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Cattle Health & Well-being Committee Meets

Committee discusses ramifications of potential live-animal imports from Brazil and Argentina, feedlot audits and antimicrobial use.

by Troy Smith for Angus Journal®

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 6, 2014) — Potential imports of beef and live cattle from South America, guidance for third-party audits of feedlots and potential regulation of antimicrobials were primary topics of discussion during the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Health & Well-being Committee meeting. NCBA policy committees met during the 2014 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn. Cattle Health & Well-being Committee members also heard reports from two working groups, pertaining to herd biosecurity and emerging animal health concerns.

Guest speaker John Clifford, chief veterinary officer for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), talked about agency efforts to safeguard the United States against introduction of animal disease through imports of food or live animals. Clifford also offered an update on the global status of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). He also responded to concerns that APHIS is considering opening the United States to imports of beef and cattle from Brazil and Argentina.

“I’m not here to change your minds about trade with South America. I am here to give you the facts,” stated Clifford, noting that regions within Brazil and Argentina are FMD-free, while other regions of both countries are not.

Clifford explained that FMD can spread among live cloven-hooved animals, and the causative organism can be present in bone-in meat or insufficiently cooked ground meat products that include lymph tissue and other ‘trimmings.” None are currently accepted for import to the United States. However, APHIS recently announced that it is considering amendment of regulations to allow, under certain conditions, the importation of fresh beef from specific Brazilian states.

Committee members voiced concern regarding potential movement of cattle between FMD-free and non-FMD-free regions in South American countries. Discussion resulted in a resolution calling for NCBA to seek expert analysis of APHIS proposals and risk assessments associated with amending rules governing imports of beef from Brazil.

Also approved was a resolution in response to fears that implementation of third-party feedlot audits, if required by beef processors, may result in a hodge-podge of audit protocols. The resolution recommended the current Beef Quality Assurance feedlot assessment as the guiding example for third-party audits.

Committee members heard a presentation from Kansas State University veterinarian Mike Apley, who offered a “regulatory heads-up” regarding antimicrobial use in meat-animal production. As a result of political pressure, livestock producers can look for tighter regulation of antimicrobials and particularly those administered through feed. Apley worries that Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) rule-making may not be driven by only science-based information. He fears that overregulation may eventually supersede use of veterinary-prescribed antimicrobial products.

“The question is whether veterinarians will retain relevancy to antimicrobial use decisions, or will political pressure drive regulation,” stated Apley.