10
CapitalPress.com
Friday, June 17, 2022
Finding common ground in FDA warns
against
CBD
forest and fire management products for
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
A new joint study by
the University of Washing-
ton and The Nature Con-
servancy, an environmen-
tal nonprofit, sought to find
common ground between
about 60 people with dif-
fering backgrounds and
views on how forests should
be managed to prevent
wildfires.
The working group
included scientists, practi-
tioners and managers who
specialize in forest and fire
ecology, fire safety, air qual-
ity, health care and public
health.
The research resulted in
six key points of agreement
that could help advance pre-
scribed burning as part of
forest management.
The researchers say they
hope the study will influence
future policies.
“These consensus state-
ments aim to serve as guide-
posts for forest health and
public health professionals
to work together to promote
healthy and resilient for-
ests and communities,” said
Ryan Haugo, co-author and
director of conservation sci-
ence for The Nature Conser-
vancy in Oregon.
According to The Nature
Conservancy, decades of fire
suppression have increased
forest fuels.
The nonprofit says that
intentional fires — either
prescribed fires that are
deliberately set or unin-
tended fires that are allowed
to burn under control —
can reduce the intensity of
wildfires.
The challenge is that even
prescribed fires can create
smoke that is bad for public
food-producing
farm animals
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
Mitch Maxson/The Nature Conservancy
A 2019 prescribed burn in the Deschutes National Forest in Central Oregon.
health, making prescribed
fire unpopular among some
groups. Those in favor, how-
ever, say a moderate amount
of smoke from controlled
fire is better than a larger
amount of smoke from a
wildfire that’s out of control.
Lead author Savannah
D’Evelyn, a postdoctoral
fellow in the University of
Washington’s Department of
Environmental and Occupa-
tional Health Sciences, said
study participants agreed
that “all smoke is bad smoke
from a public health per-
spective, but we can’t do fire
management without more
fire.”
The study, published in
May in the journal Cur-
rent Environmental Health
Reports, listed the consensus
statements that the study’s
participants agreed upon:
• We recognize the need
to listen to and integrate a
diversity of perspectives,
in particular those embod-
ied by Indigenous peoples
who have successfully used
fire as an ecological tool for
thousands of years.
• Prescribed fires in addi-
tion to managed fires for
resource benefit are both
necessary management tech-
niques to keep forests resil-
ient and to lessen the nega-
tive ecological and public
health impacts of wildfires.
• Certain regions of the
Western U.S. will expe-
rience more smoke days
with heightened use of pre-
scribed and managed fire;
however, we expect the
impacts of smoke exposure
to be reduced over the long
term in comparison with
untreated land burned by
wildfires. With these tech-
niques, exposure in affected
communities can be planned
and lessened.
• No degree of smoke
exposure is without risk.
However, additional invest-
ment in advance prepara-
tion for affected populations
can lower associated health
risks. A smoke-resilient
community is resilient to
smoke from any type of fire.
• We must work to pro-
mote both equity in process
(e.g., who has a say in deci-
sion-making) and equity
in outcomes (e.g., who
gets exposed to the smoke)
within those communities
and populations experienc-
ing disproportionate impacts
from smoke.
• We are missing oppor-
tunities for positive impact
by working as separate dis-
ciplines. We recommend
that further and intentional
integration of forest/fire and
health disciplines (including
the practitioners, tools and
resources) needs to occur
to lessen the human health
effects of smoke exposure
due to prescribed and man-
aged fires.
The study’s authors say
they hope the research
will
build
common
ground for forest and fire
management.
IPEF a start for Indo-Pacific exports
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Most agricultural groups
recognize the Indo-Pacific
region is an important des-
tination for U.S. exports
and welcomed the Biden
administration’s launch of
the Indo-Pacific Economic
Framework for Prosperity,
or IPEF.
But they also recognize
there’s a lot of work to be
done to expand markets for
U.S. goods.
The IPEF includes 13
countries — the U.S., Aus-
tralia, Brunei, India, Indo-
nesia, Japan, South Korea,
Malaysia, New Zealand,
the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
While it’s new and much
needs to be negotiated, it
reasserts U.S. leadership in
the region, said Max Bau-
cus, former Democratic sen-
ator from Montana and for-
mer U.S. Ambassador to
China.
There is no more import-
ant region to America’s eco-
nomic future, national secu-
rity and global future than
the Indo-Pacific, he said
during a virtual press con-
ference organized by Farm-
ers for Free Trade.
“America has to lead.
