Farmed
Animal Watch
A Project of Animal Place
January 3, 2002
(To Search This Page Press Ctrl F)
Issue #48
CONTENTS
1. EPA Accepting CAFO Comments until Jan. 15th
2. Meat Industry Reliant on Immigrant Labor
3. Canadian Agriculture Industries Advised on Animal Care
4. State of the Industries
5. Corporate Farming Decried by Ag Community
1. EPA ACCEPTING CAFO COMMENTS UNTIL JAN. 15TH
The EPA is proposing major changes to federal rules for Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operations (CAFOs), commonly known as "factory farms." The
agency
seeks to improve water quality by defining which operations are to be
classified as CAFOs and establishing environmental performance standards for
them. The initial comment period ended in July. In December, the EPA
published a notice of the information it had received and how the data may
be used in developing final regulations. The agency is accepting comments
until January 15th on 19 specific points. Among them is the definition of
"proper agricultural practices," and population sizes for horse and
"dry
lot" duck operations to be classified as CAFOs. Whether a cow and calf pair
should count as a single animal in the beef sector is another point up for
comment. The notice contains a great deal of informative data on these
animals. It can be accessed at:
http://www.epa.gov/npdes/regulations/noda_fr.txt
Penn State Extension has
put out a guide on the notice with tips on submitting comments at:
http://agenvpolicy.aers.psu.edu/CAFO/noda.htm
REGARDING DUCKS, British Columbia residents are complaining about stench
from a nearby intensive duck operation. Ten thousand ducks are being kept in
a 10,000 sq. ft. barn. The birds live on a wire floor with their wet waste
dropping through to a concrete pit where it remains for about 6 months. A
single duck produces about 1.3 pounds of waste daily, adding up to 480
pounds a year. Neighbors claim they are getting sick from the smell which is
like "sticking your head in a cesspool." The birds are confined
without
fresh air or water to bathe in for the 6-7 weeks until they are killed.
"Duck Farm Turns up Neighbours' Noses," The Vancouver Sun (AnimalNet),
Nicholas Read, December 20, 2001.
http://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/safefood/archives/animalnet-archives.htm
http://www.vivausa.org/Campaigns/Ducks/ducks.htm
2. MEAT INDUSTRY RELIANT ON IMMIGRANT LABOR
The recent indictment of Tysons Foods Inc. for conspiracy to smuggle illegal
aliens (see issue #46) has produced a spate of articles examining the meat
industry's reliance on immigrant labor. Agricultural experts say a major
crackdown on illegal workers could disrupt the nation's food supply. Food
companies are accused of intentionally hiring illegal workers and immigrant
smugglers, and advertising for them in their native countries. An estimated
40% of the 1 million U.S. farm laborers are illegal. Meatpacking and poultry
processing plants are particularly suspect. They employ about 400,000
production workers, increasingly from Mexico, Central America and Asia.
Until 15 or 20 years ago, packing plants were staffed by unionized employees
who earned about $18 an hour by today's standards. Now they are staffed by
nonunionized workers who earn about $6 an hour. Companies profit from paying
lower wages and pushing production line speeds with exploitable workers who
are more willing to accept the hazardous conditions. Speed and repetition
has resulted in an epidemic of injuries. Annually, 1 in 4 of these workers
is injured seriously enough to seek medical attention.
Tyson Foods was cited 5 times in the 1990's for employing illegal
immigrants. It is currently on a 4-year probation for bribing a former
Secretary of Agriculture. If the court finds the company in violation of any
laws or of the terms of the agreement, the USDA could remove its
inspectors
from Tyson plants, essentially shut the company down. Tyson is the nation's
largest meat processor with 120,000 employees and annual revenue of $10.5
billion. Last month, a small meatpacker in Omaha was indicted on similar
charges. The big meatpacking companies recently said they will try to not
hire illegal workers. They claim, however, that it is difficult to identify
them. Despite the sizzling economy's labor demands, the number of INS
investigations into businesses hiring illegal workers declined from over
7,500 in 1998 to under 2,000 last year.
"Meatpackers' Profits Hinge on Pool of Immigrant Labor," The New York
Times,
David Barboza, December 21, 2001.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/21/national/21MEAT.html
"INS Pursues Industry Illegals," Lean Trimmings, Jeremy Russell,
December
21, 2001.
http://www.nmaonline.org/files/lt12.21.01.htm
"Tyson Case Illustrates New Focus of INS Crackdown," Los Angeles
Times,
December 24, 2001.
http://webpublisher.lexisnexis.com/index.asp?layout=story&gid=1130000913&cid
=480004048&did=44RN-PX50-009V-011W-00000-00&b=s
"Hiring of illegals props poultry 'culture,'" The Atlanta
Constitution,
December 23, 2001.
http://webpublisher.lexisnexis.com/index.asp?layout=story&gid=1130000913&cid
=480004048&did=44RF-KW20-0026-G4B3-00000-00&b=s
3. CANADIAN AGRICULTURE INDUSTRIES ADVISED ON ANIMAL CARE
Canada's animal agriculture industries need to be proactive with evolving
public opinion on how farmed animals should be treated. So advises Dr. David
Fraser, the Animal Welfare Chair at the University of British Columbia, and
Dr. Harold Gonyou, a prominent animal care researcher. Dr. Fraser notes
issues of particular concern over the last 50 years, contending that there
has been more change in the past 3 years than in the previous 40. He points
to 2 major changes: a shift away from extensive care codes to more specific,
auditable measures; and the phasing out of particularly controversial
practices. Dr. Gonyou commended the Alberta pig industry for establishing
animal care committees and other groups to establish standards and monitor
compliance. He urges decisive action in preventing animal stress and
reducing suffering, such as the prompt euthanasia of irreversibly ill or
injured animals. (Industry will soon be publishing a manual to help identify
animals unsuitable for transport and requiring euthanasia.) Both Fraser and
Gonyou advise that industry needs to invest in animal welfare research.
