D’Adamo, chair of the California Air Resources Board’s Agriculture Advisory Committee for Air Quality, will address that issue Thursday, April 14, in a talk at CSU Stanislaus in Turlock. Her speech is part of the Agricultural Studies speaker series presented by Yosemite Farm Credit. The talk begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Demergasso-Bava Hall, Room P-166. Free parking is available in lot 4.
Westly expects $2 billion from tax amnesty - - An 11th-hour rush to beat California's tax amnesty deadline last week ultimately could beef up the state's cash-starved coffers by more than $2 billion, Controller Steve Westly said Monday. "We put out the call and delinquent taxpayers have come running," Westly said during a telephone press conference. There was "an enormous mountain of people that have come forward in the last days of the closing of the program." <more> April 12, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Friday, April 8, 2005
Get Used to High Gas Prices,
U.S. Says - — On a day when California gasoline prices set a new high, the
Energy Department forecast Thursday that record pump prices will not only rule
the road this summer, they'll stick around through 2006 as motorists' thirst
for fuel shows no sign of abating. California's fuel costs are expected to
remain substantially higher than the nation's this summer, with prices 25
cents to 50 cents above the predicted U.S. average of about $2.28 a gallon
during the peak driving season, according to the Energy Information
Administration, the Energy Department's statistical arm.
<more> April 8, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Don't overlook valley's
farmers - - What if there were a local industry group in Stanislaus County
that generated $1.5 billion in sales and employed 65,000 people? Economic
development gurus would be falling over each other to recruit the industry and
make sure it stayed here and prospered, said Carol Whiteside, president of the
Great Valley Center, a Modesto research group. Well, the industry is here, but
it is largely taken for granted, said Whiteside, speaking at the Modesto
Chamber of Commerce's AgAware Luncheon on Thursday at the SOS Club.
<more> April 8, 2005 Modesto Bee.
Click
here for the complete speech text.
FDA Is Urged to Ban Some Farm
Antibiotics - - A coalition of public health and environmental advocates
petitioned the Food and Drug Administration yesterday to ban the use of seven
classes of antibiotics commonly used on farms to speed the growth of
livestock.
<more> April 8, 2005 Washington Post
Governor gives up on overhaul of public pensions. Police, firefighters had applied pressure -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unexpectedly dropped his plan to overhaul public pensions, succumbing Thursday to pressure from firefighters and police officers who had opposed the proposal that seemed headed for the ballot this year. Schwarzenegger's reversal was a victory for his opponents, who believe sinking poll numbers and constant protests have damaged the governor's ability to move his agenda forward. They called on him to abandon any thoughts of a special election this November on issues ranging from teacher tenure to legislative redistricting. <more> April 8, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, April 7, 2005
WHO expert: Bird flu strains
could combine --Two strains of bird flu in Asia may combine to create a
highly lethal and easily transmissible virus, a U.N. health official warned
Wednesday, amid widespread fears that the disease could cause the next human
pandemic.
<more> April 7, 2005 Associated Press
Rep. Pombo With Wind Farm
Ties Denies Power Play - - Aides to California Rep. Richard W. Pombo
pressed officials of the U.S. Department of the Interior last year to suspend
environmental guidelines opposed by the wind-power industry without disclosing
that Pombo's family had a substantial financial stake in wind energy. The
guidelines, issued in 2003, seek to reduce the number of birds killed by the
spinning blades of wind turbines, such as those that flank the Altamont Pass
east of Oakland.
<more> April 7, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Self-Proclaimed Governor of
the People Is Fading as Lord of the Polls -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
style may be getting stale. He's too interested in PR gimmicks, many voters
think, and should be putting more effort into dealing with legislators. Fewer
than half of Californians now approve of the way the governor is handling his
job, a sharp decline since January. Moreover, people think California has
gotten off on the wrong track.
<more> April 7, 2005 Los Angeles Times
North Korea appeals for international help over bird flu outbreak -- North Korea, officially acknowledging an outbreak of bird flu in the country, has asked for international help in combating the problem in the isolated country, a conference on avian influenza heard. <more> April 7, 2005 Agence France Presse.
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Plan to Lower Gas Tax
Floated. Republicans call the Democratic proposal to simultaneously cut the
fuel levy by 11 cents a gallon and raise state sales tax a 'shell game.'
- — Democrats in the state Assembly proposed Tuesday to offer drivers some
relief at the pump by cutting gas taxes 11 cents a gallon and increasing the
sales tax on everything else. Under the plan, the sales tax would go up a
quarter of a cent, raising roughly as much revenue as the gas tax would cut,
to pay for transportation projects. In addition to the tax swap, the state
would sell a $10-billion bond issue that would be used to jump-start such
projects, long stalled amid the state's budget crisis. The gas tax would
creep back up, by a total of 4 cents, over the next decade to repay the
20-year bonds.
<more> April 6, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Avian Flu in North Korean
Chickens Called Less Lethal -- Chickens in North Korea are suffering
from a rare outbreak of H7 avian influenza, and not the more lethal H5N1
avian influenza virus that has infected poultry across Southeast Asia, a
United Nations official said today.
<more>
April 6, 2005 New York Times
U.S. clamping down on
returning travelers - - Americans returning from Mexico and Canada, long
accustomed to showing only a driver's license and other ID to come home,
will have to present passports starting in less than two years, the Bush
administration announced Tuesday. The crackdown along borders that have long
cultivated openness could complicate casual tourism and heavy commerce
alike, officials acknowledge.
<more> April 6, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Poultry Feathers Made Into
Plastic Mulch - - Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who
have developed a method to turn chicken feathers into plastic products are
continuing to bring the technology closer to the marketplace.
<more> April 6, 2005 Science Daily
Alliances for political
survival - - Jerry McNerney did not bother seeking Merced Rep. Dennis
Cardoza's help when McNerney ran for Congress last year. McNerney, like
Cardoza, is a Democrat. Both want their party to regain control of Congress.
McNerney won the endorsement of eight Democratic House members in his bid to
unseat Tracy Republican Richard Pombo; Cardoza was not one of them, and
McNerney said he never called Cardoza. "It was pretty well understood that
he wasn't going to support anyone against Mr. Pombo," McNerney said.
<more> April 6, 2005 Modesto Bee
Demonstrators Push Foie Gras Off of Menus -- At Hurley's restaurant in hip Northwest Portland, foie gras is not on the menu. You have to ask for it.The restaurant is among several in Portland that have removed foie gras from their menus because of protests by animal rights activists, who have gathered outside restaurants with gruesome images of dead and diseased ducks they say are the result of force-feeding techniques used to produce foie gras, which is fattened duck liver. Opponents say the practice should be outlawed, and persuaded the California Legislature last year to pass a bill that will ban foie gras in 2012 unless producers can prove the technique is humane. <more> April 6, 2005 New York Times
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Poultry hatcheries face a
shipping crisis - - Changing policies at the United States Postal
Service, and turnover in government contracts may be bringing an end to the
days of hometown deliveries of live birds. Many hatchery operators are
feeling the economic pressures of limited delivery options, and in some
parts of the country, it can be nearly impossible to get deliveries of live
birds. According to Murray McMurray, Chairman of Bird Shippers of America,
the problem comes with changes in postal service contracts. It is a
situation where major air cargo companies are rejecting parcels containing
chicks.
<more> April 5, 2005 Brownfield Ag News
Service
Raeford, North Carolina
turkey plant ordered closed by U.S. food inspectors - - For the second
time within about a week, federal inspectors have closed a poultry
processing plant operated by House of Raeford Farms, a U.S. Agriculture
Department spokesman said Tuesday. Hundreds of workers at a turkey
processing plant in Raeford remained idled Tuesday after inspectors who work
at the plant ordered it closed Saturday, said Matt Baun, a spokesman for
USDA's food safety and inspection service in Washington, D.C. Another
company-owned plant in Raeford was not affected.
<more> April 5, 2005 Wilington Star-News
Workers' comp plan critics
cry foul. Ex-Senate leader Burton feels 'betrayed' - - Saying he felt
betrayed and never intended to harm injured workers, former Democratic
Senate leader John Burton urged the state Monday to rewrite proposed rules
crucial in determining permanent disability benefits. Burton led a parade of
critics - labor leaders, injured workers and their legal representatives
from the California Applicants' Attorneys Association - who asserted that
the proposed rules would cut benefits by up to 70 percent.
<more> April 5, 2005 Sacramento Bee
U.S. launches avian flu
vaccine trial - - Hundreds of American volunteers are set to take part
in a groundbreaking safety trial of a potential vaccine for avian flu.
<more> April 5, 2005 Canadian
Broadcasting Corp.
Grimaud purchases Hubbard
-- Merial Ltd and Group Grimaud La Corbiere, SA are pleased to announce
that Group Grimaud have completed the purchase of Merial's subsidiary
Hubbard, one of the world's leading Broiler Breeding Companies. Grimaud
Farms of California Inc, based in Stockton, is a member of the California
Poultry Federation.
<more> April 4, 2005 Hubbard Breeders
press release.
Louisiana
chicken plant's 700 workers begin applying for unemployment - - With no
date set to reopen a chicken processing plant shut down by federal
inspectors, its 700 idled workers are beginning to seek unemployment
benefits.
<more> April 4, 2005 Associated Press
Bush Authorizes Use of
Quarantine Powers in Cases of Bird Flu - - President Bush signed an
executive order on Friday authorizing the government to impose a quarantine
to deal with any outbreak of a particularly lethal variation of influenza
now found in Southeast Asia. The order is intended to deal with a type of
influenza commonly referred to as bird flu. Since January 2004, an estimated
69 people, primarily in Vietnam, have contracted the disease. But Dr. Keiji
Fukuda, a flu expert at the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta, has said he suspects there are more cases.
<more> April 3, 2005 Associated Press
Monday, April 4, 2005
Brilliant Marketer
Personalized Poultry - - Frank Perdue, an Eastern Shore chicken farmer
who saw dollars in drumsticks and became the folksy, public face of the
poultry industry in the Northeast, died Thursday at his home in Salisbury.
His family said he had a brief illness. He was 84.
<more> April 2, 2005 Washington Post
Wet winter, heavy snows
mean more water this summer - - The Sierra Nevada mountains are
blanketed with a third more snow than normal. Reservoirs, low enough to show
bathtub rings the last few years, are filling. Southern California, after a
multiyear drought, has had its second wettest year on record. While the
Pacific Northwest has had a dry winter dampened by a recent series of
storms, most of California is swimming.
<more> April 2, 2005 Associated Press
Overflowing with relief. Growers reap the benefits of above-normal rainfall that will prolong water delivery. - - Snowcapped peaks and an often-soggy Valley floor are bringing smiles to farmers who have been more accustomed to frowning through years of below-normal precipitation. <more> April 3, 2005 Fresno Bee
Friday, April 1, 2005
Hot
Summer May Tax Power -- Southern California may have to take
aggressive conservation steps to avoid electricity shortages should the
coming summer be unusually hot, the operator of the state's power grid said
Thursday. The California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the
transmission system, reviewed its "summer assessment," which showed that the
state as a whole probably has enough electricity supplies for a typical
summer.
