Weekly livestock news: June 28, 2021

Colorado Supreme Court rejects animal cruelty ballot measure strongly opposed by farmers

The Colorado Supreme Court rejected a ballot measure that was largely opposed by the state’s farm industry, ruling the initiative violated a clause in the state constitution that says ballot measures can’t cover unrelated topics. Initiative 16, which was planned to go on the 2022 ballot, would have made artificial insemination illegal, and it would have required that ranch animals get to live 25% of their lifespan before going to slaughter. Farmers and ranchers have said the measure, which sought to expand the definition of “sexual act with an animal,” would define common agricultural practices for assisting reproduction or checking an animal’s reproductive organs as “sex acts,” The Colorado Sun reports.

‘In 85 years, it has not been this bad,’ rancher says as West faces historic drought

As the western United States deals with historic drought, one farmer says he’s sold or moved about 80% of his cattle, CNN reports. “Hay is now getting so expensive because everyone is in the same boat,” said T.J. Atkin, who operates two properties in Utah and Arizona. “Everyone else I’ve talked to says in 85 years, it has not been this bad,” Atkin said. “We have 85 years’ worth of our own drought data that says we’ve never done this…not to this extent.” Eighty-eight percent of the West—including the entirety of California, Oregon, Utah and Nevada—are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Atkin said drought has affected his operations for nearly two and a half years, with no significant monsoon during that time.

The meatpacking industry faces stricter oversight in Washington amid pending rules

The American meatpacking industry faces stricter federal oversight as lawmakers and regulators push an overhaul of the $213 billion sector following complaints about meat companies’ alleged influence over markets and farmers, The Wall Street Journal reports. USDA is crafting new rules that would change how companies like Tyson Foods and Pilgrim’s Pride pay chicken farmers, while making it easier for farmers to pursue disputes against meatpackers. Lawmakers have proposed legislation that would require beef processors like Cargill and JBS USA to buy more cattle on open markets. Senators also rolled out a separate bill that would appoint a special investigator to enforce meatpacking regulations and probe potential anticompetitive conduct. The North American Meat Institute is pushing back against tighter regulations.

China reports its hog herd has almost recovered from African swine fever

China’s hog population has almost fully recovered from the recent resurgence in African swine fever, according to the country’s agriculture ministry. Herd sizes are close to normal for this time of year, Xin Guochang, an official at the ministry’s animal husbandry bureau, said in an interview on state television. Meanwhile, around 3.5 million low-productivity breeding sows were culled in the first five months of the year, he said, which should lead to an improvement in herd fertility. Bloomberg reported.

Smithfield union votes to accept new worker contract in South Dakota

The union representing workers at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, announced workers have voted to accept a new contract with the company, the Argus Leader reports. The new contract includes a base rate of $18.75 an hour, up from $17, and a $520 bonus. Employees will also get the option to take leaves of absence of between one and three weeks. The new contract also retains a 15-minutes break for employees working eight-hour shifts that the company wanted to eliminate. The union had voted June 3 to authorize a strike after the union president said Smithfield wanted workers to pay more for health care and refused to increase salaries to rates that are comparable with other meatpacking plants in the region.

Argentina plans to limit exports of some beef cuts until the end of the year

Argentina’s government said it will limit exports of some beef cuts until the end of the year as part of its effort to control domestic food price inflation, Reuters reports. This comes after Argentina, the world’s fifth-largest beef exporter and a key supplier to China, halted exports for a month in mid-May. “Exports are being re-established, but only up to 50% of last year’s average exports,” Argentine Minister of Productive Development Matias Kulfas said. The country’s farm sector is against the government intervening in the meat and grains export market.