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10 CapitalPress.com November 16, 2018 Water buffalo meat sparks labeling concerns Domestic bison producers worry about misleading labels By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The appearance of imported water buffalo meat on U.S. retail shelves has alarmed U.S. bison producers, who worry the product isn’t being inspect- ed or properly labeled. The National Bison Association has requested an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after discovering Australian water buf- falo meat sold simply as “wild ground buffalo” through a 200-store grocery chain along the East Coast. In North America, the word “buffa- lo” commonly conjures up images of native bison roaming the prairies, not foreign livestock, said Dave Carter, the NBA’s executive director. The mislabeling problem is wor- risome for the bison industry because there are only about 400,000 native bi- son in the U.S. and Canada, compared to nearly 100 million water buffalo in India alone, Carter said. “There’s a lot more water buffalo meat than there is bison meat,” he said. Since the ground water buffalo costs about $2 per pound less than Dan Wheat/Capital Press File Bison on a gentle slope of the Hanson Ranch off State Highway 970 east of Cle Elum, Wash., pictured in October 2014. coming familiar, he said. There’s also the matter of repu- tational harm in case of a food safety crisis. As wild game, bison and water buf- falo aren’t required to undergo USDA inspection, though most bison growers prefer to have their meat voluntarily in- spected by the agency, Carter said. The water buffalo from Australia was inspected in that country and pro- cessed in an FDA-approved facility in New Jersey, but wasn’t actually feder- ally inspected, he said. ground bison, which typically sells for $7 per pound, that creates a competi- tive concern for the domestic industry, Carter said. “We could be seeing the tip of the iceberg right now,” he said. Domestic bison producers don’t object to the import or sale of water buffalo meat into the U.S. as long as it’s properly labeled as such, Carter said. Water buffalo has a distinctly differ- ent taste than native bison, with which many U.S. consumers are only now be- “If someone gets sick, guess who gets the black eye?” he said. A spokeswoman for Thomas Foods International, which produc- es the ground water buffalo meat in question, said the company “appre- ciates this opportunity but we’re not able to assist with an interview this time around.” The National Bison Association recently got some reinforcement in its attempt to draw awareness to the issue, with five U.S. senators signing a bi- partisan letter asking FDA to prioritize investigation of the group’s mislabeling complaint. “With a growing water buffalo in- dustry worldwide, failure to do so will create an opportunity for additional uninspected, mislabeled products to be marketed in the U.S.,” the letter said. A spokeswoman for FDA confirmed receiving the letter and said the agency would respond directly to the lawmak- ers. Carter said his organization first be- came aware of the water buffalo prob- lem a year ago, when it noticed the meat listed in high-end pet food ingredients. For example, the group has identi- fied a Taste of the Wild brand of “High Prairie Formula” for dogs showing a bison on the package but whose top in- gredient was water buffalo, Carter said. Bison was the ninth ingredient listed on the label. Tom Vilsack Partnerships, innovation may help meet dairy’s challenges By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Global meat demand strong, but some headwinds continue By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press U.S. beef exports contin- ued to see good momentum in September and are on pace to set a record high for the year. Pork exports, however, were down year over year largely due to weaker demand from China and Mexico. In general, the supply- demand dynamic in the glob- al marketplace is still very good, Dan Halstrom, presi- dent and CEO of U.S. Meat Export Federation, said in a media conference call on Monday. Per-capita meat consump- tion is increasing, and the ability for other countries to increase domestic production is limited. The demand in de- veloping regions is emerging more and more with a grow- ing middle class, he said. “I think it underscores the need for us to diversify as an industry,” he said. U.S. meat exports, Jan.