<more> April 1, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Agriculture water won't flow southward this year -- Three deals to transfer water from the Sacramento Valley to state water contractors south of the Delta are dead. Eight state water contractors, led by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, notified local water districts Wednesday night they would not exercise option contracts that were negotiated earlier in the year. <more> April 1, 2005 Chico Enterprise
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Bird Flu Hits N. Korea in
Sore Spot. The destitute nation has made a rare success of poultry
production, which now faces disaster. - — In recent years, North
Korea's Kim Jong Il ordered his army to build chicken farms to fight the
country's chronic food shortage and sell poultry abroad for hard currency.
Just this month, North Korean-raised chickens were due to be exported for
the first time — to South Korea. For that reason, the first reported
outbreak of avian flu in North Korea could have a devastating effect on the
secretive, impoverished country.
<more> March 31, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Lawsuits challenge species
protection - - A conservative legal foundation on Wednesday filed
lawsuits challenging federal protection for 42 species — including two fairy
shrimp that kept the University of California off the university's preferred
building site near Merced.
<more> March 31, 2005 Modesto Bee
Healthy milestone in reach
for Valley air . Numbers encourage air officials, who caution that
pollution still not licked. - - The San Joaquin Valley's air,
perennially among the dirtiest in the country, might reach a cleanup
milestone this year — meeting a health standard for dust, smoke and other
small debris. In decades of regulation, the Valley air never has been
healthy under any standard for so-called PM-10, known as particulate
pollution.
<more> March 31, 2005 Fresno Bee
Governor's adviser lends ear. Food industry leaders discuss economic conditions, state help at Clovis meeting. - - Not many people can talk to Gov. Schwarzenegger at will. But David Crane can, which is why his presence Wednesday at a meeting of food industry leaders in Clovis drew more than 60 people — all eager to share their views with the governor's special adviser for jobs and economic growth. <more> March 31, 2005 Fresno Bee
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Northern Mexico AI outbreak
reported - - Officials with Mexico's Agriculture Ministry have reported
an outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza in the state of Durango, in
northern Mexico. Early last week, suspicions over bird flu led to a cull of
some 2 million chickens at a Tyson Foods processing plant. There are no
reports on how it entered the country but Mexico did recently resume imports
of poultry from Texas, which was affected with low pathogen avian influenza
last year. Since it was not a high pathogen strain, the finding was not
reported to the World Health Organization. Source: Brownfield Ag News
Service
http://www.brownfieldagnews.com/
Committee forwards
secretary of state nomination to Assembly - - The Assembly Rules
Committee approved the nomination of former state Sen. Bruce McPherson as
secretary of state Wednesday, clearing the way for a possible vote later in
the day and immediate swearing-in ceremonies.
<more> March 30, 2005 Associated Press
Hong Kong Suspends Import
of Live Birds, Poultry Meat From N. Korea - - A spokesman of the Hong
Kong government said on Tuesday that the government would suspend the import
of live birds and poultry meat from North Korea with immediate effect.
<more> March 30, 2005 Asia Pulse
Senator campaigns to get public to say no to sludge in Kern - - State Sen. Dean Florez is turning to technology old and new to get the public behind a sludge-importation ban. Florez, D-Shafter, started airing radio ads this week encouraging people to show up at the Tuesday Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting where the panel will be asked to support or rebuke Florez's proposed sludge law. Florez also is launching a blog, www.stopdumpingonkern.blogspot.com, to capture community sentiment on the topic. <more> March 30,2005 Bakersfield Californian.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Chicken Farmers Positive for
Bird Flu - - Five members of a family that ran a chicken farm in
northern Vietnam have tested positive for bird flu, health officials said
Tuesday.
<more> March 29, 2005 Associated Press
Power
supplies seem adequate -- Californians should squeak through even
the hottest summer this year without power outages, but conservation could
be key to keeping the lights on, a forecast has concluded. Electricity
supplies in Southern California should be adequate but tight for typical
summer conditions, according to a report published yesterday by the
California Independent System Operator, which oversees grid reliability for
much of state. The ISO does not oversee municipal utilities.
<more> March 29, 2005 San Diego
Union-Tribune
State Gasoline
Price Rises 6.4 Cents
-- California's average gasoline price jumped 6.4 cents closer to the
state record in the last week while the U.S. retail average hit a new high
because of rising oil costs and supply disruptions, a federal survey showed
Monday.
<more> March 29,2005 Los Angeles Times
Cardoza and Pombo to split
proceeds from Stockton fundraiser - - Opposites are attracting sidelong
glances and buckets of cash. A ranking Republican and a rank-and-file
Democrat -- U.S. Reps. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, and Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced
-- are to split the spoils of a $1,000-a-plate campaign luncheon Tuesday.
<more> March 28, 2005 Stockton Record.
CA restaurants plan
all-duck-and-foie-gras dinner --In
a jab at the state's new law that will ban the production of foie gras in
California in 2012, chefs Jon Sears of the Dining Room restaurant and Scott
Giambastiani of Viognier restaurant, both in San Mateo, will host a special
12-course dinner on April 16, with each course featuring foie gras or duck.
It's their way of supporting California duck farmers and Sonoma Foie Gras, the
state's only producer of the delicacy made from the engorged livers of ducks
and geese.The dinner will be held at the Dining Room, 1602 El Camino Real in
San Mateo. Dishes include ``Ducksicle'' (a frozen Popsicle-type creation of
melon and duck cracklings); seared spiced foie gras with brandied Fuji apple
compote; and marinated wok-charred duck with ginger, soy and coriander. Price
is $250 a person; $300 with wine pairings. For reservations, call (650)
349-5552. Source: San Jose Mercury News
Fueling a debate. As ethanol advocates push for new
plants, state officials worry the additive will push gas prices up. - - At
a dusty animal-feed plant in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Rick Eastman
and Kevin Kruse are nearing completion of a dream: a large-scale factory, the
state's first, that will convert boxcars full of Nebraska corn into the
gasoline additive ethanol.
<more> March 28, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Automated chicken plucker
inventor dies at Modesto home - - World-renowned inventor Andrew Toti died
Sunday at his rural Modesto home on the Tuolumne River. He was 89. Mr. Toti's
inventions and innovations were many. He invented what was known in World War
II as the Mae West vest, an inflatable life preserver credited with saving the
lives of thousands of pilots - including one named George H.W. Bush, the
future president. Mr. Toti also invented the automated chicken plucker, which
revolutionized the poultry processing business.
<more> March 26, 2005
Modesto Bee
California farmers find
buyers shell out for eggs - - Eggs are not just for breakfast or Easter
but are a source of income for California farmers. The state ranks among the
top 10 in egg production nationwide.
<more> March 26, 2005 Fresno Bee
Farmers have role in shaping
valley's future - - The Central Valley--stretching 450 miles from Redding
to Bakersfield--is on the brink of changes that will not only transform the
valley and the state, but also drastically alter the valley's vibrant
agricultural base. How the landscape will look mid-century depends on public
policy and land use decisions being made today.
<more> March 28, 2005 Ag Alert California
Farm Bureau Federation
Schwarzenegger Prepares to Do Battle in California -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to office 16 months ago determined to shake the political system to the core, but few envisioned the boldness of his ambition. Today, he is girding for what could be the most contentious political confrontation the nation's most populous state has seen in years. <more> March 28, 2005 Washington Post
Friday, March 25, 2005
Quirky bills try to halt fowl moves
- - Forget the state fiscal crisis: Illinois lawmakers this session are
following up on last year's success in outlawing tongue-splitting with new
proposals to ban alcohol huffing, eyeball piercing and the force-feeding of
fowl to make foie gras. <more>
March 25, 2005 Chicago Tribune
California Firm Recalls Chicken Products for possible listeria contamination - - Day-Lee Foods, Inc., a Santa Fe Springs, Calif., firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 12,500 pounds of chicken products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today. <more> March 25, 2005 USDA press release
Thursday, March 24, 2005
United Egg Producers looks to
requiring non-feed withdrawal molts for laying hens - - Gene Gregory,
Senior Vice President for the United Egg Producers, started the Fourth Annual
Stakeholders Summit with a bang, revealing his belief that within the next few
months the association’s Animal Care Certified program will require non-feed
withdrawal molts for laying hens. “This recommendation, like all others, will
be made because science supports it,” Gregory stated.
<more> March 24, 2005 Animal Agriculture Alliance
Reform tops governor's
agenda. Fresno protesters criticize plans for pensions, nurses, teachers. - -
Gov. Schwarzenegger was greeted with coffee and pastries in one part of
Fresno and protest chants in another Wednesday as he pushed his reform agenda
for California.
<more> March 24, 2005 Fresno Bee
Chiefs join ranks of pension
fight. Police and fire brass align with unions to battle the governor's
proposed changes. - - California's top police and fire department
management groups have formed an unusual alliance with organized labor in
opposing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to overhaul the state's public
employee pension system. The California Police Chiefs Association, the
California Fire Chiefs Association and the California State Sheriffs'
Association all say that the governor's proposed ballot initiative to convert
the pension system to a 401(k)-style plan would imperil their ability to put
the best people on the front lines in the fight for public safety.
<more> March 24, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Gov. Wins Initiative Fundraising Case. A preliminary ruling lets Schwarzenegger raise unlimited money to push ballot measures. - - California politicians can raise unlimited amounts of money to promote ballot initiatives, a judge said Wednesday, handing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a significant victory as he promotes his political agenda this year. In a preliminary ruling, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang said forcing Schwarzenegger to abide by fundraising limits for initiatives would unfairly trample on his right to free speech and would not subdue "the demons" of political corruption. <more> March 24, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Activist Groups Issue Call to
Action on California Spent Hen Humane Slaughter Bill - - Several groups in
California, including Animal Place, the Animal Protection Institute, United
Poultry Concerns, Viva! USA, and others, are asking their members to support a
state bill requiring the humane slaughter of spent hens and small game birds.
SB 662 by Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) would include the birds in the
state's 1990 Methods of Slaughter law. To read more about the Animal
Protection Institute’s call for action,
click here. March 23, 2005
GMO mistake probed Seeds pose
no threat - - Swiss biotechnology company Syngenta AG said Tuesday it
mistakenly sold to farmers an experimental corn seed genetically engineered to
resist bugs that was never approved by U.S. regulators. Hundreds of tons of
the resulting corn crop were shipped to consumers and overseas between 2001
and 2004, but three U.S. government agencies investigating said there was no
health or environmental risk because of the seed's similarity to another
Syngenta product approved for sale and consumption by federal regulators.
<more> March 23, 2005 Associated Press
USDA Issues New Greenhouse
Gas Reporting Guidelines for Farms and Forests - - The U.S.
Department of Agriculture provided the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with
new accounting rules and guidelines for reporting greenhouse gas emissions and
carbon sequestration in the forest and agriculture sectors.
<more> March 23, 2005 USDA press release
Protected species list is challenged - - Seeking to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to review the status of endangered species every five years or remove them from the protected list, the Pacific Legal Foundation sued the agency Tuesday in Sacramento federal court. <more> March 23, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Tickets, gifts are part of
the game - - Wining and dining legislators is a long-standing - and legal
- tradition at the Capitol. In 2004, lobbying groups treated lawmakers from
the Northern San Joaquin Valley to meals, Sacramento Kings basketball tickets
and, courtesy of the California Poultry Federation, Beanie Baby turkeys.
