 Dear GRSB Member,
Welcome to the latest GRSB Connect. We start with the very sad news that Richard Gebhart passed away on 30th May after a short illness. Many of you will have known Richard very well through NCBA and the numerous other beef cattle related organisations he was involved with. Richard also chaired GRSB's first technical working group on supply chain surveys. We will miss his pragmatic and well informed inputs to our discussions, his commitment to sustainability and his good humour. Our sincere condolences to his wife and family.
As those of you who were in San Antonio will remember, we launched some new technical working groups. Dan Thomson has volunteered to chair the antiobiotics working group, and we are in process of considering the membership list for that at the moment. We have good representation from the US and Europe, and are still keen to hear from experts in South America and Australia / New Zealand to give us better coverage. We have made approaches to experts in India and China, but suggestions for those regions are also very welcome.
The second new working group is to consider Global Indicator development. This may utilise existing indicators, develop new ones or a combination. For all of the reasons that we chose to focus only on Principles and Criteria at the global level, the number of global indicators will be limited, only including those things that can be considered relevant to all production systems and that do not encourage unrealistic comparisons between different systems. We also established a working group to look at equivalence, benchmarking and the possibility that GRSB would consider in some way recognising or endorse standards developed by other organisations. This group is therefore to address a question, and provide a recommendation to the board based on consideration of all of the consequences of adopting such an approach. We are looking for volunteers and vice chairs for these groups. Please email me to volunteer for any of these groups, or with questions.
Thanks,
Ruaraidh Petre
Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
Executive Director
Sustainability News
Dateline: 05/26/15, Source: By Philip Bowern, Western Morning News
Livestock farmers need all the help they can get just at the moment. An army of so–called environmental campaigners is ready to condemn them for everything from exploiting animals to destroying the planet with greenhouse gas emissions from their stock. Disease is an ever–present concern, as bovine TB continues to run riot across hot spot areas like the Westcountry. And commodity prices – from beef to milk – see–saw wildly, making any kind of long term business planning a huge challenge.
Dateline: 06/01/15, Source: Scoop
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy leaves for Europe today to represent New Zealand at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations' (FAO) Biennial Conference in Rome. "As a country founded on our primary industries, New Zealand can add real value to the discussions at the conference," says Mr Guy.
New Zealand is actively involved with the FAO on issues relating to climate change and livestock management.
Dateline: 06/02/15, Source: The White House News Release
As part of the continued effort to combat antibiotic resistance, today the Obama Administration is convening a "White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship" to bring together key human and animal health constituencies involved in antibiotic stewardship—the development, promotion, and implementation of activities to ensure the responsible use of antibiotics. As part of the event, more than 150 food companies, retailers, and human and animal health stakeholders will highlight commitments to implement changes over the next five years to slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
Members In The News
Dateline: May 2015, Source: JBS
The verification process analyzed 12,221 cattle procurement transactions that JBS carried out in 2014 from farms located in the Amazon Biome. From this total, just 4 cattle purchase transactions were classified as non–conformities. Click here to read the full report. Click here to see the working plan.
Dateline: 05/26/15, Source: Radio New Zealand
Chair of Meat Industry Excellence, John McCarthy, outlined the sorts of obstacles the group is facing, when he spoke at the Primary Industry Summit it Wellington yesterday. MIE is advocating merging the two big co–operatives, Silver Fern Farms and the Alliance Group, as a starting point in restructuring, a move which a report calculates would produce gains of more than $400 million over five years. However, Mr McCarthy told the summit that MIE had had legal threats made against it, and it was running into a brick wall with the meat industry establishment.
Dateline: 06/02/15, Source: By Oliver Salge, Greenpeace
SEE PDF HERE
Dateline: 05/28/15, Source: Folha de S.Paulo
The Russian veterinary service Rosselkhoznadzor will embargo meat imports from ten branches of Brazilian companies starting June 9th, including the following slaughterhouses of cattle and pigs: JBS, Marfrig and BRF, the Russian government's agency said on Wednesday, May 27th. The veterinary service said the decision was taken after an inspection of Brazilian branches took place in March by Russian inspectors, according to Interfax news agency.
Dateline: 05/27/15, Source: Fast Casual
With water scarcity becoming a major issue in the largest metro areas of the U.S., including places such as San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix and others, environmental sustainability is seeping into the consciousness of consumers and operators across the nation.
Dateline: 06/01/15, Source: By Bob Langert, Green Biz
I was recently asked to address a Virginia Chamber of Commerce event on what sustainability leadership means for the future of business. As my experience is in fast food, here are my "Fast 10" Sustainability Leadership Tips. See List HERE.
Dateline: 06/02/15, Source: The White House News Release
As part of the continued effort to combat antibiotic resistance, today the Obama Administration is convening a "White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship" to bring together key human and animal health constituencies involved in antibiotic stewardship—the development, promotion, and implementation of activities to ensure the responsible use of antibiotics. As part of the event, more than 150 food companies, retailers, and human and animal health stakeholders will highlight commitments to implement changes over the next five years to slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
Dateline: 06/02/15, Source: MarketWatch
Today, Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company, will participate in the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship where Elanco President Jeff Simmons will participate in a panel discussion. Concurrently, Simmons is unveiling the company's multi–faceted approach to combat the growing concern about antibiotic resistance.
