AGRICULTURE REPORT - U.S. Cattle Industry Update

AGRICULTURE REPORT - U.S. Cattle Industry Update
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, February 24, 2004

This is Bob Doughty¹ with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

United States agriculture officials have ended their investigation² into the case of mad cow disease found in Washington State in December.

The Department of Agriculture reported this month on steps taken to prevent the spread of bovine³ spongiform encephalopathy, BSE. These include new restrictions⁴ on how cattle can be killed.

New rules also ban the use of what are called "downer" cows for human food. Such animals are too sick or injured to walk. However, the infected cow was reported not to have been a downer.

The cow was born in Canada. It was imported into the United States with eighty other cattle. Investigators⁵ found twenty-eight of those other cows. In all, officials identified two-hundred-fifty-five of what they called "animals of interest" in the case All were killed. Officials say tests found no additional cases of BSE.

Foreign bans on American beef continue. Major importers like Japan and Mexico say it is too soon to end their bans. They say American officials must do more to test cattle.

International experts appointed by the Agriculture Department urged American farmers to no longer feed any animal protein to their cows. Some protein can spread the disease. The experts also said the United States had probably imported other infected cows.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association criticized the report. It said the report does not fully⁶ recognize steps taken by the United States and Canada to reduce the risk of BSE.

Last week, there was an unrelated development affecting the beef industry. A federal jury found that America's largest meat processor restricted competition. The jury found that Tyson Fresh Meats unfairly controlled the price of live cattle and forced prices down.

The jury said Tyson should pay a group of independent cattle producers more than one-thousand-million dollars. The case in Alabama, called a class action, represents the interests of as many as thirty-thousand producers.

The action said Tyson made agreements with producers to create a supply of cattle. Tyson could then buy cows from this supply at a set price when market prices were high.

Tyson is appealing the decision. The company buys about one-third of the beef cattle in the United States. But it says it does not buy enough to set market prices.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Bob Doughty.

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 bovine   

adj.牛的；n.牛

参考例句：

• He threw off his pack and went into the rush-grass andand munching,like some bovine creature.他丢开包袱，爬到灯心草丛里，像牛似的大咬大嚼起来。
• He was a gentle,rather bovine man.他是一位文雅而反应迟钝的人。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。