<more>
March 21, 2005 Modesto Bee
NorCal power outlook looks
strong - - Enough power will be on hand in Northern California this summer
to meet energy needs at times of peak demand, provide backup here, and even
send surplus megawatts to reduce the threat of blackouts in Southern
California, state analysts said at a hearing Monday.
<more> March 22, 2005 Contra Costa Times
Egg Safety, quality focus of
new USDA lab - - Egg safety, quality and marketability are the focus of a
new Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratory established this year in
Athens, Ga. The new Egg Safety and Quality Research Unit, based at the Richard
B. Russell Research Center, will conduct research to protect both the health
of consumers and the marketability of eggs. Scientists will develop improved
technologies for egg production and processing that will reduce or eliminate
microorganisms that can transmit disease to humans or cause spoilage.
<more> March 22, 2005 USDA pres release
UC Merced on track to open in
fall. The campus is in line to get the $24 million it requested, despite state
budget trouble. - - Politics and an unstable state budget for years had
jeopardized the completion of University of California, Merced, scheduled to
open in September with 1,000 students. Lawmakers looking for ways to trim
state spending turned time and time again to UC's 10th campus. Some questioned
whether the state should build a new school during tough budget times, and
others criticized it as a project pushed by developers who cared little about
higher education. This year, the debate over funding UC Merced has quieted,
despite the need to fill a $9 billion state budget shortage.
<more> March 22, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Indonesian govt decides to
lift ban on US poultry imports - - Indonesia's Poultry Market Information
Center said the government's decision to lift a ban on poultry imports from
the United States would not hurt the country's poultry industry. The
government has lifted a ban on poultry and poultry products imports from a
number of countries, including the US, where cases of bird flu have been
found.
<more> March 21, 2005 Asia Pulse
Administration kept mum about unapproved modified corn sold -- The federal government kept it secret for three months that genetically modified corn seed was sold accidentally to some U.S. farms for four years and may have gotten into the American food supply. The accidental use of unapproved seed became public when the scientific journal Nature published a story about it Tuesday. <more> March 22, 2005 Knight Ridder Newspapers
Friday, March 18, 2005
Senate OKs Secretary of State
nominee. But process stalls amid grilling by Assembly Democrats
- - For Bruce McPherson, it's one house down, one to go, as the governor's
choice for secretary of state won easy Senate confirmation Thursday but
received a chillier reception in the Assembly. The contrasting reactions
toward McPherson, a moderate Santa Cruz Republican, reflect a split among
Democratic legislators about how warmly to embrace Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's choice.
<more> March 18, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Madera ethanol plant to break
ground - - With rising gas prices, the strong national desire to reduce
our dependency on foreign oil, and cleaning up the air, ethanol has quickly
become more desirable. At least that’s what Madera-based Pacific Ethanol is
counting on.
<more> March 17, 2005 Madera Tribune
Wallets take beating at pump.
Analysts say as demand continues and crude oil costs climb, gas prices may set
record. - - Spring break travelers will be shelling out more cash during
their vacations next week as gas prices continue to rise. The average price of
a gallon of gas in Fresno was $2.32 Thursday, up 18 cents from a month ago.
And it probably will keep going up, at least in the short term.
<more> March 18, 2005 Fresno Bee
Neighbors raising stink over smelly bird-compost pile. Ritewood Eggs: Last week's spill of chicken waste highlights what residents say is lack of oversight - -A large poultry farming operation responsible for last week's spill of about 2 million gallons of chicken waste into the Cub and Bear rivers has drawn the ire of neighbors in recent years, but little in the way of attention from the local agencies that oversee it. <more> March 18, 2005 Salt Lake Tribune
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Drug-Resistant Bacteria on
Poultry Products Differ by Brand - - The presence of drug-resistant,
pathogenic bacteria on uncooked poultry products varies by commercial brand
and is likely related to antibiotic use in production, according to
researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
<more> March 17, 2005 Medical News Today
Ambitious initiative effort
is on - - A business group raising millions to back Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's proposed overhaul of state government Wednesday endorsed a
budget control initiative that has been criticized as too weak and a
gubernatorial power grab.
<more> March 17, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Governor is moving to show
that he's pro-environment - – With opposition growing among Democrats
statewide, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved yesterday to shore up his
environmental credentials by touting the reinstatement of a program to take
older, polluting autos off the road.
<more> March 17, 2005 Associated Press
Farmers, some lawmakers clash
over trade with Cuba - - Cuban trade seems to unite Central Valley farmers
while it divides the region's lawmakers. From the Fresno-based Dairy America
marketing cooperative, Richard Lewis spoke for many farmers Wednesday when he
urged Congress to ease new Bush administration rules restricting agricultural
trade with the Caribbean country.
<more> March 17, 2005 Fresno Bee
Many Scientists Fear Bird Flu
Cases Exceed Data. Minimal reports from Laos and Cambodia and unreliable test
results elsewhere suggest that the virus' progress has been underestimated.
-- After more than a year of watching patients sicken and die of bird flu, Dr.
Tran Tinh Hien of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases here thought he
understood the illness. Then last month, he learned of an unsettling study.
Japanese researchers retested samples from 30 Vietnamese patients whose lab
tests showed no signs of the disease. They discovered that seven had actually
been infected.
<more> March 16, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Rural crime program on
bubble. Fight is on to defeat budget proposal that would gut valley's efforts
in thwarting agriculture, oil field theft - - A governor's office proposal
to gut the rural crime program in Kern County and the Central Valley is facing
fierce and politically powerful opposition. Legislators, law enforcement,
prosecutors and farmers have teamed up to combat a preliminary budget proposal
that would slash 57 percent of the current funding for the eight-county
program. In addition, the law that created the Central Valley rural crime unit
in 1996 is due to expire July 1. A legislative proposal has been made to
extend the unit.
<more> March 17, 2005 Bakersfield
Californian
Decaying cows sent to
landfill. Shipments forced by glitch at Modesto tallow plant - - - -
Truckloads of rotting cow carcasses were shipped to the Fink Road Landfill for
disposal Wednesday after a boiler malfunction at the Modesto tallow plant.
<more> March 17, 2005 Modesto Bee
New legislation to boost renewable fuels - - Indiana Senator Dick Lugar led a bi-partisan group of 19 Senators in introducing the Fuels Security Act of 2005 on Thursday. This legislation would more than double the production and use of domestic renewable fuels including ethanol, biodiesel, and fuels produced from cellulosic biomass. <more> March 17, 2005 Brownfield Ag News
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
California Firm Recalls
Chicken Dumplings for possible listeria contamination- Day-Lee Foods,
Inc., a Santa Fe Springs, Calif., firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately
12,090 pounds of chicken dumplings that may be contaminated with Listeria
monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection
Service announced today.
<more> March 16, 2005 FSIS Press Release
Iraq Poultry Project Seeks Chicken Processing
Equipment Expert. USAID-funded Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance
Iraq Private Sector Development Initiative is seeking applicants for a
Chicken Processing Equipment Expert to work as a paid consultant on a
commercial Iraq poultry project. For more details,
please click here. March 16, 2005
Senate votes to open Alaskan
oil drilling -- Amid the backdrop of soaring oil and gasoline prices, a
sharply divided Senate on Wednesday voted to open the ecologically rich Alaska
wildlife refuge to oil drilling, delivering a major energy policy win for
President Bush.
<more> March 16, 2005 Associated Press
Grants aimed at addressing
air quality. Nonprofit groups will use funds for advocacy effort and rural
monitoring. - - Two environmental grants awarded to nonprofit agencies in
the central San Joaquin Valley will help people become clean-air advocates and
allow rural residents to know how dirty the air is in their communities.
<more> March 16, 2005 Fresno Bee
Environmentalists get behind
law - - Conservation groups are bracing for an assault on a landmark state
environmental law they say has helped ordinary citizens fend off encroaching
development since 1970.
<more> March 16, 2005 Modesto Bee
Animal Feeding Operation Air
Quality Agreement Comment and Signup Period Extended - - In order to
provide more time for public comment and for stakeholders to make informed
decisions about participation, the comment period will be reopened on EPA's
air quality compliance agreement to address emissions from certain animal
feeding operations, also known as AFOs. This agreement is part of the
Agency's ongoing effort to minimize air emissions from such operations and to
ensure that they comply with the Clean Air Act and other laws. EPA will
publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing a reopening of the comment
period from April 1 to May 2, 2005. The deadline for AFOs to sign the
agreement was May 1, 2005, but will be extended until July 1, 2005. For more
information about the agreement and how to submit comments, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/agreements/caa/cafo-agr-0501.html
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Angelides launches campaign
to unseat popular governor - - State Treasurer Phil Angelides launched his
campaign to unseat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, saying he would
challenge the popular governor because he could not "stand by and watch the
promise of California wither away."
<more> March 15, 2005 Associated Press
Hong Kong wants to cut chicken population by half as precaution against bird flu - - Hong Kong's government said Monday it plans to step up precautions against bird flu and slash the local chicken population by half to 1.8 million, sparking outrage from the poultry industry. <more> March 15, 2005 Associated Press
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Water checking divides
farmers - - Farmers in the Northern San Joaquin Valley are of two minds
regarding the state's new requirements for monitoring irrigation water runoff.
On one hand, there are growers like Kurt Neu, who farms almonds, grapes,
peaches and feed crops in Livingston and Delhi." They need to control urban
areas rather than regulate us more," Neu said. "They (city residents) can buy
chemicals we can't, and we are qualified (to use them) and they aren't. They
overregulate us, and they need to watch the cities." On the other hand, there
are growers like Parry Klassen, a tree fruit and melon farmer in Selma.
Klassen is the chairman of the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition, a
group formed to help farmers comply with the monitoring requirements. Klassen
has experience in trying to resolve farm-related environmental issues.
<more> March 12, 2005 Modesto Bee
Growing Program is at Risk - - The feel-good program that made Gov. Schwarzenegger its pitchman and made an icon of the blue-and-yellow "CA GROWN" license plate is pulling back, despite a study that says its benefit to the state economy has been 35 times its $25 million price tag. <more> March 12, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Friday, March 11, 2005
Capitol Cook-off at the 2005
California Ag Day Celebration Tuesday - - California Agriculture
Secretary A.G. Kawamura, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Jeff Denham and
Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair Barbara Matthews will be among those
officials on hand Tuesday, March 15, when California Women for Agriculture (CWA)
and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) present a
celebration of California Agriculture Day, featuring a "Capitol Cook-Off"
event. Four teams of California high school students will compete using CA
Grown agricultural products and the skills they learned in their schools' Home
Economics Careers and Technology (HECT) programs. <more>
March 11, 2005 CDFA press release.
Legislative updates on tap
for CPF members in Sacramento - - The latest updates on Sacramento
legislative activities will be presented to members of the California Poultry
Federation when they gather in Sacramento next week for their annual
Legislative Day on Tuesday, March 15.
<more> March 11, 2005 CPF Weekly
News Update
Winter's rains could worsen
West Nile fight -- The battle to control mosquitoes carrying West Nile
virus could turn ugly this spring in the central San Joaquin Valley. Mosquito
control officials say heavy winter rains followed by warm weather created the
"perfect storm" for breeding the insects.
