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DJ Livestock Update: Little Progress In Tracking US BSE Cow
[March 20, 2006]

DJ Livestock Update: Little Progress In Tracking US BSE Cow


(Comtex Finance Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)WASHINGTON, Mar 20, 2006 (Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex) --TOP STORIES

Govt Officials: Little Progress In Traceback Of BSE Cow
U.S. federal and Alabama government officials said Friday they haven't been able to trace much of the history of a 10-year old cow confirmed positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease.

Ala Mad Cow Case Highlights Need For Livestock Tracking
WASHINGTON (AP)--Investigators may never figure out where the Alabama cow with mad cow disease was born and raised, in part because the U.S. lacks a livestock tracking system the Bush administration promised two years ago.

USDA Tracking Second Offspring From BSE Cow
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking for a second offspring from an Alabama cow that contracted mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

US: Export Of Banned Beef Parts To Japan Is Unique Case
TOKYO (AP)--The U.S. government has reaffirmed its view that the delivery to Japan of a beef shipment containing banned parts thought to be at risk for mad cow disease was a unique case, according to a document released by Japan's Agriculture Ministry on Monday.



Technicality Disqualifies Canada Beef Plant Japan Exports
WINNIPEG (Dow Jones)--An Alberta beef plant's Japanese export qualification has been temporarily suspended due to a technicality surrounding its inspection, an official with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday.

Kansas Responds To Worsening Drought Conditions
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)--Drought conditions that have contributed to a recent spate of large fires are worsening, according to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' drought-response team.


Japan Studying US Answers On Beef Shipments -Kyodo
TOKYO (AP)--The United States has sent an e-mail answering Japan's questions about a shipment of banned beef parts to Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported Sunday.

US Rice: Japan Beef Import Ban Excessive -Kyodo
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Saturday that Japan's re-imposition in January of an import ban on beef from U.S. cattle is an excessive reaction, Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese officials as saying.

Myanmar Kills Chickens, Quails To Counter Bird Flu
YANGON (AP)--Authorities in Myanmar have slaughtered more than 40,000 chickens and quail, and hospitals are bracing for the possibility of the country's first outbreak of bird flu in humans, state-run media reported Saturday.

World Water Forum In Mexico Focuses On Farming Concerns
MEXICO CITY (AP)--Experts searching for solutions to the world water crisis at an international summit here Saturday said much of the problem comes not from dams, lakes or rivers, but an unexpected place: the farm.

UPDATE: Israel Discovers Bird Flu In 6 Farming Towns
JERUSALEM (AP)--The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has apparently spread to two more locations in Israel, where hundreds of thousands of turkeys and chickens were culled over the weekend, the Agriculture Ministry said Monday.

Kazakhstan:Swan Died Of H5N1 Bird Flu In Mangistau Region
A swan found on the Caspian shore in the Mangistau region of Kazakhstan died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the health ministry announced Monday.

STORIES OF INTEREST:

USDA Likely To Test Offspring Calf Of BSE Cow For Disease
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Department of Agriculture will likely test a six-week-old calf for mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, because it is the offspring of a cow confirmed to have contracted the disease, a USDA spokesman said Friday. The calf was found on the same Alabama farm where the cow was discovered after brain samples were removed and then sent for testing, USDA Press Secretary Ed Loyd said.

Argentina, Russia To Discuss Trouble With Beef Export Ban
BUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones)--Argentine and Russian officials will discuss the heavy blow Argentina delivered to Russia's undersupplied meat market when the South American country halted beef exports last week, Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said Friday.

US Hog Slaughter Bucks Seasonal Trend, Tops 2.0 Mln Again
KANSAS CITY (Dow Jones)--U.S. hog slaughter bucked the normal seasonal trend for a second consecutive week by moving above 2.0 million head, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture posting a 2.009 million figure, up 3.8% from a year ago.

USDA Attache: Turkey Bird Flu Continues But At Slower Pace
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES-The avian influenza outbreak continues in Turkey, albeit at a reduced pace. To date AI has been confirmed in 151 locations in 28 provinces, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report dated March 15 and posted Friday on the Foreign Agricultural Services Web site.

US Envoy: Long Japan Beef Ban May Start Trade War-Nikkei
TOKYO (Nikkei)--U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer Friday called on Japan to resume imports of his country's beef as early as possible, warning that a prolonged import ban "could set off a trade war," The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its Saturday morning edition.

THE MARKETS:

CME Pork Review: Hogs Higher On Stops, Short Covering
CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed higher Friday on short covering, buy stops and pre-weekend positioning. April and June's oversold chart indicators and speculation surrounding cash prices for next week contributed to late-day gains that followed a sloppy day of trading. Pork belly futures settled lower on March liquidation, fund selling and softer cash speculation amid ramped-up hog slaughters. Declines pressed March and May to four-week lows for a second day in a row and to areas of key technical support where willing buyers were waiting.

CME Cattle Review: Mixed Despite Steady Cash; New June Low
CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and cattle futures closed mixed despite cash live cattle trade at prices higher than many analysts and floor traders had anticipated. Front-month April live cattle settled 40 points lower at 83.02 cents a pound. June was 67 lower at 78.55 cents. March feeders lost 32 to 104.47 cents.

-By Curt Thacker; Dow Jones Newswires; 913-322-5178;

[email protected]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-20-06 0732ET

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