Bovine Tuberculosis & Reciprocal Pear Access

Bovine Tuberculosis & Reciprocal Pear Access


Bovine Tuberculosis & Reciprocal Pear Access

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

A possible case of bovine tuberculosis in a dairy cow is being investigated by the Washington State Department of Agriculture following test results provided to the agency last Wednesday. Ag Information Network’s Greg Martin has this to report.

MARTIN: The cow had been sent to a Cowlitz County facility for slaughter, but the meat was held after a food safety inspector identified a problem and submitted samples for testing. State health official say there’s no immediate human health concern connected to the suspected bovine TB case, and that the meat from the infected cow was isolated until the test results came back. It will not enter food channels and has been destroyed.

WSDA Director Dan Newhouse stated that WSDA inspectors will work closely with federal, state and agricultural partners to trace this to its source and determine whether any other cows were infected.

After years of negotiations, a final APHIS rule allowing the importation of sand pears from China, if they have been harvested and packaged with safeguards to prevent infestation of pests, went into effect January 18. The finalization of this rule also enables APHIS and regulatory counterparts from China’s General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to sign work plans authorizing the export of U.S. pears from Washington, Oregon, and California to China. It’s anticipated that with the AQSIQ issuance of import permits, initial exports of U.S. Pears to China could total roughly $2 million during the initial shipping season.

 

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network. 

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