<more> March 11, 2005 Fresno Bee
Vietnamese Bird Flu Cases
Spark Concern - - A string of bird flu infections in northern
Vietnam involving several families has raised troubling questions over whether
the deadly virus that has killed 46 people in Asia may be changing, health
experts said Thursday.
<more> March 11, 2005 Associated Press
House OKs $283.9 billion roads bill - - The House on Thursday gave the green light to millions of dollars worth of San Joaquin Valley roadwork with approval of a record-setting transportation bill that's jammed with local projects. <more> March 11, 2005 Modesto Bee
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Death of Celebrated
Sacramento Restaurateur Wing Fat Marks the End of an Era -- The era of
camaraderie expired in Sacramento years ago. And now so has that era's most
enduring symbol: Wing Fat.
<more> March 10, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Broiler Eggs Set In 19 Selected
States Up 2 Percent- - Commercial hatcheries in the 19-State weekly
program set 215 million eggs in incubators during the week ending March 5,
2005. This was up 2 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year
earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84
percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during
the week by eggs set three weeks earlier.
<more>
March 10, 2005 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
USDA Healthy Animals publication
highlights poultry research - - The Agricultural Research Service today
posted a new issue of Healthy Animals. The publication contains several items
of poultry industry interest, including: * A recently commercialized
electrostatic system reduces airborne dust and microorganisms in poultry
houses and hatcheries. * ARS scientists create a genetic map of the chicken. *
A correlation is found between eggshell quality and Salmonella infection in
chickens.
<more> March 10, 2005 ARS News Service
Legislation
proposed to protect state's water -- A group of state
senators that includes Sen. Michael Machado, D-Linden, unveiled a sweeping
package of proposals Wednesday intended to make water cleaner and more
available to millions of Californians. But it also imposes new rules on
agriculture the industry may fight.
<more> March 10, 2005 Stockton Record
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
U.S. must act to deter
agroterrorism-Congress report - - The United States has sharply cut
agricultural inspections at ports of entry since the Sept. 11 attacks,
according to a report issued on Wednesday by Congress' investigative arm into
how to protect the nation from agroterrorism.
<more> March 9, 2005 Reuters
[ See:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05214.pdf for
the full report. ]
Matsui headed to Congress.
The wife of the late House member far outdistances 11 rivals in the special
election. - - Doris Matsui won by a staggering margin Tuesday in the
Sacramento-based 5th Congressional District race to become the 46th widow to
succeed her husband in Congress.
<more> March 9, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Villaraigosa Leads Mayor's
Race. Hahn Edges Ahead of Hertzberg, but Battle for 2nd Runoff Spot Still
Undecided - - Antonio Villaraigosa was leading early today in the Los
Angeles mayoral election as uncertainty loomed over whether incumbent James K.
Hahn would capture the second spot in a May runoff. Hahn and Bob Hertzberg
were fighting to advance to the next round.
<more>
March 9, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Avian flu candidate for
terror weapon? - - The J2 Directorate of Strategic Intelligence, a
secretive branch of National Defence charged with producing intelligence for
the Canadian government was cited as warning the federal government that avian
influenza could be used as a weapon of bioterrorism, and that military
planners believe a naturally occurring flu pandemic may be imminent.
<more> March 8, 2005 Canadian Press
UC scientists confirm
healthier food costs more - - Making a few simple dietary improvements,
such as substituting 100 percent whole wheat bread for white bread, lean
ground beef for regular, and low-fat cheese for whole-fat, increases monthly
food spending $70 to $80 per month for a family of four, according to a new UC
study. This higher cost represents 35 to 40 percent of low-income consumers’
food budgets.<more>
March 9, 2005 UCCE press release
Settling Doubts About Livestock Stress - - When scientists talk about animal stress, they're weighing the possibility of real pain and fear-even death-which not only violates animal care ethics, but also costs producers millions of dollars each year. Happy, healthy animals appear most likely to thrive, with the least intervention and fewest food safety problems. So the point of studying animal stress is to find out how livestock view the farm world. <more> March 9, 2005 USDA Agricultural Research Service
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Gov.
Schwarzenegger appoints environmentalists to key EPA, water posts - -
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the following appointments to
key posts at Cal EPA and the State Water Resources Control Board:
<more>
March 8, 2005 Gov. Schwarzenegger press release.
Coming to grips with bird
flu. CDC official explains the threat, and how nations can prepare - -
Late last month a regional director of the World Health Organization warned
that the WHO believes "that there is now the greatest possible danger of a
pandemic," caused by the spread of Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu.
<more> March 8, 2005 MSNBC
U.S. Poultry Products
Clearing Chinese Customs - - China banned imports of all U.S. poultry
products, worth about $300 million annually, in February 2004, when a case of
low pathogenic avian influenza (AI) occurred in Delaware. After months of
negotiations, the Chinese Government re-opened the market to U.S. poultry
products on December 27, 2004. The first containers of U.S. poultry
successfully cleared Chinese Customs on January 20, 2005. To date,
approximately $1.5 million in U.S. poultry has entered Mainland China.
March 7, 2005, to read the entire report from the
USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service,
click here.
Bay Area technicians on alert for avian flu -- As
world flu experts anxiously monitor the spread of a lethal strain of influenza
among birds and people in Southeast Asia, Dr. Carol Glaser and her crew of lab
technicians in Richmond are carefully watching for the first sign of the
disease in California.
<more> March
7, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Court says non-polluting farms
have no “duty to apply” for permits - - A federal appeals court has
rejected the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to require poultry
farms and other concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to apply for an
environmental permit whether or not they actually discharge pollutants. The
decision struck down a key portion of EPA’s CAFO rule issued in January 2003.
<more> March 7, 2005 National Chicken Council
Kern's water to go uphill in deals. Farmers,
officials laud sales to Southland; activists concerned - - In California,
water flows uphill -- toward money. In fact, rising torrents of Kern County
water are flowing uphill these days to satisfy the seemingly insatiable thirst
of California's housing boom.
<more> March
7, 2005 Bakersfield Californian
California Ag Symposium -
- The California Ag Symposium, March 23-24 at the Arden Hilton in Sacramento,
will feature an in-depth look at challenges and opportunities facing CA
agriculture. Topics include economic forces, public policy, international
trade, marketing, technology, water, land, farm labor and biotechnology. For
the agenda and registration, go to
http://www.calagsymposium.org/
or call 530-752-1748 or 530-752-5451.
EPA Insider Nominated to Lead Agency. - - President Bush reached into the ranks of the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday and nominated its acting administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, to head the office where he has worked for 24 years. Johnson, 53, a biologist and pathologist, would be the first scientist and first career EPA employee to head the agency, which was established in 1970 as the environmental movement took hold across the U.S. <more> March 5, 20005 Los Angeles Times
Friday, March 4, 2005
Anti-rural crime effort defended. 120 pack Fresno
hearing to support ag program that could expire July 1. - - Top law
enforcement officials from eight Central Valley counties were among 120 people
who filled a Fresno County Farm Bureau conference room Friday to support a
program that fights rural crime, much of it on ranches and farms.
<more> March 4, 2005 Fresno Bee
Smuggled chicken feet may be
bird flu risk. 11 states warned about Asian product illegally brought into
U.S. - - Health officials are putting eleven states on the lookout for
boneless chicken feet -- an Asian delicacy the government says was illegally
smuggled into the country.
<more> March 4, 2005 Associated Press
Sonoma Supervisors send GMO
issue to voters -- The Board of Supervisors has set the date: On Nov. 8,
Sonoma County residents will vote on whether to ban the cultivation of
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
<more>
March 4, 2005 Sonoma Index-Tribune
Ethanol company closer to merger - - Pacific Ethanol has cleared a critical hurdle in its three-year quest to bring large-scale ethanol production to California after shareholders this week approved the merger of the Madera company and a Florida company. <more> March 4, 2005 Fresno Bee
Thursday, March 3, 2005
Poll: Mexican migrants back
guest-worker plans -— Most Mexican migrants support guest-worker plans
being considered by Congress, a first-of-its-kind survey shows. The 4,836
migrants interviewed in Fresno and six other U.S. cities support such a
temporary worker plans by an overwhelming 4-1 margin. This support coexists
with an intention to cling to U.S. residency.
<more> March 3, 2005 Modesto Bee
Workers' comp surplus.
Premiums still might not be cut - - California's dominant workers'
compensation insurer reported Wednesday that its financial surplus grew by 37
percent last year, but that might not be enough to let it to make deeper cuts
in the premiums it charges businesses. San Francisco's State Compensation
Insurance Fund said it ended 2004 with a surplus of $2.86 billion and
collected $7.9 billion in premiums.
<more> March 3, 2005 San Francisco
Chronicle
RFK Jr. blasts Bush, praises
governor -- While conservationist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a legislative
hearing Wednesday to label the Bush administration the worst in U.S. history
on environmental issues, he also praised the record of his cousin's husband,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
<more> March
3, 2005 Associated Press
Chicken Feet Seized From
Cleveland Store U.S. Trying To Block Spread Of Disease - - The U.S. effort
to block the import of diseased bird and poultry products has led to the
seizure of chicken feet at an Asian grocery in Cleveland.
<more>
March 3, 2005 News Channel 5 Cleveland
Meal break talk draws 250 - - A controversial proposal to redefine the rules for meal breaks drew more than 250 people, including Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, to a state public hearing Wednesday in downtown Fresno. <more> March 3, 2005 Fresno Bee
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Pork producers fear mixed
court ruling deals blow against sound environmental regulation - -This
week's mixed decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in
New York on the 2003 Clean Water Act rule applicable to livestock producers,
both helps and hurts pork producers' efforts to secure sound, sensible
environmental regulations that protect water quality and allow animal
agriculture to thrive in this country, said the National Pork Producers
Council (NPPC).
<more> March 2, 2005 NPPC press release
Federal Judge says Canadian
border will stay closed to cattle exports - - U.S. District Judge Richard
Cebull has ruled in favor of R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America, granting a
preliminary injunction to keep the border closed to Canadian cattle. Cebull's
opinion will not be published until Thursday, but he has instructed R-CALF USA
to file a permanent injunction as they work to keep cattle from crossing into
the U.S. from Canada. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will now likely
appeal the decision. R-CALF USA had sought to keep the border closed due to
economic and scientific concerns about the ways Canada tests its cattle herds
for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. The federal government had approved the
USDA's minimal risk rule, opening the border to live cattle on Monday, March
7.
Gov. Schwarzenegger Appoints Eight
Members of the State Board of Food and Agriculture
- - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
has announced eight appointments to the State Board of Food and Agriculture:
<more> March 2, 2005 Gov. Schwarzenegger press release
RFK's son touts environmental
message at Capitol. Kennedy to speak today before joint panel of Legislature
- - Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading critic of the Bush administration's
environmental policies, is expected to tell Sacramento legislators today how
federal changes in policies and laws could harm California. Kennedy is
scheduled to speak this morning at a Legislature hearing by joint
environmental committees dealing with the threat of pre-emption of state laws
as well as with new air-quality and water-supply problems.
