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More positive signs for Canadian beef exportsNovember 30, 2004: Along with the visit to Canada this week by US President George Bush, which is boosting hopes among Canadian beef producers that normal North American beef exports may soon resume, Hong Kong has cheered the beleaguered industry another notch by announcing today it will open its borders to boneless beef. The Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, satisfied with the way Canada has handled the surveillance and control measures against BSE, said it would resume processing applications for imports of boneless Canadian beef derived from cattle under 30 months of age. This is the first step in regaining access to an export market valued at nearly $10 million prior to the Mad Cow outbreak in early 2003. "At the initial stage, only boneless beef from cattle less than 30-months-old, with high risk materials such as brain and spinal cord removed during slaughtering would be imported from Canada," said a spokesman for Hong KongĖs Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. "Each and every consignment of beef shall have the departmentĖs prior written permission and shall be accompanied by a health certificate. "But we will closely monitor the situation and review our import requirements as and when necessary," says the spokesman. Exports of Canadian beef to Hong Kong have been suspended since May 21, 2003, following the detection of a case of BSE in Alberta. Hong Kong has long served as the gateway to the Greater China area, which includes the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Mainland China. Prior to May 21, 2003, exports of Canadian beef to Greater China were on the increase, reaching a total of 3,064 tonnes - or $9.5 million dollars - in 2002. Minding the gapNovember 16, 2004: Yield gains have been one of the keys to Canada's stability in selected malting barley production, says Bob Cuthbert, Senior Marketing Manager, Malting Barley/Products with the Canadian Wheat Board. "As the yield gap between malting barley varieties and feed varieties has closed considerably, producers now incur less of a revenue penalty if their barley does not get selected for malting," says Cuthbert. "As a result, malting barley varieties now approach 70 percent of the total seeded barley area." Malting barley production capacity in Canada was increased by over 350,000 tonnes or 40 percent during the 1990s, he points out. More information is available in Western Grains Research Magazine. Campylobacter: underestimated problem?November 16, 2004: It may not draw many headlines, but Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common causes of food-borne illness in North America and around the globe, says Dr. Andrew Potter of the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). VIDO's work on understanding the basic microbiology of the pathogen has led to the identification of potential vaccine targets. "We think it's an underestimated problem in Canada and a key priority for research," says Potter. "Now that we've completed some of the fundamental work and have identified vaccine targets, our focus over the next several years will be testing these components." This organism causes significant gastroenteritis in humans that is clinically similar to that caused by Salmonella. However, C. jejuni can have chronic consequences, including arthritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Human infection is often the result of consumption or handling contaminated poultry. More information is available on the VIDO Web site. New options extend grazingNovember 16, 2004: Beef producers know each extra day they can keep cattle on grass is a small victory for the bottom line that can quickly add up to big savings. In fact, says Dr. Bruce Coulman, by taking advantage of promising new forage lines to extend grazing, producers can realize overall feed cost reductions of up to $0.50 per head. "The lines we identified feature improvements in one or more of spring growth, fall growth, yield and quality," says Coulman, of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Saskatoon Research Centre. "All are experimental seed lines that will now be increased and placed in the Western Forage Testing System. When available, they will reduce feed costs and improve the overall economics of production." The researchers investigated meadow bromegrass, annual ryegrass, crested wheatgrass and orchardgrass. More information is available on the Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (CABIDF) CABIDF Web site. Reprintable with permission. Reproduction of this article - in whole or in part, in print or electronic - requires direct permission from Meristem Information Resources, Ltd. Contact Meristem directly to request reprint permission. |
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Livestock industry tackles new era in animal welfare 