CANARI May Be Necessary
(Continued from Page A 1)
gence. This proposed network
would coordinate and mount a
response to terrorist threats or
attacks, according to Norton.
Some “terrorists” in this
case, disgruntled employees
have already wreaked havoc in
several ag sectors of the country.
Certain personality types, said
Norton, include former employ
ees seeking personal revenge,
the “lone nut” person distribut
ing deadly anthrax, and other
types. A target such as agricul
ture could provide unimaginable
damage.
Norton spoke about real
events. One packing house
worker placed metal screws into
hams; one slaughter plant was
threatened with HIV-infected
blood (though no blood was
found on the meat, there was in
fected blood found in a tube);
used condoms thrown into food
processing; and the Tylenol
scare back in the 1980 s, when a
product brand name was almost
bankrupted when cyanide was
placed in bottles (in the days
before safety product packag
ing).
The FBI, working with US
DA/Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS), in
vestigates all credible threats.
But Norton believes what the
U.S. lacks most of all is a single,
integrated system of coordinat
ing defense and response during
agroterrorist attack. CANARI
would fill this need.
Since the Sept. 11 tragedy, a
need for this proposed network
is evident, according to Norton.
Federal and state groups, along
with agri-industry, would work
with a proposed National Agro
terrorism Defense Center to
assist in investigating and deter
mining possible threats and
acting quickly to protect the in
dustry.
But companies can wise up
now and consider protection
against their industries “an in
vestment, not an expense,”
Norton said. “You are going to
have to deal with these things.”
Norton noted that a Cable
Network News reporter not
an FBI agent actually
brought credible evidence that
Iraq was targeting the U.S. poul
try industry. Threats from coun
tries the U.S. considers to harbor
terrorists are regarded seriously,
but the industry as a whole must
remain vigilant.
A.I. Threat
At home, a real threat involv
ing A.I. has hit 39 flocks through
Virginia and North Carolina,
according to Dave Kradel,
PennAg Industries Association
and Penn State Department of
Poultry Science.
The poultry consultant noted
Wednesday speakers from the poultry conference, from
left, Dan Shaw, Penn State; Eva Pendleton, Penn State;
Eileen Wheeler, Penn State; and Stephanie Frankenbach,
Purina Mills. Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
that most of the problem centers
on Virginia, including turkey
breeders, meat birds, several
broiler/breeders, and quail
flocks.
The virus is H7N2, same as
the one in the live bird market.
An attempt was made early
this week to clean out all live
bird markets, including 81 in
New York, 30 in New Jersey,
three in Pennsylvania, five in
Massachusetts, three in Rhode
Island, and one in Connecticut.
Each market was paid $3,000
from USD A to clean and disin
fect and get the A.I. virus threat
under control.
Before the so-called “chicken
holiday,” the live bird markets
60 percent of those in New
York and 43 percent in New
Jersey tested positive for
H7N2.
Pennsylvania has had, in
place, a very extensive A.I. pro
gram since the outbreak in the
mid-1980s, when millions of dol
lars were lost to the devastating
disease.
Kradel noted Norton’s com
ments about the effect of a wide
spread agroterrorist attack. If
terrorism would be brought in
the form of A. I. to multiple sites,
“the only way to deal with it
would be the use of the vaccine.”
However, the export markets
shy away from poultry that have
been treated with vaccines for
disease.
Antibiotics Critical
Kradel, who also spoke ear
lier, noted that antibiotics are
critical for the literal health of
the poultry industry.
Of the SO million pounds of
antibiotics used in the U.S., 24
million pounds are used in ani
mals. Some critics believe the
controversy that has developed
that use of too many antibiot
ics in poultry and the potential
for disease agents to develop re
sistance, and cause potential
human concerns has no real
scientific proof. However, both
sides can point to evidence to
support their case.
This public perception issue
will be the focus of a Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)
public meeting on antibiotics
and antibiotic resistance Friday,
April 26, at the Capitol Hilton
Hotel in Washington, D.C.,
from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
There are real worries for the
industry, however, according to
Kradel. A federally proposed bill
could ban the use of eight differ
ent antibiotics in the U.S.
If that happens, production
could drop 5-10 percent, with a
resulting increase in poultry
prices at the retail level.
According to John Schleifer,
Intervei technical service veteri
narian, the poultry industry
spends $l5O million on antibiot
ics in the U.S. Yet American
consumers use $6OO million
worth of personal health supple
ments a year and that indus
try continues to skyrocket
while worrying about potential
health effects of antibiotics used
on animals.
If large meat suppliers one
day are told by huge fast food
and supermarket chains to dis
continue antibiotic use, and no
new antibiotics are introduced,
what’s the industry to do to con
trol large disease outbreaks?
“We are going to bear the
brunt of the whole tidal wave,”
said Schleifer. If the antibiotics
are pulled, “we are up the pro
verbial creek without a paddle.”
For now, according to Eric
Gingerich, DVM, New Bolton
Center Poultry Lab, responsible
use of the antibiotics is key.
Maintaining the proper
veterinary-client-patient rela
tionship is critical.