<more> March 2, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Ag Educators Call for
Continued Federal Funding - - The National Council for Agricultural
Education called on members of
Congress to continue federal funding for career and technical education by
reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. The
FY 2006 budget request sent to Congress by the Bush administration proposes to
eliminate all funding for the Perkins program so that funds will be available
for the president's new $1.5 billion High School Intervention Initiative. This
action, which would effectively create a block grant for high schools with the
stated purpose of building on the goals of No Child Left Behind, would
severely weaken career and technical education for students throughout the
nation. For more information, visit
http://www.ffa.org/media/documents/med_councilrelease_2005.pdf
March 2, 2005 National FFA Press Release
Voters to decide proposed GMO ban. Sonoma County supervisors put biocrop issue on Nov. 8 ballot - - The battle over the future of genetically modified crops in Sonoma County began in earnest Tuesday as the Board of Supervisors put the issue on the Nov. 8 ballot. Both supporters and foes of the proposal to ban biocrops immediately began bracing for a high-stakes fight that will determine whether Sonoma County becomes the fourth county in California to outlaw genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. <more> March 2, 2005 Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Court Rejects Bush Factory
Farm Rule - - The Bush administration's regulations to limit water
pollution from factory farms violate the Clean Water Act and must be revised,
a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The court found the regulations failed
to ensure that factory farms would be held accountable for discharging animal
wastes into the nation's waters. The ruling, released Monday by a three judge
panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, is a major victory
for environmentalists who filed suit against the February 2003 rules.
<more> March 1, 2005 Environment News
Service.
Bird Flu Spreads Its Wings.
Why the
rest of the world should worry about outbreaks of the deadly virus in Cambodia
- - Sam Ngan isn't worried about bird flu. In a Phnom Penh market stall
encrusted with chicken excrement, the 30-year-old Cambodian sells live birds
shipped fresh each morning from farms that border Vietnamese provinces that
have been struck hard by the disease. But Ngan is confident her merchandise is
safe. Her chickens "are exposed to the sunlight and can eat from the earth,"
she explains, "so the disease does not affect them." Besides, she adds, "only
foreign chickens are affected, not the local ones."
<more> Feb. 28, 2005 Time Magazine
'Chicken flu' is no big
peril: Fear sick people, not poultry- - Wendy Orent, the author of
"Plague: The Mysterious Past and Terrifying Future of the World's Most
Dangerous Disease" (Free Press, 2004), writes in this op-ed that it's been a
frightening year for flu. First came the dire predictions out of Southeast
Asia, where the explosive spread of H5N1 avian flu among chickens, along with
the deaths of about 40 people, has spawned fears that the disease could mutate
and cause a worldwide pandemic. Next, there was the flu vaccine shortage. But
so far, the flu season has been milder than usual. Gradually, the flu panic
has subsided.
<more> Feb. 28, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Poultry industry to face moderate gains for broilers -- The poultry industry this year will see an increase in exports for broilers, moderate production gains and little change in prices, an Agriculture Department economist said Friday. Broiler meat production will expand by about 3 percent in 2005, said USDA livestock analyst Shayle D. Shagam at the department's annual outlook conference geared to industry officials. <more> Feb. 26, 2005 Arkansas News Bureau
Friday, Feb. 25, 2005
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005
Friday, Feb. 18, 2005
Bird Flu Can Produce Other
Diseases, Doctors Say -- The bird flu virus can produce a deadly
encephalitis, diarrhea and other symptoms that do not look like the classic
respiratory disease, an international team of doctors said on Friday.
<more> Feb. 18, 2005 Reuters
North Carolina Poultry
farmers watching lawsuit. Neighbors sue over chicken houses- - In
one of the top poultry-producing counties of one of the top poultry-producing
states, a lawsuit against the owners of two chicken houses is making a lot of
poultry farmers nervous.
<more>
Feb. 18, 2005 Charlotte
Observer
Delaware bird flu scare
boosted readiness--Delmarva's billion-dollar poultry industry was rattled
a year ago when a flock of chickens near Harrington was found infected with H7
avian influenza.
<more> Feb. 18, 2005 Delaware State News
For more information on these events, contact the CPF at: califpoultry@cs.com or call (209) 576-6355.
Thursday, Feb. 17, 2005
Humane Society of the U.S.
Calls on Congress to Toughen Penalties for Animal Fighting - - The
Humane Society of the U.S. is urging Congress to move swiftly to enact
legislation introduced late yesterday in the U.S. Senate and House to elevate
violations of the federal animal fighting law from a misdemeanor to a felony
crime. The legislation would also prohibit interstate and foreign commerce in
cockfighting paraphernalia-the special knives and gaffes that cockfighters
strap to birds' legs prior to a fight.
<more> Feb. 17, 2005 HSUS Press Release.
The $10 Challenge: Lamb Is
Out, Turkey's In- - -It's 1 a.m. at the 24-hour Giant in White Oak. The
only customers: a construction crew, a few stragglers and Frank Morales, head
chef of Zola in Washington's Penn Quarter. Morales is a transplanted New
Yorker with stints on his résumé at high-wattage restaurants such as Le
Cirque, Union Pacific and, in Washington, the Oval Room.
<more> Feb. 17, 2005 Washington Post
Hestbeck's Inc. files for bankruptcy Poultry processor to focus more on ready-to-cook items. - - Hestbeck's Inc., a Fresno poultry processor with roots that date to 1903, has filed for bankruptcy protection and is hoping to move in a new direction to gain a better financial footing, company President Durbin Breckenridge said. <more> Feb. 17, 2005 Fresno Bee
Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005
Animal advocates claim 'animal
care' logo is misused. - - An animal advocacy group is filing a lawsuit
today claiming that several retailers are peddling eggs with a misleading
label. The eggs are labeled "Animal Care Certified." But the Maryland-based
group Compassion Over Killing says the egg industry routinely treats the birds
inhumanely.
<more> Feb. 16, 2005 Associated Press
Water board softens on plan to
call scraps industrial waste - - After a three-hour rebuke by a
state Senate committee, valley water board officials softened their stance
Tuesday on a plan to restrict food processing plants from sending fruit and
vegetable scraps to farms for fertilizer and animal feed.
<more> Feb. 16, 2005 Modesto Bee
McDonald's to give free samples
of Chicken Selects - - McDonald's (MCD), the kingpin of all things beef,
on Wednesday announces plans to hand out millions of free samples from what
has quickly evolved into its fastest-growing food line: chicken.
<more> Feb. 16, 2005 USA Today.
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005
Grimaud Farms Seeks Plant
Manager - - Grimaud Farms is seeking a plant manager.
Resumes should be
submitted to
graciela@grimaud.com
or mailed to: HR Dept. 1320-A S. Aurora St., Stockton, CA 95206.
Click
here for the complete job description. Feb. 15, 2005
Stakeholders summit on animal
welfare registration deadline approaching - - The registration and hotel
deadline for the Animal Agriculture Alliance's fourth industry-wide
Stakeholders Summit is just around the corner. The day and a half conference
will be held March 21-23 at the Marriott Hotel, Crystal City, Arlington,
Virginia. This year's theme will be "Animal Welfare Initiatives, Needs,
Regulation and Communication: Building on the Past, Preparing for the Future."
Max Armstrong, one of America's best known and most followed agricultural
journalists, will again moderate this year's event.
<more> Feb. 15, 2005 Animal Agriculture
Alliance
Help needed in teaching San
Mateo 4-H chapter about judging standards - - A San Mateo County 4-H Club
advisor has contacted the California Poultry Federation seeking assistance in
educating 4-H Club members about the current industry standards for meat birds
and what processors are looking for in birds. The 4-H Club is holding a
meeting March 5 in San Mateo County to educate its members. If you are
interested in attending the meeting and helping educate these youngsters about
industry standards, please contact the CPF office at (209) 576-6355 or email
CalifPoultry@cs.com.
No deadline for Australian GM
chicken feed ban - - Australia's three major poultry producers have not
set a deadline by when they will stop using genetically modified (GM) grain in
their chicken feed.
<more> Feb. 14, 2005 Associated Press
Crawford nominated to be FDA Commissioner- -
President Bush said Monday he will nominate Lester M. Crawford to be
commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration filling a position that has
been vacant for nearly a year amid rising concerns about the safety of drugs
on the market.
<more> Feb. 15, 2005 Los Angeles
Times
Rap against KFC grows. Simmons rips slaughter - -
Rap mogul Russell Simmons has added his multimillion-dollar voice to the
growing chorus of African-American leaders calling for blacks to shun Kentucky
Fried Chicken. Simmons called slaughter practices used by KFC suppliers
"grossly inhumane" and told the Daily News he has filmed a commercial "showing
some of the very worst abuses chickens undergo" before landing on customers'
plates.
<more> Feb. 14, 2005 New York Daily
News
Researchers Try to Squelch Spread of Avian Flu . Goal Is to Keep Virus From Infecting People - - Daniel Perez is in a race. Against time -- and an especially lethal virus. In a low-slung, antiseptic-looking building in College Park, the University of Maryland scientist is working with a small cadre of researchers to try to avert what they worry could one day be a script for a real-life horror story. Assisting them is a small flock of chickens and quail. <more> Feb. 14, 2005 Washington Post
Friday, Feb. 11, 2005
Congressman Dan Lungren Named Chairman of Homeland Security Subcommittee - -
Congressman Dan Lungren (R-Gold River)
has been named Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Economic
Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, a key subcommittee
with jurisdiction over strategies to protect against terrorist attack,
prioritizing investment in critical infrastructure protections, as well as
border, port, and transportation security, and security of computer,
telecommunications, information technology and electronic infrastructure.
<more> Feb. 11, 2005 Rep. Lungren press release
Poochigian Introduces Workers' Compensation Legislation for 2005-06 Session -
-
In an effort to
tackle several issues not addressed in last year's workers' compensation
overhaul (Senate Bill 899 - Poochigian), or other recent reform efforts,
Senator Poochigian has introduced three bills this session relating to
workers' compensation:
<more> Feb. 11, 2005 Poochigian press
release.
Species act comes under fire -
- Tracy Rep. Richard Pombo and three other influential Republicans announced a
joint effort Thursday to rewrite the Endangered Species Act to toughen habitat
and scientific provisions.
<more> Feb. 11, 2005 Associated Press
The Poultry Boom- It's never a good time to be a chicken, but now is really awful- - Food inflation is taking its toll everywhere from high-end restaurants to megamarketers like Sara Lee. Higher prices for essential inputs like milk and beef (along with the weak dollar) are chopping profits and tamping down growth in consumer demand. But there's one sector of the food world where the sky isn't falling: the chicken economy. The companies that buy, process, and peddle chicken parts are doing quite well. <more> Feb. 11, 2005 Slate on-line magazine
Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005
Poultry giants quail at gene
food protests - - A consumer backlash against genetically engineered food
has prompted the three largest poultry companies, which produce 80 per cent of
chicken sold in Australia, to stop using GE feed.
<more> Feb.
10, 2005 Sydney Morning Herald
Study puts sprawl on the spot
- - The San Joaquin Valley's population is expected to more than double
during the next 35 years, but where those newcomers will live is up for
debate. A new computerized mapping system forecasts four dramatically
different scenarios for urban growth in the valley: Continue letting builders
scatter development throughout the valley, which could triple the urbanized
area of Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties and consume more than a
quarter of the valley's farmland.
