Secretary Bones Makes Statement of Lean Finely Textured Beef
SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: March 30, 2012
Media Contact: Alison Kiesz, 605-626-3272
Secretary Bones Makes Statement on Lean Finely Textured Beef
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Walt Bones stated his support today for the U.S. beef industry and lean finely textured beef.
Following sensational media reports, South Dakota-based Beef Products, Inc. (BPI) was forced to suspend operations at plants in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kansas; and Waterloo, Iowa.
Secretary Bones released the following statement:
“Too often, we get caught up in a campaign or movement to ban products that we don’t fully understand. Last week, I wrote an opinion column about someone’s jestful campaign to ban dihydrogen monoxide, which is water. This week, the movement to outlaw lean finely textured beef or a 100 percent beef product is all too real.
“I encourage everyone to research this product, and they’ll learn that it’s a safe and nutritious beef product backed by sound science. BPI has never had a foodborne illness associated with its lean beef in over 30 years.
“If this product is taken out of the market, consumers will end up paying higher prices for ground beef at the grocery store because ranchers will need to raise 1.5 million more head of cattle to replace the safe beef that is no longer consumed.”
Already, more than 650 workers in Kansas, Texas and Iowa have been temporarily laid off. According to the National Meat Association, as many as 3,000 American jobs will be affected when suppliers are also factored in.
Agriculture is South Dakota's No. 1 industry, generating nearly $21 billion in annual economic activity and employing more than 80,000 South Dakotans. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect, preserve and improve this industry for today and tomorrow. Visit us online at http://sdda.sd.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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