John Edwards Response to Humane USA presidential questionnaire
As president, would you take any of the following executive actions?
The losses, likely to accrue to the 12 countries facing export
bans or market constrains as a result of disease concerns, do not include the
costs of disease control measures, losses to producers and consumers through
destabilized markets and fluctuating prices, and the general costs to the
industry, the Rome-based agency said.
The impact of the current bird flu epidemic in Asia on small
poultry producers may be considerable, with over 100 million birds estimated to
have died or been culled over the past two months. In particular, producers in
export-dependent countries like Thailand, which has culled some 36 million birds
or 25 per cent of its domestic flocks, will increasingly lose income as local
prices drop sharply.
In the case of BSE, countries around the world have banned beef
imports from the United States and Canada, which account for more than a quarter
of global beef exports (around 1.6 million tons, valued at approximately $4
billion). US beef exports, after reaching 1.2 million tons in 2003, are expected
to drop to 100,000 tons in 2004 if bans remain in place for the entire year, the
US Department of Agriculture estimates.
Both Canada and the US, accounting for 4 million tons or 50 per
cent of world exports of poultry meat, as well as nine Asian countries, have
documented bird flu outbreaks. While these have not been reported in commercial
flocks in North America, a prolonged ban on exports, which constitute 15 percent
of US production, will put downward pressure on all of the country's meat
prices.
As a result of poultry and beef import bans, FAO expects demand
for substitutes such as pork to increase significantly. This is already visible
in Japan where shortages of beef and chicken have led to a 40 per cent surge in
pigmeat prices in February. Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=9940&Cr=bird&Cr1=flu