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Farm Bureau calls for mandatory E.coli testing




Associated Press - January 26, 2008 9:15 AM ET

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The Nebraska Farm Bureau is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to require that all ground beef and beef trimmings imported into the U.S. be tested for a potentially deadly strain of E. coli bacteria.

The testing would be for E. coli 0157:H7. That strain is the same kind found in a series of recent illnesses and massive recalls of contaminated meat.

Trim or scrap cuts of beef from Australia, New Zealand, Chile and other countries that make up a large portion of ground beef products sold in the Unite States currently do not have a mandatory testing requirement for E. coli.

Farm Bureau President Keith Olsen says beef trim imports ought to be treated the same as domestic products. He says that without equality in the testing requirement, foreign beef-producing countries would have a competitive advantage, and could put the public's health at risk.


Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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