From: Heath Lusty [mailto:rhlusty@ag.tamu.edu] 
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 8:01 AM
To: Heath Lusty
Subject: CBS Evening News to Report on Antibiotics 

CBS Evening News to Report on Antibiotics  

CBS Evening News featuring Katie Couric, has scheduled a two-part report on
antimicrobial use in food-animal production. Baring major breaking news that
would delay the reports, the series is scheduled for evening news broadcasts
on Feb. 3 & 4. (The newscast begins at 5:30 p.m. CST.)

The reports are expected to feature CBS news anchor, Kathy Couric, and will
look at both meat and poultry production. A CBS production crew has filmed
organic and conventional pork production systems, as well as a Pennsylvania
organic turkey grower among other entities. The National Pork Board provided
Liz Wagstrom, DVM, to speak on behalf of the pork industry.

CBS interviewed Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), who has a bill pending in the U.S. House to control antimicrobial use in food-animal production. Also in the mix is likely to be Ellen Silbergreld, of John Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Center for a Livable Future. Silbergeld has been a vocal opponent of modern poultry and livestock production practices. She authored the antibiotics chapter of the 2008 PEW Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production report that was highly critical of U.S. food-animal production.  

"Feedback from the pork producers interviewed suggest the segments will be highly critical of livestock and poultry production," says Dave Warner, National Pork Producers Council.

NPB has been working with CBS to provide insight and information on antimicrobial use and modern pork production, notes Cindy Cunningham, NPB's vice president of media relations. "We know that the topic of antibiotics will continue to be a significant issue and we want to be sure there's good, accurate information out there."

In that vein, NPB will be updating its Facts about Pork  resource 
www.factsaboutpork.com for consumers and producers with new antibiotic information. Also, producers can find helpful guidance at NPB's Web site www.pork.org.  
The two CBS reports follow last week's ABC Nightline report that looked at
animal handling and other practices within the dairy industry and a Dec. 29, Associated Press article on antimicrobial use in pork production. "This is not a coincidence," notes one ag industry observer. "This activity is likely a push for Congress to implement more controls over antimicrobial use."

Heath Lusty
Jack County Extension Agent
Agriculture & Natural Resources
940-567-2132 office
817-584-6628 cell