08/14/06 Ending Federal Restrictions

Ending federal restrictions. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. A broad coalition of farm groups is backing legislative efforts to end federal restrictions on interstate sales of state-inspected domestic meat and poultry. One of those groups is the National Pork Producers Council. Joy Phillipi is president of the organization. PHILLIPI: This legislation should make it easier for the smaller businesses to move meat in a way that is inspected but also one that will keep it in a much similar circumstance so they won't have to wait on some of the other things to take place when you have the federal inspection issues to deal with. Phillipi says NPPC has not endorsed either a House or Senate companion bill, but supports the concept, including leveling the playing field with foreign producers who face no restrictions in interstate trade. PHILLIPI: I think that is one of the things we're going to have to look at very closely and hopefully be able to work with some of the folks in the packer/processor level that could give us some advice on that so we'd know we're taking some right steps. Phillipi says the push, started several years ago, could help many small producers in the Midwest - some who sell on the internet - boost their profits. PHILLIPI: I think we have seen that type of processor expand over the last few years in our industry. I know out here in Nebraska we've had several producers that have gotten involved in such efforts that have been able to add some dollars to their bottom line. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. The irony of technology is that in the right hands it is a gift, in the wrong it can destroy. A cell phone at the scene of an accident can be lifesaving , a cell phone in the hands of a distracted driver can kill The same is true of medicine. New DNA research and gene modification has irradiated many diseases, yet as evidenced by the work of Eckard Wimmer the first person to actually create a live artificial virus, terrorists now have the capability to manufacture deadly virus's, and even more frightening they can make them from scratch. Eckard Wimmer says he produced his "faux virus" in 2002 as a warning, he wanted the world to wake up to the fact that genetically altered germ weapons can be manufactured. Yet others label his work a "dangerous stunt". Like a horror movie Wimmer has given al-Qaida new ideas for germ warfare filling their heads with novel ways to murder by manipulating hormones, resurrecting influenzas or creating new deadly strains of diseases. We must hope bio-terrorism experts can remain diligently one step ahead. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.