Ag in the News

12/30/2009

National and International

Judge closes N.Y. state kosher poultry processor By Lisa M. Keefe on 12/30/2009 A judge for New York's Southern District Court Tuesday granted the Attorney General's request that New Square Meats/Adir Poultry be closed pending a hearing on the government's request for a permanent injunction, according to court filings. (See Feds move to enjoin uninspected N.Y. kosher poultry processor, on Meatingplace, Dec. 29, 2009.) MORE!

Taiwan to re-impose restrictions on U.S. beef imports By Rita Jane Gabbett on 12/30/2009 Just two months after a bilateral agreement that expanded the list of U.S. beef products Taiwan would accept as imports, Taiwan's political parties agreed to ban ground beef, offal and possibly bone-in beef from any country found to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the past 10 years. MORE!

E. coli illnesses expand to 16 states By Rita Jane Gabbett on 12/30/2009 As of Dec. 26, there were 19 cases of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in 16 states being investigating for a possible association with blade tenderized beef products recalled last week by Owasso, Okla.-based National Steak and Poultry, a Centers for Disease Control spokeswoman told Meatingplace. MORE!

JBS shareholders approve debenture sale By Lisa M. Keefe on 12/30/2009 Shareholders in Brazilian protein giant JBS S.A. on Tuesday approved the issuance of $2 billion convertible debentures, according to a notice on the company's Web site. MORE!

Taco Bell offers new items with less fat By Rita Jane Gabbett on 12/30/2009 Irvine, Calif.-based taco Bell announced a new Drive-Thru Diet® Menu, featuring seven Fresco-style menu offerings with nine grams or less of fat. MORE!