May 13, 2024

 

Australia, US cattle organisations sign statement of priorites for both nations' cattle producers

 

 

Cattle Australia (CA) on May 9 joined the United States National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) in signing a statement of priorities for Australian and US cattle producers during the Rural Press Club of Queensland breakfast at Beef2024 in Rockhampton, Australia.

 

CA chair Garry Edwards signed the statement alongside NCBA president Mark Eisele, uniting their voices in calling on the Australian and US governments to continue working together on key issues impacting cattle producers in both countries.

 

"America's cattle farmers and ranchers stand with Australia's cattle producers and look forward to being partners in combatting foreign animal diseases, promoting sustainability and ensuring proper oversight of lab-grown proteins," said Eisele. "Cattle producers provide significant benefits to the global population, from providing safe, wholesome real beef to implementing conservation practices that conserve millions of acres of prime wildlife habitat in the United States and Australia. This joint commitment will strengthen the partnership between American and Australian producers and support our efforts to educate the public on the benefits of raising cattle."

 

The joint statement outlines both countries' commitment to protecting cattle health and wellbeing with vaccine banks to counter the threat of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). It also addressed the emergence of lab-grown proteins. While there are no lab-grown proteins that imitate beef currently authorised for retail in the US, several companies are attempting to bring these products to market.

 

Additionally, the statement supports efforts to continue sharing information on cattle industry sustainability and promoting the benefits of cattle production such as improving wildlife habitat, natural water filtration and greenspace protection benefits.

 

"In signing the Joint Statement of Priorities, we are encouraging the Australian and US governments to join forces in combating devastating foreign animal diseases, promoting sustainable global trade that encourages efficient production practices, and ensuring science-based food safety and marketing regulations of emerging food technologies such as lab-grown proteins," Edwards said. "We greatly appreciate the commitment by both governments to address the growing transnational threat of foreign animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease (LSD).

 

"We are calling for the urgent and continued investment in critical infrastructure and preparedness activities in each of our countries to protect against and ultimately respond to outbreaks of foreign animal disease."

 

Both CA and NCBA are also calling on their respective governments to recognise the personal stake cattle producers have in protecting the environment.

 

Furthermore, the statement reiterates the importance of ensuring new technologies, such as lab-grown proteins, are properly vetted by regulatory authorities, to guard against potential risk to consumer and environmental health, or the compromise of consumer trust.

 

- Beef Central