If we don’t lead, there’s a
huge vacuum. It’s critically
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
The Port of Portland’s Terminal 6. U.S. farm groups rec-
ognize the importance of the Indo-Pacific region for ag
trade.
important that we lead,” he
said.
Obviously, the U.S. has
to lean into the agreement
much more as it doesn’t pro-
vide opportunities to reduce
tariffs or efficiently expand
market access, he said.
“But it’s critical at least
we start, at least we begin
because our economic future
very much depends on mov-
ing ahead with IPEF. It may
be weak, but it’s a begin-
ning. We have to work with
it,” he said.
It’s also important for
establishing a counterweight
to China. That was the whole
point of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, or TPP, he said.
He worked hard trying
to get TPP passed before
the 2016 presidential elec-
tion, but it was clear it
wasn’t going anywhere, he
said.
President Trump with-
drew the U.S. from the
agreement in January 2017.
“Anyway, it’s not passed.
We paid the price, and now
it’s important for us to get
going again,” he said.
Japan took over when
the U.S. pulled out of TPP,
and the region moved ahead
with the Comprehensive
and Progressive Agreement
for Trans-Pacific Partner-
ship, or CPTPP. Now China
and Taiwan want to join, he
said.
“It’s unfortunate the
Biden administration does
not want to join … it’s not
good, but it’s what it is,” he
said.
Many people have criti-
cized IPEF, saying it really
doesn’t amount to much, he
said.
“Well it is what it is.
We’re not going to get TPP
passed … that’s clear. So
this is sort of next step, it’s a
start,” he said.
He likened proposal to
Social Security and Medi-
care, which were both bare
bones when first enacted.
But over time, Congress
built upon them providing
better benefits and making
them stronger, he said.
“I think that’s a pretty
good model for IPEF. That
is, ‘Let’s build upon it ...
let’s keep working with it,”
he said.
He
urges
everyone
to work hard and work
together, and said there’s no
question that’s going to hap-
pen because a lot of peo-
ple realize the importance
of the Indo-Pacific region to
America.
The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration has
sent warning letters to four
companies that the agency
alleges were selling unap-
proved cannabidiol, or CBD,
products for food-producing
farm animals.
The letters warned that
by manufacturing or mar-
keting
CBD-containing
products for food animals
the companies were violat-
ing the Federal Food, Drug
and Cosmetic Act.
The agency cited a
lack of data on how CBD
affects animals, what res-
idues may result when
food-producing animals
consume CBD products
and what levels of poten-
tial residues are safe for
a person consuming food
that comes from a CBD-
treated animal.
“After a food-produc-
ing animal is treated with
a drug, residues of that
drug may be present in the
milk, eggs or meat if the
animal is milked, eggs are
collected or the animal is
sent to slaughter before the
drug is completely out of
its system,” FDA said in a
statement.
The letters were sent on
May 26 to Hope Botani-
cals, Haniel Concepts dba
Free State Oils, Planta-
cea LLC dba Kahm CBD
and on May 4 to Kingdom
Harvest.
FDA cited Hope Botan-
icals, based in Granbury,
Texas, for several of its
products, including “CBD
Horse Pellets” (labeled as
“Broad Spectrum CBD
Pellets for Horses or Live-
stock”), “Peppermint Fla-
vor Horse Formula,”
“Happy Horse Bites” and
“CBD Liniment Gel.”
Jenna Brown, presi-
dent and manager of Hope
Botanicals, said she learned
about FDA’s warning letter
from a third party.
“I never received the
warning letter by email nor
mail,” said Brown. “Some-
one told me about it.”
Brown said FDA’s claim
that she sells CBD products
for food-producing animals
is unfounded. Her prod-
ucts, she said, are intended
for horses and companion
animals.
Brown said she has
agreed to work with FDA
to relabel her products.
The three other compa-
nies did not immediately
respond to requests for
comment.
In FDA’s letter to Han-
iel Concepts dba Free State
Oils, officials wrote that the
company was selling unap-
proved new animal drugs
including
“Whisper’s
Soothing Grains CBD for
Farm Animals.”
In a letter to Kahm
CBD, FDA wrote that the
agency was “particularly
concerned” about the com-
pany’s “CBD Hemp Pel-
lets” products, bearing
labels stating “for equine
and livestock.”
“In addition to rais-
ing potential concerns
regarding safety for the
animals themselves, CBD
products for food-pro-
ducing animals raise con-
cerns regarding the safety
of the human food (meat,
milk and eggs) derived
from those animals,”
FDA
officials
Neal
Bataller, Donald Ashley
and Ann Oxenham wrote
in the letter.
