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January 1, 2016 CapitalPress.com 9 Court rejects latest attack on poultry rules Lawsuit against new regulations dismissed for lack of standing By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Opponents of new poul- try slaughter inspection rules have so far had no luck in be- ing allowed to challenge the regulations in court. A federal appeals court has shot down the latest at- tempt by a consumer advo- cacy group to challenge the rules, finding the new poultry inspection system, or NPIS, doesn’t pose a substantial Stephen Ausmus/ARS Chickens are seen in this file photo. Another lawsuit challenging new USDA rules for inspecting chicken slaughterhouses has been tossed out of court. risk of harm to the organiza- tion. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has up- held a lower court’s decision to throw out a lawsuit filed by the Food & Water Watch nonprofit for a lack of legal standing. A similar case brought by a union representing poul- try inspectors was also dis- missed earlier this year on similar grounds, but that rul- ing is being appealed. Critics of the USDA’s new poultry inspection rules claim they’re aimed at mak- ing life easier for slaughter- houses while increasing the danger of foodborne illness for consumers. The USDA counters that its regulations will allow agency poultry inspectors to be deployed more effectively to prevent problems at such facilities. The gist of the new system is that slaughterhouse em- ployees will be responsible for more visual evaluation and sorting of poultry car- casses, while USDA inspec- tors will focus on reducing pathogen hazards throughout the plant. Food & Water Watch complains that during a pilot project for the new system, 90 percent of non-compli- ance incidents were related to fecal contamination that company employees did not notice. The recent federal ap- peals court ruling said this finding suggests that such workers won’t be as effective as USDA inspectors, but the group hasn’t shown these re- sults are actually worse than under the existing system. “Thus, they fail to plausi- bly allege that the regulations substantially increase the risk of foodborne illness,” the court held. The lawsuit complained that each USDA inspector evaluates about 30 carcasses per minute under the current system, but that rate would increase to 200 or more per minute under the new rules, resulting in the processing and shipment of “unwhole- some, mutilated and diseased chickens.” The appellate court called these allegations “alarming” but held that they don’t ulti- mately demonstrate that food safety outcomes would be in- ferior to the current system. Expanding supply, lower demand pushes dairy prices down By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press A cow gets up close and personal during a United Dairymen of Idaho tour of Brubaker Family’s Knott Run Dairy in Buhl, Idaho, in September. Expanding supply and lower demand are driving dairy prices down. al Milk Producers Federation. Butter is being called the “new Greek yogurt,” he said. That and tight supplies — due in part from lower pro- duction in the West and con- siderable butter exports last year that drew down stocks — saw butter trading at re- cord-high prices this fall, hit- ting a high of $3.13 per pound, he said. Domestic commercial use of Oregon Farm Bureau makes staffing changes Organization hires two new employees, creates new position Taylor butter rose almost 8 percent in the third quarter of 2015 year over year. With virtually all U.S. butter production needed to supply the domestic mar- ket, U.S. butter exports August through October were down 53 percent year over year and the lowest since the summer of 2009, NMPF economists re- ported Dec. 28. That was a decrease of 3,738 metric tons. And U.S. butter imports August through October were up 2,705 metric tons, 82 percent year over year, the economists reported. Domestic commercial use over year although growth has slowed since the spring flush, Newton said. Producers are responding to lower prices with less produc- tion and less milk per cow, but they can’t just turn it off and on. Milk production slowed to just 0.5 percent growth year over year from August through October, he said. Adverse weather and water shortages are affecting per- cow yields in California, the No.1 dairy state, where pro- duction was down 4 percent in November and 3.4 percent year to date. A similar pattern is being seen in New Zealand, but some European countries are showing double digit in- creases in production now that quota has ended, he said. The U.S. industry is fac- ing some risks in the coming months, with high inventories of cheese hanging over the market and butter stocks re- building for next year’s holi- day sales, he said. BUYING 6” and UP Alder and Maple Saw Logs, Standing Timber www.cascadehardwood.com Alexander By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The Oregon Farm Bureau has made several staffing changes, including hiring two new employees, after a long- time lobbyist for the group left for another organization. Katie Fast, formerly the Farm Bureau’s vice president of public policy, took a job as the executive director of Or- egonians for Food and Shel- ter, an agribusiness industry group, earlier this year. The Farm Bureau has since promoted Jenny Dresler from government affairs associate to director of state public pol- icy, which is a new position, said Anne Marie Moss, OFB’s communications director. “It’s more a restructuring than a direct replacement,” Moss said. Dresler joined the Farm Bureau a year ago after pre- viously working for Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, in leg- islative and campaign oper- ations. She holds a master’s degree from Oregon State University in environmental science. Stepping into the role of government affairs associate is Tyler Alexander, who re- cently graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School and has previously worked for OFB as a law clerk. Alexander and Dresler will join Mary Anne Nash, who will serve as public policy counsel, in representing the Farm Bureau’s interests at the Oregon Legislature. The group’s other new hire is Jacon Taylor, who will be traveling to county Farm Bu- reau organizations level to assist volunteers as a regional coordinator and field repre- sentative. 51-2/#6 1-1/#7 ROP-1-5-2/#24 A significant expansion in milk supply colliding with a significant slowdown in de- mand in the last few months has pressured most U.S. dairy product prices lower, despite high domestic commercial use of butter and cheese in the third quarter. Cheese prices are now at $1.40 a pound, down from $1.65 in November and $2.13 in November 2014. Powder prices are at 76 cents per pound for nonfat dry milk, down from about 84 cents in November and $1.40 in November 2014. Butter prices have been the exception at an average of $2.80 per pound in November, up from $1.99 in November 2014, but cash prices were down to about $2.04 in last week’s spot market. Changing consumption patterns, in which fat is now considered a good thing, is the primary reason for domes- tic butter demand, said John Newton, senior director of economic research at Nation- of cheese other than Ameri- can style was up 82 million pounds and 5 percent year over year in the third quarter, and commercial use of American style cheese was up 24 million pounds and 2.2 percent. Domestic commercial use of fluid milk was down 124 million pounds and 1 percent and pow- der use was down 32 million pounds, nearly 11 percent in the third quarter. But the strong per- formance of butter and cheese was a key contributor to a 3.6 percent increase in commercial use of milk measured on a milk- fat-equivalent basis, the econo- mist reported. Domestic demand has helped support milk prices in the U.S. — although the all-milk price in October was down $7.20 per hundredweight year over year — despite a decline in exports, which were down 2 percent Au- gust through October. Lack of exports, however, has stocks climbing, and milk production is still up year