01/19/05 Not mandatory; Tour of the north

01/19/05 Not mandatory; Tour of the north

No the U.S. will not require Canada to conduct mandatory b.s.e. testing for all cattle. So says Canada's Agriculture Minister, who adds that such a practice is not scientific based and is not needed to reassure international markets. Andy Mitchell says case in point is Japan which is undergoing a regulatory process to relax its current mandatory testing requirements. Mitchell's comments came during a Canadian morning radio program recently. A fact finding team from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is spending its third day in Canada today continuing its investigation into Canada's most recent cases of b.s.e. And it will be their findings and recommendations that could determine if N.C.B.A., at it's annual stakeholders meeting next month, decides whether or not to support U.S.D.A.'s proposed final rule to reopen the border to Canadian live cattle and currently banned beef products. It's official. Robert Zoellick, pending Senate confirmation, will be the number two man at the State Department. And that means the Bush Administration will soon be looking for a new U.S. Trade Representative. Zoellick was hand picked by new Secretary of State Condalizza Rice to serve as Deputy Secretary of State. However, Zoellick will remain with U.S.T.R. until his successor is chosen. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: It is interesting to study how a large corporation can directly impact the livelihood of those in agriculture. McDonald's, beloved by our apples growers for including conveniently fresh packaged NW apples on their menu that have help to boost apple sales might not be experiencing the same popularity within the meat industry. They have made a move that will please environmentalists and animal rights groups by resolving to reduce and eventually eliminate human growth antibiotics in meats. When a company with the magnitude of McDonalds makes a change it doesn't ripple through the industry, it roars, in this case changing the way chickens are raised for market. The three big players; Tyson, Perdue Farms and Foster Farms that supply the fast food chain also supply approximately a third of the chickens that we consume in America. Advocacy groups have lobbied McDonalds to use its clout to change the industry. Chicken is the first meat that will be free from human antibiotics with pork and beef to follow. I'm Susan Allen and this is Food Forethought.
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