The fourth company, King-
dom Harvest, was cited for
several alleged violations,
including for promoting a
product called “Ranch & Live-
stock Natural Whole-Spec-
trum Hemp Extract.”
FDA gave the four com-
panies a 15-day grace
period to respond and take
corrective actions before
the agency takes potential
legal or regulatory action.
Snake River flow
boost for fish less
than last year’s
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
The Bureau of Rec-
lamation is boosting the
Snake River’s flow to help
migrating fish, but not as
much as last year.
The Snake River’s
annual flow increase to help
salmon and steelhead as
they migrate downstream
is expected to be 18-30%
less than last year’s.
But this year’s vol-
ume is higher than origi-
nally anticipated because
of heavy spring rain, said
Brian Stevens, supervisory
civil engineer at the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation
Upper Snake Field Office
in Heyburn.
Stevens said increased
flow for fish, known as
flow augmentation, will be
300,000 to 350,000 acre-
feet, down from last year’s
427,000.
“We deliver what is
available,” he said. “It
reflects low storage and
low anticipated runoff.”
However, this year’s
total is above initial projec-
tions, which ranged from
220,000 to 280,000 acre-
feet, Stevens said.
The flow augmenta-
tion could increase even
more depending on water
availability.
Ag groups support investment to strengthen the food system
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Agricultural groups are
responding favorably to
USDA’s nearly $3 billion
investment aimed at trans-
forming the U.S. food sys-
tem to make it more resilient
and competitive.
USDA’s efforts will
address the entire food sup-
ply chain, from production
and processing to distribu-
tion and markets, said USDA
Secretary Tom Vilsack in a
June 1 press conference.
Chuck Connor, president
and CEO of the National
Council of Farmer Coop-
eratives, introduced Vil-
sack at the conference, say-
ing farmers co-ops and their
members have persevered
through a flood of evolving
challenges over the past two
years to make sure the food
system held.
“But one lesson that my
members learned is that
we cannot take the strength
of the supply chain for
granted. Change is needed
to strengthen it in the face of
whatever future challenges
we see as a nation,” he said.
“That is why today’s
announcement on USDA’s
efforts to ensure resiliency,
competitiveness and equity
is so important to the future
of American agriculture,” he
said.
National Farmers Union
said it has been working to
bring many of the issues
USDA is targeting into the
national spotlight, including
broadening market opportu-
nities, expanding processing
capabilities and addressing
supply chain vulnerabilities.
“Farmers Union mem-
bers have long known the
importance of a strong and
resilient food supply and
a fair agricultural econ-
omy,” said Rob Larew, NFU
president.
“Today’s announcement
by Secretary Vilsack about
how the USDA will work to
transform the food system
is a great step towards those
ends,” he said.
The National Sustain-
able Agriculture Coali-
tion commended USDA for
committing new funding to
strengthen critical parts of
the food system, promote
greater competition and fair-
ness, build resiliency and
generate greater economic
opportunity for small and
medium scale producers.
“For far too long we have
seen how inadequate com-
petition stifles growth and
innovation throughout the
agricultural supply chain
and makes the food sys-
tem susceptible to signif-
icant shocks such as pan-
demics and war,” said Eric
Deeble, the coalition’s pol-
icy director.
American
Farmland
Trust is particularly pleased
with USDA’s investment to
establish a network of food
business centers to sup-
port local and regional food
systems.
“We are pleased that
USDA has heeded the call
from 50 members of Con-
gress and more than 110
organizations to recognize
the important role that cus-
tomized business technical
assistance can play in the
viability of small and mid-
size farm and food busi-
nesses,” said John Piotti,
the trust’s president and
CEO.
Organic farming orga-
nizations are applauding
USDA’s investment to sup-
port producers’ transition to
organic production.
“This historic investment
in food production, which
increases options for Amer-
ican farmers to adopt prac-
tices that are both good for
their businesses and the cli-
mate, is a significant win
for our industry,” said Tom
Chapman, executive direc-
tor of the Organic Trade
Association.
Organic
Farming
Research Foundation said it
has advocated all the provi-
sions in the organic transi-
tion initiative.
“It is extremely encour-
aging to hear Secretary Vil-
sack recognize organic sys-
tems of production will be
a vital piece in our collec-
tive effort addressing the
climate crisis,” said Gor-
don Merrick, the founda-
tion’s policy and programs
manager.