Showing posts with label USDA. Show all posts
Pesticides, Habitat Loss, Parasites Blamed for Bee Loss
Posted by Unknown in Beekeeping, Colony Collapse Disorder, Honey Bee, Report, USDA on Wednesday, 8 May 2013
WASHINGTON -- A new federal report blames a combination of problems for a mysterious and dramatic disappearance of U.S. honeybees since 2006.
The intertwined factors cited include a parasitic mite, multiple viruses, bacteria, poor nutrition, genetics, habitat loss and pesticides.
The multiple causes make it harder to do something about what's called colony collapse disorder, experts say. The disorder has caused as much as one-third of the nation's bees to just disappear each winter since 2006.
Bees, especially honeybees, are needed to pollinate crops.
The federal report, issued Thursday by the Agriculture Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, said the biggest culprit is the parasitic mite varroa destructor, calling it "the single most detrimental pest of honeybees."
The problem has also hit bee colonies in Europe, where regulators are considering a ban on a type of pesticides known as neonicotinoids that some environmental groups blame for the bee collapse. The U.S. report cites pesticides, but near the bottom of the list of factors. And federal officials and researchers advising them said the science doesn't justify a ban of the pesticides yet.
May Berenbaum, a top bee researcher from the University of Illinois, said in an interview that she was "extremely dubious" that banning the pesticide would have any effect on bee health. She participated in a large conference of scientists that the government brought together last year to figure out what's going on, and the new report is the result of that conference.
Berenbaum said more than 100 different chemicals -- not just the pesticides that may be banned in Europe -- have been found in bee colonies. Scientists find it hard to calculate how they react in different dosages and at different combinations, she said.
Some of these chemicals harm the immune systems of bees or amplify viruses, said Penn State University bee expert Diana Cox-Foster.
At a news conference Thursday, Sonny Ramaswamy, a top USDA official, said the scientific consensus is that there are multiple factors "and you can't parse any one out to be the smoking gun."
USDA bee researcher Jeff Pettis also cited modern farming practices that often leave little forage area for bees.
Cattle Inventory Expected to Show Decline in Beef Cows
Posted by Unknown in Beef, Cattle and Livestock, Meat, Meat Animal, USA, USDA on Tuesday, 29 January 2013
USDA
will release on Friday, January 27 the results of its semi-annual
survey of US cattle operations, offering an estimate of the number of
cattle and calves in the US as of January 1, 2012. The table below
presents the inventory survey numbers for the previous three years as
well as analysts estimates ahead of the USDA report.
The
report is expected to show further reductions in the size of the US
cattle herd, with particularly sharp declines in the number of beef cows
and further contraction in the number of heifers held back for beef cow
herd rebuilding. Analysts on average expect the survey to show a 1.6%
decline in the size of the cattle herd. This implies a total inventory
of 91.1 million head, the smallest since at least 1958 when the total
cattle inventory was pegged at 91.176 million head. To be sure, beef
production today is significantly larger than it was back in the 1950s,
thanks to tremendous productivity gains. In 1958, US commercial beef
production was pegged at 12.983 billion pounds, compared to 26.297
billion pounds in 2011. In addition to producing heavier animals, the
feedlot system has allowed producers to significantly accelerate the
time it takes calves to come to market. Consider that in 1958, US cattle
slaughter was 23.555 million head while in 2011, overall slaughter is
estimated at 34.2 million head. The average carcass weight of cattle
that went to slaughter in 1958 was 575 pounds, compared to 773 pounds in
2011. So while the headlines after the inventory report will likely
focus on the fact that cattle numbers are the lowest in some 50 years,
keep in mind that cattle slaughter in 2011 was about 46% bigger than it
was in 1958 and carcass weights were 34% larger than they were then.
Today, we produce more than double the amount of beef from the same size
herd (indeed the beef cow herd is smaller today that it was then).
The
concern going forward is that much of the productivity growth in the
future will be incremental. The low hanging fruit has already been taken
and the industry is now running against biological barriers. It will be
difficult to further increase beef production without increasing the
size of the cattle herd. While there are plenty of signals for expansion
in 2012 and 2013, the January survey will likely show that producers
continued to liquidate the herd in 2011, largely due to escalating feed
costs and limited pastures. The beef cow inventory on January 1, 2012 is
expected to be down 2.5% while the number of heifers held back for beef
cow herd replacement is expected to be down 2.1%. One thing to watch
for in the upcoming report is how the distribution of the US cattle
numbers changed in 2011. Drought stricken states, such as Texas and
Oklahoma, likely saw a sharp decline in their beef cow herd, while other
states probably saw notable gains from a year ago. The expectation is
for producers to increase heifer retention in 2012 as calf prices hit
record highs. In some areas, however, that may be limited by long term
drought conditions and limited feed supplies. The overall expectation is
for smaller beef supplies in 2012 and 2013, the inventory survey should
tell us how big the decline will likely be.
USDA Proposes Streamlining Poultry Inspections
Posted by Unknown in Inspection, Poultry, USDA on Monday, 28 January 2013
By Mary Clare Jalonick
Associated Press
The
Agriculture Department has proposed to reduce the number of government
inspectors at poultry slaughter plants in a move the agency says will
make inspections more efficient and improve food safety.
Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack said about 1,000 government inspector jobs at
poultry plants would be phased out as companies take over the job of
looking for visual flaws like bruises in chickens on the processing
line. Vilsack said inspectors would shift to jobs more important to food
safety, such as sampling for pathogens and keeping conditions sanitary.
The move could save the government as much as $95 million in the first three years, Vilsack said.
"The
modernization plan will protect public health, improve the efficiency
of poultry inspections in the United States, and reduce spending," he
said.
The
chicken industry supports the plan, which would speed up the rate at
which poultry is processed and could save companies and consumers more
than $250 million, according to the department. The shift would be
voluntary and has already been tested at some plants around the country.
USDA officials predict about 200 of the 300 qualified poultry plants in
the United States would make the switch.
Consumer group Food and Water Watch said the proposal would give poultry companies too much control over inspections.
"USDA
must abandon this plan that puts industry interests above consumer
protection," said Wenonah Hauter, director of the group.
Poultry
companies say they have made great strides in recent years to reduce
contamination of pathogens such as salmonella and campylobacter in their
products. But that has not made them immune to outbreaks of illness. An
outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to Cargill ground turkey last
summer sickened at least 136 people and killed one, prompting a recall
of 36 million pounds of turkey.
