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The genome project will receive an additional $300,000 in
national beef checkoff dollars from the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association and the Cattlemen's Beef Board.
After the initial contribution, TBC, NCBA and CBB may elect to
match their contributions each year through 2006. If full funding is
approved, the beef checkoff could contribute as much as $1.2 million
to the bovine genome research.
"The bovine genome sequencing project will certainly have
significant impact on the global beef industry," said Richard
Wortham of Austin, TBC executive vice president. "We expect this
landmark research to provide better understanding of how bovine traits
determine beef quality. These traits include growth, efficiency,
marbling, disease resistance, drouth tolerance, milk production and
much more."
The international sequencing collaboration involves
governments, universities and private industry. The U.S. National
Institutes of Health has committed $25 million to the project. Other
contributors include USDA, at $11 million; the state of Texas, up to
$10 million; Genome Canada, $5 million; the Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organization of Australia, $1 million; and
Agritech Investments Ltd., Dairy Insight Inc. and AgResearch Ltd. of
New Zealand, $1 million.
The NIH investment seeks to better understand human genetics
through sequencing of the bovine genome. Bovine and human genomes
overlap to a high degree. The study of comparative genomics makes it
possible to interpret bovine research findings in order to improve the
understanding of human diseases.
Critical bovine genome sequencing activities will be conducted
in Texas at the Baylor College of Medicine and at Texas A&M
University
*****
USDA announced last week that Poland has become the first
country to lift the ban it imposed on the importation of certain U.S.
beef products following the discovery of a case of BSE in Washington
state.
Effective immediately, Poland will allow imports of edible
beef, beef products and tripe under permits issued by USDA's Chief
Veterinary Officer, with additional certification statements,
according to a statement from USDA's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Services.
Any beef, beef product, and tripe shipments with current export
certificates issued through Jan. 16 will be allowed entry into Poland
upon arrival. Imports of inedible beef products, such as pet food, are
"not believed to be prohibited," USDA said, but exporters
should have their importers confirm this prior to shipment.
Additional information is available on the FSIS website at at www.fsis.usda.gov. |
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