PEDv No Threat & Getting Aggressive with Sea Lions

PEDv No Threat & Getting Aggressive with Sea Lions plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus or PEDv is having a big impact on the U.S. pork industry. So far, no major importers of U.S. pork have imposed new trade restrictions related to PEDv. Paul Clayton, U.S. Meat Export Federation senior vice president for export services explains, PEDv poses no threat to food safety and is not a reportable disease under World Organization for Animal Health guidelines.

CLAYTON: Well certainly the PEDv virus has been something that has been very tragic for U.S. swine producers. It is a disease that mainly effects very young pigs. It is not a food safety concern. Through our food safety control mechanism in the United States both commercially and with the Food Safety Inspection Service of USDA, it would nbot be transferred through the meat at all.

Sea lions like salmon. A lot. Now the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners in Oregon want to take a more aggressive approach to managing problem sea lions on the Willamette River and they are asking legislators to help. They recently voted on a resolution asking for a "long-term strategy" to reduce sea lion predation on salmon, sturgeon and lamprey in the river. Washington Congressman Doc Hastings has been working on the issue from the other side of the border at the Bonneville Dam where some 50 sea lions did not respond to the non-lethal hazing have been killed or relocated.

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

March is National Nutrition Month and the focus is "Enjoy the taste of eating right". So is it really possible for today's busy families to eat fast, thrifty and healthy? According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics the answer is yes. Study after study has proven that people will choose taste over healthy more than 90% of the time, which a lot of the time means more sugars and more fat. But like the experts will tell you eating healthy doesn't have to taste blasé. Eating healthy is actually becoming the "new norm" with healthier versions of not so healthy foods being seen more often than not in the grocery stores and at restaurants. And don't forget you can spice up your life by experimenting with different types of seasonings and herbs, which by the way have added health benefits all on their own. If you have an insatiable sweet tooth, fresh fruit is one of nature's sweetest gifts, and fresh fruit with a dollop of creamy yogurt is deliciously satisfying. It's no longer a factor of having to look hard to find great tasting healthy foods. Excuses for why we may not be eating healthy are getting harder and harder to come up with.

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