Dateline: 06/01/15, Source: By Steve Kay, BEEF Magazine
While I don't regard science as infallible, I have never doubted the rigor with which it is applied. However, the largely false claim that human resistance to antibiotics is due to antibiotic use in the livestock industry illustrates how you can repeat the facts over and over, and people will still ignore them.The key fact is that the vast majority of antibiotics used by animals are not used by humans. Tetracyclines and ionophores account for 72% of animal use, but only 4% (tetracyclines only) of human use. Here's another thing: To my knowledge, there are no scientific data that link antibiotics used in meat production to antibiotic resistance in humans.
Our Members
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Welcome to the Table!
We Welcome The Newest Members to the Roundtable
Dateline: June, 2015
Constituency: Civil Society
The Academy of Veterinary Consultants (AVC) is an association of veterinarians involved in beef cattle medicine, herd health programs and consultation. Their mission is to provide continuing education, member support and leadership among various entities of the beef cattle industry. The AVC goal strives for optimum productivity of a safe, high–quality product.
Constituency: Roundtable
The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) is a multi–stakeholder initiative developed to advance, support and communicate continuous improvement in sustainability of the U.S. beef value chain. The USRSB achieves this through leadership, innovation, multi–stakeholder engagement, and collaboration and aims for the U.S. beef value chain to be the trusted global leader in environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable beef.
Global News
Dateline: 06/01/15, Source: Farms
Focussed on beef sector traceability, a new report from the consulting firm Value Chain Management International, suggests that the Ontario beef industry could improve its competitiveness and profitability by learning from the achievements of the Australian national traceability system.
The report highlights that an effective chain–length traceability system is built upon the three pillars of premises ID, animal ID and movement reporting.
Dateline: 06/01/15, Source: By Burt Rutherford, BEEF Magazine
His was a life well lived. And, to the loss of everyone in the beef business, it was a life lived too short. Richard Gebhart, a fourth generation cattlemen from Claremore, Okla., and an Oklahoma and national beef industry leader, died May 30 after a short illness. He was 58.
Dateline: 06/01/15, Source: By Terry Sim, SHEEP Central
The roll–out of Australia's new electronic carcase feedback system – Livestock Data Link — is expected to continue over the next 12–18 months. MLA managing director Richard Norton last month announced JBS Australia was the first adopter of the LDL system and a further eight supply chains are piloting and evaluating LDL.
Dateline: 05/29/15, Source: By James Nason, BEEF Central
The results of a Meat & Livestock Australia project examining the potential for greater price transparency in the Australian beef supply chain could be known by the end of July.
Dateline: 05/27/15, Source: By James Fernyhough, The New Daily
You probably didn't notice, but when Barnaby Joyce threatened to kill Johnny Depp's dogs he was really sending a message to the United States government. That message was: Australia won't be bullied on biosecurity issues.
The Agriculture Minister felt the need to send this message because the US is reportedly putting pressure on Australia to lift its strict stance on US beef imports.
Dateline: By Elsa Reed, Source: GlobalMeat News
China has become New Zealand's second–largest market for beef and the largest for its lamb in the 12 months ending 31 March 2015, the Meat Industrial Association (MIA) of New Zealand has told GlobalMeatNews.
Dateline: May 2015, Source: By Dave Solverson, Canadian Cattlemen
Calving season is well underway and I am feeling very optimistic about the future. Prices, which seem to reach new market highs for all classes of cattle each week, are part of the reason. A global shortage of beef, largely due to prolonged and widespread drought, has pushed the U.S. cattle herd to a 50–year low and last year saw Australia report a record slaughter as producers liquidated their herds.
The beef supply may be constricted but globally the demand for beef has not ceased.
Dateline: 05/27/15, Source: By Steve Mollman, Perishable News
You've heard of the alpha dog. Get ready for the omega cow.
Chinese researchers say they've reared beef rich in the beneficial fatty acids associated with fish oils, according to Biotechnology Letters. The researchers, based in the Shaanxi province, said that while much more study is needed, they managed to breed some cows with more than five times the normal levels of omega–3 fatty acids.
Dateline: 06/02/15, Source: By Steve Kay, Canadian Cattleman
Consumer surveys showed that only a small minority of consumers were even aware of COOL labels. Furthermore, COOL has provided absolutely no economic benefits to the U.S. beef industry. The bottom line remains: consumers put price at the top of their list of factors in buying beef.
Dateline: 06/02/15, Source: By John Maday, Drovers CattleNetwork
Over the next year, many livestock producers will need to become more familiar with their veterinarians. Or, if they don’t have a veterinarian, find one. This week the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) announced its highly anticipated Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rule, which places considerable emphasis on the Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR).
The VFD rule will end over-the-counter (OTC) sales of medically important antimicrobial drugs intended for use in feed or water, placing their use under the supervision of a veterinarian within the context of a valid VCPR.
Dateline: 06/03/15, Source: By Chuck Jolley, Drovers CattleNetwork
If a business or NGO had any kind of interest in how meat and poultry was produced, they were probably represented in Washington to discuss responsible antibiotic use in food production. What brought them to a very large table at the Stewardship Forum wasn't the growing but largely misdirected public passion for getting antibiotics out of the feedyard. The federal government is the largest buyer of meat and poultry in the world and the threat of losing access to the Mariana's Trench-like depths of Uncle Sammie's purse created an instant scrambling of the troops.
News We Can Use
If you have news to share with the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef membership, please send it to polly.welden@grsbeef.org
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Scientist Is Standing Up for Grazing Livestock
How Leading Brazilian Slaughterhouses Cut Its Ties to Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest
Does Your Restaurant Have a 'Water Issue'?
Gebhart