<more> Feb. 10, 2005 Modesto Bee
NTF Chairman Tells Industry
to “Stay the Course” in Building the Turkey Business - - The National
Turkey Federation’s (NTF) Board of Directors today elected Pete Rothfork to
serve as the federation’s 2005 chairman. Rothfork is president and CEO of
Rothfork Associates in Melrose, Minn. During his acceptance speech, Rothfork
said, “I believe the turkey industry is moving in the right direction and will
continue to be successful if we stay the course. In 2005, NTF will initiate
aggressive programs and activities designed to continue to strengthen consumer
demand while protecting our industry’s interests with legislators and
regulators in Washington.
<more> Feb. 10, 2005 NTF press release
Business climate draws fire at Capitol economic hearing- - Running a business in California isn't cheap. Workers' compensation costs can cripple employers. Energy is expensive. Labor rates climb as health-care, housing and gasoline prices increase. For these reasons, businesses looking to relocate often don't come to California, weakening the state's economy and slowing job growth, according to testimony Wednesday at a hearing focused on California's economy and jobs. <more> Feb. 10, 2005 Fresno Bee
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005
Vandalism of Torrance
McDonald's Tied to Animal Rights Activists, Police Say - - Broken windows
and graffiti at the Torrance franchise appear linked to a series of attacks. -
- Shattered plate glass windows and spray-painted slogans on a McDonald's
restaurant in Torrance appeared to be the latest in a string of attacks by
militant animal rights activists, police said Monday.
<more> Feb. 9, 2005 LA Times
The power of poultry waste
- - Anybody who has visited a poultry farm can attest that bird droppings
don't smell clean. But an electrical power plant under construction in Benson,
Minn., will use 700,000 tons of waste left by turkeys and chickens annually as
its "clean-burning" fuel source. Foster Wheeler, which has operational
headquarters in Clinton, announced Monday that it was awarded an $18 million
contract to build the heart of the plant, a 14-story-high boiler.
<more> Feb. 9, 2005 The Record,
Hackensack, N.J.
Proposed Meal-Break Rules
Panned by Worker Advocates. A plan would reduce the period when firms could be
fined for failing to offer mealtimes and would shift onus to employees. -
- Would tinkering with a law on meal breaks amount to a corporate free lunch?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to redefine a state statute requiring
that employers provide 30 minutes off for meals has drawn fire from worker
advocates who complain that unscrupulous employers might deny employees any
lunch break at all. The proposed changes in state regulations, aggressively
promoted by the California Chamber of Commerce, would cut to one year from
three the period during which businesses can be fined for failing to give meal
breaks. In addition, the responsibility for ensuring that a break is taken
would be shifted from the employer to the employee.
<more> Feb. 9, 2005 LA Times
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2005
Green Movement
Pays for Georgia Poultry Company - - For
Merial Select, a Gainesville, Ga.-based poultry vaccine company, going “green”
has been a business, economic and environmental success. At the Gainesville
vaccine production site, Merial Select produces over 90% of the vaccine used
to control Marek’s Disease in poultry. For more than 25 years, the
manufacturing process included growing egg cultures in heavy glass bottles,
which, fully loaded, weighed in excess of 25 lbs.
<more> Merial Select news release, Feb. 8,
2005
Prosecutors Drop Charge in Perdue Cruelty Complaint -
- Worcester County prosecutors halted an animal cruelty complaint against
Perdue Farms Inc. this week, in a move that animal advocates say clipped the
judicial process short and kept the poultry giant from having to face charges
in court.
<more> Feb. 8, 2005 Associated Press
Growing Concerns on Farm Cuts
- - President Bush's proposal to trim federal farm subsidy payments is
planting fears among some of the state's cotton and rice growers.
"This could be crippling for many California farmers," said Mark Watte, whose
family tends 2,000 acres of cotton west of this San Joaquin Valley town.
<more> Feb. 8, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Cuban trade barrier issues addressed in new Senate
bill - - Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) will introduce legislation Feb. 9
designed to remove transactional impediments within the Trade Sanctions Reform
and Export Enhancement Act (TSRA) of 2000, which re-authorized the direct
commercial (on a cash basis) export of food products (including branded food
products) and agricultural products from the United States to the Republic of
Cuba, irrespective of purpose. The legislation will be introduced with
bipartisan support in the United States Senate, according to John S. Kavulich
II, President, U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, Inc.
<more> Feb. 8, 2005
As SE Asian Farms Boom, Stage Set for a Pandemic Conditions Ripe for Spread of Bird Flu -- Prathum Buaklee stepped nimbly along the aging planks running between the cages of his chicken farm, shoveling grain with his meaty hands from a bucket into the feed trays. His feet were bare and caked with dirt. The old plaid shirt hanging on his stocky frame was soiled. And the air was rank with the smell of feathers, droppings and feed. <more> Feb. 5, 2005 Washington Post
Friday, Feb. 4, 2005
Secretary of State Kevin
Shelley to resign - - Secretary of State Kevin Shelley was to announce his
resignation Friday amid investigations into his handling of federal election
funds, questionable campaign contributions and bad behavior, a source close to
Shelley told The Associated Press. Shelley, 49, was leaving his
$131,250-a-year post before having to testify later this month at a
Legislature audit committee hearing about his handling of millions of dollars
in federal elections funds.
<more> Feb. 4, 2005 Associated Press
Report on deadly Valley air
calls for more controls - - San Joaquin Valley air pollution cops aren't
doing enough to curb pollution even though nine times more Valley residents
die from dirty air than from homicides, according to a report released
Thursday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
<more> Feb. 4, 2005 Stockton Record
Fast-food 'natural' chicken
takes wing on safety fears - - Fast food's next better-for-you twist has
wings: "natural" chicken. That's chicken with no additives. Some say it's
tastier and healthier. It's certainly pricier. Arby's is about to announce
plans to be the first national fast-food chain to sell only natural chicken.
The move comes at a time when chicken of all types has emerged as fast food's
hottest growth area. <more>
Feb. 4, 2005 USA Today
Cuba: U.S. review of food sales payments threaten growing trade - - New U.S. government moves to reinterpret the payment system under a 2000 law allowing sales of American farm goods to communist Cuba threatens to slow the limited but growing trade relationship, the island's top food import official said Thursday. Late last year, some American companies trading with Cuba found that payments made by Cuba were not being credited to U.S. bank accounts while U.S. officials studied whether shipping the products before full payment is received constitutes a line of credit. <more> Feb. 4, 2005 Gainesville Sun
Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005
Broiler Eggs Set In 19
Selected States Up 3 Percent - - Commercial hatcheries in the 19-State
weekly program set 211 million eggsin incubators during the week ending
January 29, 2005. This was up 3 percent from the eggs set the corresponding
week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week
was 83 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched
during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier.
<more> Feb. 3, 2005 USDA report
Vietnam Appeals for Help in Bird Flu Fight - - Vietnam said on Thursday it has appealed for international help in its desperate battle against a rapidly spreading outbreak of bird flu which has killed 13 people in the past month and may have crossed into Cambodia. The World Health Organization (news - web sites) (WHO), which fears the H5N1 virus could mutate into a form which could pass between humans and trigger a global pandemic that could kill millions, said Vietnam was at a critical juncture with the Tet Lunar New Year looming. <more> Feb. 3, 2005 Reuters
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005
Avian Influenza found in turkey flock in Sampson
County, North Carolina - - A turkey breeder flock in Sampson County has
been confirmed to have H3N2 influenza, according to Cooperative Extension
Poultry Agent James Cochran. The most likely source of the virus is a swine
herd in the area, he said.
<more> Feb. 2, 2005 Bladen Journal
Sharpton Joins With an Animal
Rights Group in Calling for a Boycott of KFC- - The Rev. Al Sharpton will
not eat at KFC and he doesn't think you should either. Starting today, Mr.
Sharpton is joining forces with the animal rights group People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals to urge a boycott of KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands of
Louisville, Ky. Mr. Sharpton and PETA want the fast food chain to require its
chicken suppliers to put in place new standards for the treatment of the 750
million chickens they process for KFC every year in the United States. The rap
mogul Russell Simmons is also joining the Sharpton campaign.
<more> Feb. 2, 2005 New York Times
ARB Begins Enforcement of
Idling Vehicle Rule - - The California Air Resources Board today announced
it will begin enforcing its idling truck rules on February 1, 2005. Catherine
Witherspoon, ARB Executive Officer said, "Emissions from idling diesel
vehicles create needless air pollution that threatens public health. Idling
trucks and buses add to air pollution levels without providing any benefit to
the community. It's time we eliminate this unneeded, unwanted source of air
pollution."
<more> Feb. 2, 2005 ARB press release
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2005
Bird Flu Spate Signals Easier
Transmission. Outbreaks that killed 12 in Southeast Asia raise fears of a
mutated virus spread by humans. - - After smoldering through the summer
and fall, avian flu has erupted again in Southeast Asia with 12 confirmed
deaths since late December, the latest a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl who died
Sunday. Thailand has reported widespread outbreaks among farm poultry, and
Vietnam, where all the fatalities have occurred in the last month, now counts
bird or human infections in nearly half of its provinces. The growing number
of cases suggests that the virus may be mutating into a form that is more
easily transmitted to and among humans, increasing the possibility of a
pandemic.
<more> Feb. 1, 2005 Los Angeles Times
Mad Cow Costs Hurt Tyson Earnings - - Tyson Foods
Inc., hurt by costs associated with mad cow disease, reported lower profits
Monday for its first quarter. Tyson earned $48 million, or 14 cents per share,
for the three months ending Jan. 1. That's compared to 16 cents per share in
the period a year ago when the world's largest meat company earned $57
million, or 16 cents per share.
<more> Jan. 31, 2005 Associated Press.
West Nile threat growing in
Valley. Officials urge measures to halt spread of mosquito-borne virus. -
- Dump water out of those otherwise empty flower pots and drain off the pool
cover. State health officials predict a bumper crop of mosquitoes this spring,
followed by an onslaught of the potentially deadly West Nile virus. The
Central Valley may bear the brunt of the illness this summer, following fairly
well-established patterns of the disease's spread in other areas.
<more> Jan. 31, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Friday, Jan. 28, 2005
Mexico chicken production continues to rise
- - Mexico continues to be a growing producer of chicken meat as well as a
growing importer, with imports of meat forecast to reach 364,000 MT in 2005.
Turkey production is expected somewhat lower in 2005 as imports of parts and
mechanically separated meat rise to meet demand from the food processing
industry. The Government of Mexico continues to maintain import restrictions
for certain poultry products from certain U.S. states following the detection
of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2004.
<more>
Jan. 28, 2005 USDA Foreign Agriculture Service.
Broiler Eggs Set In 19
Selected States Up 2 Percent - - Commercial hatcheries in the 19-State
weekly program set 210 million eggs in incubators during the week ending
January 22, 2005. This was up 2 percent from the eggs set the corresponding
week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week
was 83 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched
during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier.
