Preventing Outbreak & Trucking Issue Resolved

Preventing Outbreak & Trucking Issue Resolved plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Yesterday I mentioned getting attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes and little did I know that the warmer temperatures here in the northwest have caused a veritable outbreak of new pests. The recent cool temperatures were keeping the eggs in check but now the warmth is causing a fresh hatching. Besides the annoying itch a bite brings there is also the chance for exposure to West Nile virus. Officials say the best way to deal with the hatch is prevention. Remove standing water from the yard. Mosquitoes can breed in rain barrels and planter dishes.

The Mexican trucking dispute that has plagued the ag industry for over 2 years and resulted in a 27% decline in exports appears to over. President Obama and President Calderon announced a path forward in March to resolve the dispute, and yesterday the U.S. Department of Transportation—after months of hard work with Mexican counterparts—closed a deal that will provide tariff relief for numerous U.S. agricultural products and manufactured goods.

OBAMA: After nearly 20 years we finally have found a clear path to resolving the dispute over trucking between our two countries.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

“Better late than never” is a proverbial cliche that shouldn’t apply when it comes to initiating food recalls. In the most recent federal audit of the US Food and Drug Administration’s overall implementation of food recall procedures the FDA failed on several fronts, even failing to follow its own regulation procedures when it came to procuring proper documentation of contaminated products disposal. The FDA’s response to the audit was to agree that the agency needed to reevaluate the chain of traceability within its own circle; while at the same time offering the same old excuse of being overworked and understaffed. While the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was passed into law this past January, is meant to give the FDA more authority when it comes to issuing recalls, overseeing imports, especially when it comes to preventing food entry into the US if the foreign facility refuses US inspection, and conducting more frequent inspections here at home, it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if the law doesn’t receive funding. Without proper funding the new Food Safety Law is virtually nothing more than good intentions.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.