-Sept. Quantity (Metric tons) Item* Beef Pork Lamb and mutton 2017 2018 Percent change 926,985 1.79 million 5,579 1 million 1.81 million 9,210 9% 1 65 2017 2018 Percent change $5.3 billion 4.7 billion 14.7 million $6.2 billion 4.8 billion 17.1 million Value (U.S. dollars) Item* Beef Pork Lamb and mutton 18% 2 16 *All items include variety meats. Source: USDA (data compiled by U.S. Meat Export Federation) The more urgent issue, however, is working with dif- ferent governments to stay on equal footing when it comes to market access, he said. The new agreement be- tween the U.S., Canada and Mexico is a good first step. But the retaliatory tariffs by Mexico on U.S. pork need to be rescinded as soon as possi- ble, he said. Shipments of U.S. pork to Capital Press graphic Mexico in September were below year-over-year levels for the fourth consecutive month, down 10 percent in volume and 25 percent in value, according to USDA data. Pork exports to Mexico started the year strong, but the retaliatory tariffs de- creased shipment by 6 per- cent over the last four months compared with a year earlier, Oscar Ferrara, USMEF re- gional director for Mexico, Central America and the Do- minican Republic, said. The value of those exports declined nearly 22 percent, USDA data show. USMEF has been work- ing with buyers and others in Mexico to educate them on the advantages of U.S. pork. It is also working with government officials there to make sure they understand the importance of remov- ing the tariffs before a new Mexican administration takes over, he said. Retaliatory tariffs are also a concern with China, Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for Asia Pacif- ic, said. U.S. pork exports to Chi- na and Hong Kong in Sep- tember were down 39 percent in volume and 18 percent in value. Year to date through September, they are down 23 percent in volume and 14 percent in value, according to USDA data. He said he also thinks U.S. beef to China’s re- opened market will lose some momentum due to the tariffs. Buyers want certainty in trade and are looking to di- versify for a reliable supply, he said. Another area of concern for USMEF is getting a trade agreement with Japan, Halstrom said. The Comprehensive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which does not include the U.S., will be im- plemented at the end of the year. That will decrease Japa- nese duties on imported meat from other countries. The longer the U.S goes without an agreement with Japan, the longer it will con- tinue to be less competitive. The recent announcement of negotiation between the U.S. and Japan is very important and timely, he said. Study of Anderson Ranch Dam water storage expansion progressing By BRAD CARLSON Online Capital Press The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Idaho Water Resource Board next spring expect to be closer to formally proposing additional storage in the Boise River Basin, namely at Ander- son Ranch dam and reservoir north of Mountain Home. Project Manager Selena Moore, the bureau’s Snake River Office plan- ning and project management super- visor, said Reclamation and IWRB are working on geotechnical analy- sis, feasibility-level design and other analysis for Anderson Ranch that is expected to be completed in March. “Then we anticipate we will be performing environmental compli- ance, which will start with a public scoping meeting anticipated in May 2019,” she said. Reclamation and IWRB — which https://www.usbr.gov/pn/studies/boise- feasibility/index.html last summer agreed to focus on ex- panding Anderson Ranch initially rather than Arrowrock or Lucky Peak dams — aim to complete the feasibil- ity report and environmental impact statement in May 2020, and then go through the approval process with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Moore said. Reclamation and IWRB are shar- ing the study’s $6 million cost equal- ly. “Reclamation has placed a high priority on enhancing our infrastruc- ture, and we’re delighted to partner with the state to meet critical water supply needs,” Reclamation Snake River Area Manager Roland Springer said in a news release. Additional capacity could enable storage of more runoff in high wa- ter years such as 2017, enhancing long-term water supply for critical irrigation, domestic, industrial and municipal needs while continuing to meet endangered species and power generation needs, Reclamation said in the release. Adding capacity also may provide more protection from flood risk. IWRB manages available water supply, and addresses aquifer declines statewide including in the Treasure Valley and Mountain Home aquifers. “Given the growth anticipated in the Treasure Valley, additional sur- face water storage may be required to offset aquifer declines and meet future water needs,” Board