<more> Jan. 28, 2005
USDA report
French goat confirmed with BSE- - A goat slaughtered in France in 2002 has tested positive for BSE, French and EU officials said Friday, announcing the first case in the world of an animal other than a bovine coming down with the fatal illness that can be transmitted to humans. The presence of BSE in other animals had been viewed as theoretically possible but has never previously been detected. <more> Jan. 28, 2005 Agence France Press
Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005
Tyson Settles Ky. Chicken
Farms Lawsuit -- Tyson Foods said it will spend up to $500,000 to monitor
air for ammonia at two chicken farms it owns in Western Kentucky. As part of
a settlement in a federal lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club (news - web
sites) and three Western Kentucky residents, the poultry giant agreed
Wednesday to plant buffers of trees at other locations, club members and Tyson
officials said.
<more> Jan. 27, 2005 Associated Press.
Want to know if you ate
tainted meat? Why the state won't tell you - - A little over a year ago,
my family headed up the hill to Truckee for a holiday outing. Being the good
Nebraskan, I gravitated to local restaurants with red meat, while my son had a
special hankering for burgers. Imagine my surprise to learn days later that
three Truckee restaurants had purchased beef subject to federal recall because
of possible mad cow disease contamination. Imagine my amazement at being
completely unable to find out which restaurants had served the beef.
<more> Jan. 27, 2005 By Marjie Lundstrom
-- Sacramento Bee Columnist
Meal-break rule called power
grab - - The chairman of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee on
Wednesday blasted a proposed regulation governing employee meal breaks as a
sneaky power grab by the Schwarzenegger administration. The target of
Assemblyman Paul Koretz's wrath was a proposal that would strip employers of
an obligation to ensure that workers take meal breaks, provided that
opportunities are made available.
<more> Jan. 27, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Ahlem resigns state ag post
- - Amid state investigation into Hilmar Cheese Co.'s long history of
water pollution violations, company executive Chuck Ahlem announced his
resignation Wednesday as California undersecretary of food and agriculture.
<more> Jan. 27, 2005 Sacramento Bee.
Rep. Nunes
becomes Resources Subcommittee Chairman - -Resources
Committee Chairman Richard Pombo today appointed Rep. Devin Nunes, (R-Tulare),
as chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks. As chairman of the
subcommittee, Rep. Nunes will have primary oversight of the National Park
Service (NPS), but will also hold significant oversight authority over the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other public lands. The National Park
System contains 388 sites covering 84 million acres. The BLM covers 261
million acres—about 1/8 of the land in the United States.
<more> Jan. 27, 2005 Rep. Nunes press
release.
Animal ID website launched by USDA - - The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has launched a new website to inform stakeholders about the national animal identification system (NAIS). The Web site, available at http://www.usda.gov/nais, is designed to be a one-stop resource to facts about NAIS. <more> Jan.. 27, 2005 APHIS news release
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005
Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005
Thai girl's case likely the
first person-to-person transmission of bird flu - -
An 11-year old Thai girl who died last September after
contracting the avian flu from sick chickens is, according to this story,
believed to have passed the disease on to her mother and aunt, raising
concerns the bird flu may lead to the world's next pandemic.
<more> Jan. 25, 2005 Globe and Mail
University of Maryland to head
national avian flu research project - -
The
University of Maryland will head a new, far-reaching national research and
education project on avian influenza, to be funded with a five-million dollar
grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is the largest grant ever
given by USDA to study a single animal disease or health threat.
<more> Jan. 24, 2005 University of
Maryland press release.
Pilgrim's Pride Quarterly
Earnings Surge - - Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the No. 2 U.S. poultry producer,
on Monday said earnings increased nearly five-fold in its fiscal first quarter
on strong chicken sales, cheaper feed and an acquisition. The results beat
Wall Street's average forecast and matched the high end of the company's
estimates.
<more> Jan. 24, 2005 Reuters
EPA offers plan to address
farm emissions -- The Environmental Protection Agency proposed Friday to
exempt livestock and poultry operations from future air pollution fines under
the Clean Air Act if they agree to pay to finance studies that could lead to
new regulations in the next decade or so. The proposal is expected to have
minimal effect in California, where farm emissions already are regulated.
<more> Jan. 22, 2005 Sacramento Bee.
Friday, Jan. 21, 2005
Russia Announces 2005 Poultry
Quota and Meat TRQs - - On January 11, the Russian Government published
the details of the 2005 poultry quota and beef and pork tariff rate quotas (TRQs).
The poultry quota remains in place for 2005 and its volume will be 1.05
million metric tons (MMT), of which the United States is allotted 771,900 MT.
The frozen beef and chilled beef TRQs were set at 430,000 MT and 27,500 MT,
with the United States to receive a specific part of the frozen beef TRQ
(17,700 MT). Lastly, the United States was allocated 53,800 MT of the 467,400
MT pork TRQ. Jan. 21, 2005
Click here to read report.
EPA Announces Air Quality
Compliance Agreement for Animal Feeding Operations - - The Environmental
Protection Agency today announced an air quality compliance agreement to
address emissions from certain animal feeding operations, also known as AFOs.
This agreement is part of the Agency’s ongoing effort to minimize air
emissions from animal feeding operations and to ensure those operations comply
with the Clean Air Act and other laws.
<more> Jan. 21, 2005 EPA News
Release
Democrats team up to tackle
budget. Legislators hope to put a human face on spending cuts sought by
Schwarzenegger. - - Senate and Assembly Democrats announced plans this
week for a coordinated statewide campaign to take on parts of Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's budget, which leaders charged borrows ideas from "right-wing
think tanks" and hurts middle-class families. Democratic leaders said they
will present an alternate plan to the governor's $111.7 billion budget
proposal, including his calls to freeze spending for schools, highways and the
poor.
<more> Jan. 21, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Water decisions juggled
- - When deciding the course of state water policy, the
farm-friendly Senate Agriculture Committee has long placed irrigating crops at
the top of the priority list. But under a committee shakeup, the
conservation-minded Senate Natural Resources Committee now will divvy up the
state's water. The move has raised eyebrows from some farm groups. Legislative
leaders say that placing water policy decisions under the resource committee
is aimed at balancing water use across the state.
<more> Jan. 21, 2005 Modesto Bee
Valley misses particle pollution deadline again - - The San Joaquin Valley has again missed deadlines on cleanup rules for dust, soot and other potentially dangerous specks of pollution, activist groups said Thursday. Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund announced intentions to sue the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District over seven particle pollution controls, which activists say should have been approved last year. <more> Jan. 21, 2005 Fresno Bee
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005
Johanns confirmed as new USDA
Secretary - - On a voice vote, the Senate Thursday overwhelmingly
confirmed Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns as the new USDA Secretary. The
confirmation came quite easily for Johanns after several minutes of kind words
for the Nebraska governor from Senators, including Republican Pat Roberts of
Kansas. “I also wish Governor Johanns all the best as he becomes our new
Secretary of Agriculture,” said Roberts in testimony prior to the confirmation
vote being taken, “it will not be an easy job, and he knows that.”
Broiler Eggs Set In 19
Selected States Up 1 Percent- - Commercial hatcheries in the 19-State
weekly program set 209 million eggs in incubators during the week ending
January 15, 2005. This was up 1percent from the eggs set the corresponding
week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week
was 83 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched
during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier. Link to full report at
http://www.usda.gov/nass/PUBS/TODAYRPT/brls0405.txt
WHO Warns of Repeat of Bird
Flu Outbreak - - Health experts fear a repeat of last year's bird flu
outbreak after six people died in Vietnam within three weeks and neighboring
Thailand reported its first case among poultry this year.
<more> Jan. 20, 2005 Associated Press
Whole Foods Market Announces
Director of Animal Compassion Foundation-- Whole Foods Market® (the
world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket, today announced Anne
Malleau will serve as executive director of the new Animal Compassion
Foundation. To help meat producers achieve a higher standard of animal welfare
excellence while still maintaining economic viability, the Foundation will:
<more> Jan. 20, 2005 /PRNewswire
Demand for KFC soaring
in China - - China's relentless appetite for the colonel's chicken
has KFC on a building boom in the world's most populous country, with 1,200
locations, soaring profits and a menu that mixes in bamboo shoots and lotus
roots.
<more> Jan. 20, 2005 Japan Today
Vernal pool meetings next week. Modesto, Merced meetings to review critical habitat plan - - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will attend public meetings in Modesto and Merced next week to discuss its plan to designate Central Valley vernal pools as critical habitat for threatened species. <more> Jan. 20, 2005 Merced Sun-Star
Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005
Report: Valley's economy
lagging - - - - Despite record growth in housing, agriculture and retail
markets, a fresh report says the Central Valley's economy lags behind the
state as a whole and could fall further behind.
<more> Jan. 19, 2005 Modesto Bee
Cheaper feed prices ahead -
- Production figures for the 2004 corn and soybean harvest could mean
cheaper feed prices ahead. According to the USDA’s January “Crop Production”
report, released last week, 2004 corn production hit 11.8 billion bushels —
1.7 billion bushels more than the 2003 harvest. Soybean production reached 3.1
billion bushels — topping 2003 production by 0.7 billion bushels. The
direction of soybean prices will depend heavily on the extent of soybean rust
damage this year, how the South American crop fares and soybean stocks.
Poultry emissions research on
tap at Wednesday, Jan. 26 air workshop - - Results of a research project that
analyzed air emissions from a San Joaquin Valley broiler production house will
be highlighted at an air research symposium Jan. 26 in Fresno. The symposium
is hosted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and will be held at the
Fresno office of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control Board and is
part of the ongoing process to adopt a definition of a large confined animal
facility as required by SB 700.
<more> Jan. 10, 2005 CPF Weekly News Update
The State Of Oklahoma Faces A
Different Kind Of Chicken Fight - - Just when you thought they'd made
chicken fighting illegal in Oklahoma, there is a good sized one developing
between chicken producers and the state.
<more> Jan. 19. 2005 KOTV Tulsa, Oklahoma
Veneman: 'It's been an honor
to serve.'- - The George W. Bush presidential inauguration brings with it
a changing of the guard at the USDA. Thursday is likely to be Ann Veneman’s
last day as Agriculture Secretary. In an interview with Brownfield, the Bush
Cabinet member says it’s been an honor to serve.
<more> Jan. 19, 2005 Brownfield Ag News
Service
Vietnam records fifth bird flu
death since December - - A 35-year-old woman has died of bird flu in
Vietnam, becoming the communist nation's fifth fatality from the disease since
late December, a doctor said.
<more>
Jan. 19, 2005 Agence France-Presse.
Tuesday Jan. 18, 2005
Vietnam fights bird flu with
bans - - Vietnam has imposed a temporary ban on the import of poultry and
poultry products from neighboring countries in a series of measures to fight
the spread of bird flu that has killed 37 people in Asia, 25 of them in
Vietnam.
<more> Jan. 18, 2005 Reuters
Guest Worker Plan in Doubt - -- Even as President Bush stresses his commitment to reworking the nation's immigration laws, some key supporters on the issue say it is so politically divisive that they doubt he can achieve his goal, given the administration's ambitious agenda. <more> Los Angeles Times Jan. 18, 2005
GE-Free proponents turn in record number of petitions for ballot measure -
- To allow genetically engineered crops or not, that's the question that will
face county voters sometime this spring. On Jan. 5 the GE-Free Sonoma County
Campaign gave the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters its petitions to hold a
special election on a 10-year ban on planting transgenic crops.