Regulations
Producers themselves have to
focus on the ways in which man
agement of flocks is being regu
lated. The next regulated
compound will be ammonia em
issions, noted Bill Achor, envi
ronmental coordinator,
Wenger’s Feed Mill.
Producers in Kentucky and
Georgia are under lawsuits for
ammonia emissions from poul
try operations. In Kentucky, the
environmental group Sierra
filed suit on a broiler grower for
ammonia emissions.
Emission monitoring is con
tinuing in Indiana, with tests in
Kentucky and lowa and soon
Pennsylvania, noted Achor.
In addition, major changes to
the nutrient management law
are scheduled to include adop
tion of phosphorous as the limit
ing factor. If so, the phosphorus
site index will be used, noted
Achor.
Environmental Quality Plans
Amy Van Blarcom, director of
government affairs for PennAg
Industries Association, provided
details on various environmen
tal quality plans that producers
could adopt now.
Van Blarcom provided details
of the following:
• PEACCE, or Pennsylvania
Beef Market On ‘Roller Coaster’ Ride
AMES, lowa “America’s
beef market roller coaster ride
shows no sign of slowing down,
and many producers believe
there is simply no competitive
rhyme nor reason to domestic
market price swings,” National
Farmers Organization (NFO)
President Paul Olson said this
week. Volatility of as much as 10
percent, or $l2, can occur in a
very short period of time.
“What particularly irritates
U.S. producers is the fact that a
major fast food retailer an
nounced last week that it cannot
secure enough beef supplies in
the United States to fill their
needs,” Olson said. “Yet in real
ity, with domestic market price
levels as low as they are, there
should be no reason why they
cannot obtain an economical
product here in the U.S.”
According to recent research,
there is more hqmburger avail
able than ever before, and beef
costs 30 percent less than it did
in 1970.
Some marketing insiders be
lieve fast food restaurants justify
their purchase of imported beef
by stating that there’s not
enough lean domestic beef
supply. “If supply and demand
is what markets are truly based
Tuesday afternoon speakers at the Poultry Sales and
Service Conference at Penn State. From left, Dennis Herr,
egg producer from Elizabethtown; Bob Norton, Auburn
University; Eric Gingerich, New Bolton Center; and Dave
Kradel, poultry consultant, PennAg Industries and Penn
State. Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
Tuesday’s speakers at the Poultry Sales and Service
Conference were, from left, Dr. Robert Elkin, head of the
poultry science department at Penn State; Bill Achor,
Wenger Feeds; Phillip Clauer, Penn State; Paul Aho, Poul
try Perspective; and Amy Van Blarcom, PennAg Industries
Association. Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
Environmental Agricultural
Conservation Certification of
Excellence Program.
• On-Farm Assessment and
Environmental Review.
• Agricultural Environmen
tal Management Systems.
• Project XL, for excellence
in leadership, a national pro
gram.
• FARM irA-k Syst, common
to dairy operations, but useful
on poultry operations for the
upon, then why do those fast
food retailers report there is a
shortage, while domestic market
prices are effectively at very low
levels,” said National Farmers
Director of Livestock, Brian
Harris. “Independent livestock
producers have been laboring
under increasing input costs, yet
packer/processors are paying
less for the animals they pur
chase.”
As U.S. House and Senate Ag
riculture Conferees prepare to
complete their work on a new
farm bill, one of the most con
tentious issues at hand is a ban
on packer ownership of live
stock.
“When it comes right down to
it, packers are creating a surnius
and shortage environment in the
markets because of the animals
they own or have under con
tract,” Harris said.
Another issue of some contro
versy is Country of Origin label
ing. If enacted, it would inform
consumers what country their
meat and produce originates
from. It’s important because a
study indicates that nine of 10
Americans would purchase U.S.
beef if given the opportunity.
“The issue at hand for Amen-
Lancai
rter Farming, Saturday, April 13, 2002-A33
water quality components.
PennAg is looking for 30
poultry farmers to participate in
an environmental management
systems (EMS) assessment pro
gram pilot-tested in Pennsylva
nia. Contact Amanda Mende at
PennAg at (717) 651-5920 or
amende@pennag.com for more
information.
For information on any of the
environmental quality pro
grams, contact Van Blarcom at
PennAg at (717)651-5920.
ca’s consumers, is the fact that a
mere one percent of imported
food is inspected,” said Olson.
U.S. government auditors report
that we rely on foreign inspec
tors to police the plants that
send us food. But according to
the Western Organization Re
source Council’s (WORC) Agri
cultural and Food Issues Team,
the system is not working. Be
cause as food imports have gone
up, so have reports of food
related illness.
Interestingly enough, a 1930 s
law requires that nearly all retail
goods label where they are pro
duced; yet meat and produce re
mains exempted more than 60
years later. “It’s worth pausing
to consider the relative impor
tance of knowing where our
clothing is made, yet remain
blissfully unaware where the
meat and produce is grown that
helps keep each and every one of
us in good health,” said Harris.
“If we’re going to place the
benefit of other countries ahead
of our own producers, who con
tribute to our national economic
base, then we have some real
problems to deal with,” Olson
'said.