Chairman Roger Chase said in the release. Reclamation-owned Arrowrock and Anderson Ranch prioritize irriga- tion. Lucky Peak, closest to Boise, is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam prioritizing flood control. Moore said Anderson Ranch is the least complex of the three to raise, enabling compliance with a major federal deadline, and is projected to provide the most water per dollar in- vested. It’s possible Reclamation and IWRB would evaluate raising the oth- er dams later, she said. The 456-foot Anderson Ranch Dam can store 474,900 acre-feet of water. The feasibility study contem- plates raising it by six feet, which would provide an additional 6.1 per- cent or 29,000 acre-feet of storage. Reclamation received partial fund- ing for the study under the December 2016 federal Water Infrastructure Im- provements for the Nation Act, which may also authorize funding for con- struction of projects that by Jan. 1, 2021, are determined to be feasible. Strong Since 1959 Trusted Manufacturing Diverse Bag Capabilities 1-800-456-7878 www.justusbag.com WHEN IN NEED OF BAGS, ” CALL “ Polypropylene Bags Polypropylene Bulk Bags Burlap Bag Multiwall Paper/Paper Poly Flexible Packaging | BOPP Bags Onion/Potato Mesh Bags Pallet Netting Stretch Wrap | Sewing Twine Bagging Supplies 45-13-3/104 A t the SAGE Center, you will see firsthand the process of getting food from the farm to your table. Our mission is hands-on learning and education through one-of-a-kind exhibits. 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Broadway, Suite 1 Moses Lake, WA 98837 johnlvk@justusbag.com 509-750-2900 223 Linden Ave. East Moses Lake, WA 98837 adam@justusbag.com 509-765-2872 BOISE — Milk producers who leverage existing part- nerships and think broadly stand the best chance to suc- ceed whether or not market conditions improve soon, speakers said Nov. 7 as Dairy West’s two-day annual meet- ing kicked off in Boise. Former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said exports — recently about 17 percent of U.S. milk produced and increasing — remain an opportunity for producers who work well with partners and know how to talk about their own product’s quality. Sara Dorland, managing partner at Ceres Dairy Risk Management, said milk pro- ducers should continue to innovate while cultivating relationships with partners ranging from suppliers and community members to lend- ers, regulators, and checkoff programs that collect a por- tion of producer revenue to fund marketing and research. “It’s tough to look at more investment when prices are down, but that is what we are going to have to do to pull ourselves out of this,” she said. Milk prices have been down for reasons including trade disputes slowing cheese and whey exports recently, higher milk production and additional production capac- ity, a decline in consump- tion of “cheese food” such as barrel cheese, and trading in greater volumes on the price-driven Chicago Mercan- tile Exchange, Dorland said. She expects milk to sell for $15.50 to $16.50 per hundred- weight in 2019, up by 3 to 5 percent from recent prices. Prices remain 30 to 40 percent below those of 2014, when demand was up substantially and feed costs were higher, she said. “The current market is dif- ficult, but long term I am bull- ish,” Dorland said. U.S. producers are ef- ficient, and produce a high-quality product for the world, she said. “We are going to continue to have export opportunities,” said Vilsack, president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and a Feeding Ameri- ca board member. As the world adds pop- ulation and creates a larger middle class, global con- sumption of protein includ- ing milk is expected to in- crease, he said. U.S. dairy producers and their partners can gain an edge by establishing brand identity and clearly communicating how their products stand out in the larger market, Vilsack said. The Dairy Export Coun- cil recently added more staff based in other countries. The employees are tasked to show U.S. dairy products’ strengths and how the products can be best used. “All of this is designed to drive, more deeply, U.S. pres- ence,” Vilsack said. He said he remains opti- mistic despite current chal- lenges — from trade agree- ments and milk-alternative products to Europe working through an oversupply of milk — because U.S. produc- ers can efficiently supply safe, high-quality products. Constant innovation is needed, Vilsack said. And milk producers should be more vocal about their com- mitment to environmental sustainability, which sepa- rates U.S. producers from many of their global competi- tion, he said.