<more> Jan. 18, 2005 Sonoma West newspaper
Workers' comp premium rates
show big drop - - California business owners saw the average annual
premium for workers' compensation insurance drop between 13.9 percent and 16.6
percent in the last six months, according to records from the state Department
of Insurance.
<more> Jan. 18, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Veneman named UNICEF head - - Modesto native Ann Veneman, completing a stint as the nation's agriculture secretary, is poised for a global appointment - as head of the United Nations Children's Fund, more commonly known as UNICEF. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan advised reporters Monday of his intention to nominate Veneman, and the formal nomination could come as early as today. <more> Jan. 18, 2005 Modesto Bee
Monday, Jan. 17, 2005
State political clout adds
up. California clout in the House - -
Californians in the U.S. House of Representatives control the guns, the taxes
and the land. Now they command the money. With the ascension of Rep. Jerry
Lewis, R-Redlands, to chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the
Golden State's influence in Congress reached an unprecedented level this
month.
<more> Jan. 16, 2005 San Bernardino Sun
Tough measures intensified to stop bird flu spread
- -
The National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control organized a meeting in Ho
Chi Minh City on Friday to discuss the implementation of urgent preventive
measures against the bird flu epidemic in southern provinces.
<more> Jan. 17,
2005 Voice of Vietnam News
Biosecurity education, training ideas sought - -
Do you have an idea for enhancing biosecurity on your ranch? Are there
training materials or information that will help you enhance the level of
biosecurity education at your operation? If so, the California Poultry
Federation would like to hear your suggestions.
<more> Jan. 17, 2005 CPF Weekly News Update.
Poultry disease seminars Feb. 2-3 in Modesto,
Riverside - - Symposiums on poultry disease and biosecurity issues are
slated for Feb. 2 in Riverside and Feb. 3 in Modesto. The University of
California Cooperative Extension sponsors the sessions.
<more> Jan. 17, 2005 CPF Weekly News Update.
Mexican migration to drop, study says. Lower birthrate affects Valley job outlook, officials predict.- - Fewer Mexican immigrants will come to the Central Valley after 2010 because of a drop in Mexico's birthrate and its potential for sustained economic growth, a study predicts. <more> Jan. 17, 2005 Fresno Bee
Friday, Jan. 14, 2005
"Buy California" launches new
website - - It's official - the new "California Grown" website,
www.californiagrown.org , is up and running.
Complete with a new interactive spin-to-win game, the site has already
received media attention. California turkey and chicken producers are part of
the Buy California Marketing Agreement. Jan. 14, 2005 Buy
California press release.
Bird flu kills woman in
Vietnam - - A 35-year-old woman has become the latest bird flu casualty in
Vietnam as the virus spreads through poultry farms in the country's south and
health experts warn millions could die unless strong actions are taken.
<more> Jan. 14, 2005 Reuters
China urging Japan to resume
imports of uncooked chicken - - China is urging Japan to resume imports of
uncooked chicken, which Tokyo halted after the outbreak of bird flu in the
country, arguing that no cases of the disease have been found since July,
Japanese embassy officials said Friday.
<more> Jan. 14, 2005 Koydo News
Valley vernal pools ESA listing again under
consideration - - The issue of what Valley lands should be designated
critical habitat for endangered vernal pool species has surfaced again as the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), responding to a lawsuit by
environmentalists, reconsiders its decision announced in 2003 to remove five
counties - - Merced, Madera, Sacramento, Butte and Solano - - from the critical
habitat region.
<more> Jan. 14, 2005.
Governor asked to oust
ag undersecretary Ahlem - - Environmental groups have called for the
removal of Chuck Ahlem as California's undersecretary of agriculture, citing
his cheese company's "rogue operations and degradation of water quality" that
were the subject of a Sacramento Bee investigation. The governor's office said
it is conducting its own review of the findings in a Dec. 12 newspaper story
about Hilmar Cheese Co. and will respond to the environmentalists' charges
once that examination is complete.
<more>
Jan. 14, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Senator aims for
attorney general job. Poochigian has already raised nearly $2M for his
campaign - - Moonbeam and Pooch. It sounds like a bad TV buddy show, but
it could end up as California's race for state attorney general. A heap of
politicking lies between here and there, however. State Sen. Chuck "Pooch"
Poochigian cranked his campaign to be the state's top cop into gear Thursday
with a $250-a-head fund-raiser held in Universal City. State records show he's
already raised nearly $2 million, more than any other potential candidate --
including former Gov. Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown, who is now mayor of Oakland.
<more> Jan. 14, 2005 Stockton Record
Schwarzenegger predicts 30 percent increase in state's workers’ comp costs despite reforms -- California's workers' compensation costs are going down -- but you wouldn't know it by looking at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposals. The governor wants to give more money to the program, despite a money-saving overhaul that he pushed through the Legislature last year. The program was once the most expensive in the nation. While the budget increases mean state officials may find some extra money when they later revisit the numbers, it also underscores the complex nature of workers' compensation, especially since some aspects of last year's legislation are still being implemented.<more> Jan. 14, 2005 Associated Press
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2005
Vietnam Confirms Fourth Bird
Flu Death -- Vietnam confirmed on Thursday that an 18-year-old woman from
southern Vietnam died of bird flu, the country's fourth death from the virus
in two weeks. The woman from Hau Giang province died Monday, more than a week
after she slaughtered a chicken. Dr. Phan Van Tu, chief virologist at the
Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, said tests showed she had the fatal
H5N1 strain of the virus that ravaged poultry farms across 10 countries in
Asia last year, jumping to humans in Thailand and Vietnam.
<more> Jan.
13, 2005 Associated Press
EU agrees to lift bird flu
ban on Japan, South Korea - - The European Union agreed Wednesday to lift
a ban on bird imports from Japan and South Korea after declaring them free of
avian influenza, although eight other Asian states remain affected.
<more> Jan. 13, 2005 .
Brazil's Poultry Exports Grow
44% Thanks to Asia and Middle East - - Brazilian poultry exports yielded
US$ 2.6 billion last year, which represented an increase of 44% in relation to
the year of 2003. In volume, 2.470 million tons of the product were shipped
between January and December 2004. The volume of poultry exported meant an
increase of 26% in relation to the same period in 2003, according to
information of the Brazilian Poultry Exporters Association (Abef).<more>
Jan. 13, 2005 Brazil Magazine
Broiler Eggs Set In 19
Selected States Up 2 Percent - - Commercial hatcheries in the 19-State
weekly program set 211 million eggs in incubators during the week ending
January 8, 2005. This was up 2 percent from the eggs set the corresponding
week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week
was 83 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched
during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier.
<more> Jan. 13, 2005 National Agricultural
Statistics Service
Chamber Reveals Legislative
Agenda- - California's business lobby unveiled its annual wish list
Wednesday, asking for the easing of some labor rules and a solution to the
problem of the growing number of workers without adequate health insurance.
The California Chamber of Commerce's legislative program also proposes
repairing the state's aging network of highways and relieving the housing
crunch by reforming environmental review laws.
<more> Jan. 13, 2005 LA Times
Rail Traffic Disruptions
Could Threaten Economy. - - Shippers scrambled for alternative routes
Wednesday as Union Pacific Corp. struggled to overcome a massive disruption of
service in Southern California because of the recent rains. Mother Nature
might be to blame for Union Pacific's latest woes, but the recurring problems
the railroad has had moving goods in and out of the region, coupled with
recent backlogs at local ports, could threaten the local economy, shipping
experts and economists said.
<more>
Jan. 13, 2005 LA Times
Matsui's widow launches campaign for Congress. Bid comes 11 days after husband's death - - Doris Matsui, wife of the late Rep. Robert Matsui and a former White House official, announced Wednesday that she will run to replace her husband in Congress, asking Sacramento voters "to allow me to continue Bob's work through mine." <more> Jan. 13, 2005 Sacramento Bee
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2005
California Agriculture
Tsunami Relief Fund - - The California Department of Food and Agriculture
in partnership with a variety of other agricultural organizations, has set up
the California Agriculture Tsunami Relief Fund. Go to
www.friendsofwfp.org and look for the link to
the California Agriculture Tsunami Relief Fund.
Chicken Cruelty Workers Won't
Be Charged - - MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Former workers at a chicken processing
plant who were caught on tape allegedly kicking, stomping and slamming
chickens against the wall will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor said
Tuesday. Ginny Conley, head of a state prosecutors' organization, said that
while the incident at the Pilgrims Pride plant in Moorefield was disturbing,
it does not warrant criminal charges because "these were chickens in a
slaughterhouse." The plant serves as a supplier to KFC restaurants. "It needs
to be handled more on a regulatory end than prosecuting someone criminally,"
she said.
<more> Jan. 12, 2005 Associated Press.
Turkey fits guidelines to a "T" - - The National Turkey Federation (NTF)
applauds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the new dietary
guidelines that encourage a healthy food makeover and the consumption of lower
fat protein sources. Turkey fits the recommendations to a ‘T’ because it has
more protein and zero saturated fat compared to chicken or beef.1
<more>
Jan. 12, 2005 NTF Press Release.
McDonald's takes
steps on its antibiotics promise
- - The McDonald's Corporation has taken the first steps to fulfill its 2003
promise to reduce the levels of antibiotics in the millions and millions of
pounds of chicken, pork and beef that it sells. All of the chicken suppliers
with whom the company has a direct relationship have already eliminated the
use of human antibiotics as growth promoters in the chickens.
<more>
Jan. 12, 2005, New York Times.
New U.S. food guidelines
stress self-restraint- New eating guidelines issued by the U.S. government
on Wednesday stress losing weight by eating more vegetables, fruits and whole
grains but stop short of limiting any specific food group. People should take
responsibility for exercising, eating less and eating better food, the new
U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services guidelines say.
<more> Jan. 12, 2005 Reuters News Service
Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2005
Budget slashing leaves air and land-
- Gov. Schwarzenegger said his budget
proposal "doesn't have that much in it that I want." He took his knife
Monday to schools, health care programs and road construction projects. But
Schwarzenegger also got started on a broader vision to shield farmland from
urban growth, clean the San Joaquin Valley air and protect the Sierra
Nevada.
<more>
Jan.
11, 2005 Modesto Bee.
Canada Announces New Mad Cow Case
- -
The Canadian government has confirmed a new case of mad cow disease, this one involving an animal infected after a feed ban meant to
prevent further cases.
<more> Jan. 11, 2005 Canadian Food
Inspection Agency press release.
Monday, Jan. 10, 2005
Poultry emissions research on
tap at Jan. 26 air workshop - - Results of a research project that
analyzed air emissions from a San Joaquin Valley broiler production house will
be highlighted at an air research symposium Jan. 26 in Fresno. The symposium
is hosted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and will be held at the
Fresno office of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control Board and is
part of the ongoing process to adopt a definition of a large confined animal
facility as required by SB 700.
<more> Jan. 10, 2005 CPF Weekly News Update
Poultry industry signs agreement on workplace safety - - The U.S. government and the poultry industry have joined forces in a voluntary effort to improve safety in the workplace through worker training, ergonomic improvements and information sharing. Under terms of the agreement signed today, companies in the chicken and turkey industries will work together with the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to implement a new Alliance on worker safety. <more> Jan. 10, 2005 CPF Weekly News Update