Daily News Update, Dec. 7, 2007

TSCRA delegate tours Europe to promote American beef

TSCRA Marketing Committee member Missy Bonds has begun a tour of Europe with a special delegation hosted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation to promote American beef. The group will speak to representatives of the industry about the age and source verification requirements of beef imports to the European Union.

Bonds, of Bonds Ranch, Saginaw, Texas, is one of two producers participating in the trip, which will include visits to the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Holland, and will conclude on Dec. 12 in Switzerland.

She arrived in London on Dec. 2 and had a whirlwind tour of the city. Following is Bonds' account of the group's beef promotion activities, which began the next day:

"On the third, the five of us (the team from USMEF and myself) visited a ranch that was about an hour outside of London. It was amazing to see this operation. All of the cows, some with the calves by their side, had to live inside a barn until April.

"I always thought this was because it was so cold, but it is mainly due to government regulations that require them to keep their ranch looking nice and cutting down on ground destruction due to the wet weather.

"We also had lunch and a presentation from the EBLEX, the English version of USMEF. EBLEX representative Nick Allen explained his duties exporting beef from England, as well as current import situations.

"The next day we visited a packing plant. It was very small in comparison to the U.S. One interesting thing was that they not only slaughter steers, young bull calves and heifers, but also cows, old bulls and sheep.

"That afternoon we spoke with Towers Thompson, an importer of beef. He is not currently importing U.S. beef, but is very open to the idea. He claimed that by the year 2020, England will have a 700,000-pound shortage of beef. The U.S. has a great opportunity to fill some of that shortage.

"We then flew to Italy and visited Inalca, which is a slaughterhouse. They slaughter 1,200 head of cattle a day. It was a very innovative plant. They also have a processing facility where they vacuum seal meat for Burger King and McDonald’s. We also visited their farm, which is similar to our feedlots, except they are all under a barn. This farm held approximately 3,000 head.

"Today we visited Assocarni, an association that represents the packing industry. They mentioned that Italy had a 5 percent drop in production of beef and demand increased. They are currently importing 50 percent of the beef that is consumed in the country, either as boxed beef or live animals."