"Animal Agriculture Encouraged to Examine Public Opinion," Episode
849,
Farmscape Online, Bruce Cochran, December 20, 2001.
http://www.farmscape.ca
"Producers urged to drive animal care change," Alberta Pork, December,
2001.
http://www.thepigsite.com/LatestNews/Default.asp?AREA=LatestNews&Display=2783
4. STATE OF THE INDUSTRIES
CATTLE: The total U.S. cattle herd (meat and dairy) may be the smallest
since 1965, according to the Livestock Marketing Information Center. A
record amount of beef was imported into the U.S. this year, displacing 19%
of the U.S. domestic market. In Colorado, for example, slaughtered Canadian
cattle increased 400%. Japan is the largest importer of U.S. beef, but sales
dropped dramatically after mad cow disease was discovered there. Cattle
slaughterplants here have recently experienced temporary work stoppages or
slowdowns due to slow sales. However, pig meat exports to Japan rose
significantly.
PIGS: The USDA's latest pig industry report shows great diversity among
operations. Some 81,130 operations report having at least 1 pig. About half
of these have 1-99 pigs. Though 57% of all operations fit this description,
they house only 1% of the total U.S. pig herd. At the other end are 2,204
operations with more than 5,000 pigs each. While only 2.7% of operations fit
this description, they have over 50% of the nation's pig herd. These numbers
cast doubt on the ability of the commodity checkoff program to fairly seek
policy for such vastly differing operations. (Incidentally, over 5 million
live pigs were imported to the U.S. from Canada in 2001. Yet about 80% of
U.S. pig meat exports go to Canada.)
POULTRY: According to the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council, 2001 saw a
substantial rise in poultry meat exports. In the first 10 months of the
year, exports of chicken meat reached 2.3 million metric tons worth $1.6
billion. This was an increase over the previous year in volume and value by
14% and 21%, respectively. Turkey exports rose 13% in volume and 17% in
value, totaling 182,267 tons worth $206 million. Russia is one of the
largest importers of U.S. poultry meat. The Russian poultry industry has
recently complained that it is being "jeopardized by unregulated imports at
dumping prices," and has asked the government to protect it from
"indiscriminate competition with foreign producers."
"U.S. Cattle Herd Numbers Reach All-Time Low in 2001, Expert Says,"
Knight
Ridder/Tribune Business News (Dairy Action, In the News), December 30, 2001.
http://www.dairyaction.com
"IBP Plants Stop Slaughtering for a Day," Meat News, December 20,
2001.
http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Article&artNum=2355
"Positive Pork Export Picture," Meat News, January 2, 2001.
http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Article&artNum=2384
"Latest Pork Industry Profile," AgWeb News, Bob Coffman, December 28,
2001.
http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp?articleID=82672&newscat=GN
"The Year in Review," Meat News, December 31, 2001.
http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Article&artNum=2388
5. CORPORATE FARMING DECRIED BY AG COMMUNITY
Farmers, ranchers and community leaders from 5 Midwestern states denounced
corporate farming at the 4th annual National Town Hall Meeting on
Competitiveness and Fairness in Agricultural Markets. "Corporate America's
profit from farming far outweighs what the farmers and ranchers are
receiving," stated a Nebraska state senator. Another participant questioned
the claimed efficiency which corporate farms use to justify their size and
tactics, asking if instead it is a matter of market power. Large-scale
agricultural operations were accused of imposing on society by causing
environmental damage and a loss of community. Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri,
Minnesota and South Dakota were represented at the meeting.
The recent public disclosure of farming subsidy information (see issue #39)
has caused embarrassment and jealousy among the rural community. In the few
weeks the information has been online, it's received 14 million hits. Small
farmers are being driven out by flat grain prices kept artificially low in
part by government subsidies that encourage overproduction. A farm radio
broadcaster explains "rich farmers can afford to buy up the small ones like
cannibals, all subsidized by the government." Farmers say huge grain
companies buy cheap corn subsidized by the taxpayer and sell the processed
product at a profit. The database lists 1,290 recipients of more than $1
million over a 5 year period. Nationally, farm subsidies total about $20
billion a year. Congress will soon be debating farm policy again.
"Ag experts decry corporate farming," The Associated Press, December
24,
2001.
http://www.journalstar.com/nebraska?story_id=5127&past=
"Farmers Abashed, or Irate, Over Subsidy List," The New York Times,
Elizabeth Becker, December 27, 2001.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/27/national/27FARM.html?todaysheadlines
"Invasion of Privacy," Farm Journal Magazine, Sonja Hillgren, December
26,
2001.
http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp?articleID=82614&newscat=GN