Latest news with #Lempert
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top Grocery Items Hit by Tariffs
Some grocery items are hit more than others by tariff wars. NPR published a list of the top 10 grocery items that are affected by tariffs. Phil Lempert, an industry analyst, told NPR that "probably almost half of the products in a supermarket — about 40,000 products — will be affected by these tariffs, whether it's the entire product or just an ingredient." However, the publication singled out some food and drink items that are particularly affected because a lot of them are imported from other countries. For example, NPR cited seafood. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "To meet rising consumer demand, the United States increasingly relies on global suppliers to supplement domestic production. About 80 percent of estimated U.S. consumption of seafood comes from abroad—primarily from Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam." A lot of the coffee in the United States also comes from other countries. "The United States is the world's second leading importer of coffee (both Arabica and Robusta varieties). In 2023, about 80 percent of U.S. unroasted coffee imports came from Latin America (valued at $4.8 billion), principally from Brazil (35 percent) and Colombia (27 percent)," the Department of Agriculture wrote. NPR also noted that fruit such as bananas, papayas, and melons comes from South American countries. It's not only food items. Alcohol will be affected also, with a large portion of beer and wine being produced elsewhere, according to NPR. Lempert told NPR that he believes imported alcohol items will "be clobbered" by tariffs. Rice, cheese, and nuts were also among the items cited by NPR.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
2.3M birds culled in Pa. this year as flu spreads in commercial, backyard flocks
Mar. 6—Ken Pounds has a coop full of turkeys, and with justifiable concerns about bird flu, that's all he wants in there. No flies if he can help it. Definitely no people who don't need to be there. And certainly no other birds. "The biggest thing you can do is have a good biosecurity program that restricts any entry of animals or people who could track bird flu onto your farm," said Pounds, a partner at Pounds Turkey Farm in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, is Pounds' primary concern. It spreads in much the same way as the human flu — contact with an infected animal that is shedding the virus through bodily secretions. It has resulted in the culling of millions of birds in Pennsylvania alone and isn't all that far away — a backyard flock in Butler County had more than 600 of its birds test positive Feb. 20, and state game commission officials last week confirmed the bird flu's presence after testing a group of dead crows reported in Pittsburgh in late January. As of late February, seven commercial flocks and nine backyard flocks in Pennsylvania have tested positive for avian flu, resulting in the loss or culling of more than 2.3 million birds. Nationwide, nearly 23 million birds have been culled or have died in the past 30 days, according to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture officials. Since the start of the H5N1 virus strain outbreak in 2022, more than 154 million birds have died or been culled as a result. Had the Butler flock been a commercial operation, the state Department of Agriculture would have established a 3-kilometer perimeter around it where any other commercial operation would be required to do additional testing and be temporarily restricted from moving poultry. Pounds said his birds are kept in an open-air coop. "They're not out ranging where they're more susceptible," he said. "The first thing is to be careful of wild birds like ducks and geese." Unlike chickens — which will either die from avian flu infection or require culling — certain waterfowl can carry the virus without getting very sick, according to Hope Kassube, poultry educator with the Penn State Extension. "They shed the virus as they travel," Kassube said. "Avian flu is a threat to any type of poultry. But chickens are very susceptible, and they can't recover from it." Economic, health implications Grocery industry analyst Phil Lempert said he has several concerns about the economic and health implications of the most recent avian flu spread, beyond just the price of eggs. "The reality is that we've had to cull a little more than 160 million birds, and recovering from that on the economic side takes a while," Lempert said. "From the time a hen is hatched, it's about 18 or 19 weeks before if starts laying eggs, and even then, it's laying only four or five per week." Lempert said about 60 billion eggs have been lost from the international food chain owing to bird flu. He said he's not encouraged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recent firing of employees who were specifically working on the federal government's response to the avian flu outbreak. According to Politico, roughly a quarter of the employees working in an office that tests for the disease were fired in February along with scientists and inspectors. Last week, the USDA said those firings were accidental, but agency officials have run into logistical challenges in reinstating those staff members or convincing them to return to their jobs, Politico reported. "From people I've spoken with in Washington, they're concerned that this epidemic which began with birds, turkeys and ducks has now moved to cattle and humans," Lempert said. "They're worried that it could balloon into something on the order of the covid pandemic." Lempert also said a significant portion of food assistance recipients rely on eggs as a source of protein. "It was a good source of protein because it was affordable," he said. "I'm worried that we have 40 million people who could have health issues from not enough protein in their diet." Third year of spread State agriculture officials have kept a watchful eye out for avian flu since 2022, and not just in birds. The virus can jump to other species, including cows and humans. In November, the Department of Agriculture began precautionary bulk testing of milk for avian flu from Pennsylvania farms as an added measure to prevent the spread of the virus. The state's program is USDA-funded at no cost to dairy farmers. As of early this year, about 10,500 samples have been tested. Almost 100% of Pennsylvania's 4,027 dairy farms are being tested. At the recent Pennsylvania Farm Show, only birds headed to market were allowed to be exhibited, to prevent any possible spread of infection back to farms. All animal owners had to present a veterinarian inspection certificate in addition to submitting to veterinarian checks during entry at the fair. Officials from the agriculture department's Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services also hosted a fair booth to teach about biosecurity best practices. Security measures in place At the county level, officials at the Westmoreland County Fair have biosecurity measures in place, according to fair veterinarian Dr. Andrew Stas, who is a partner at Lakeview Animal Clinic in Latrobe. "We've limited the types of birds that can be on the fairgrounds and some of the species that can be here," Stas said. "And like the state farm show, the birds that come here are not going back to the farm. They're on their way to market in one form or another." County fair officials also have exhibiting birds somewhat secluded and roped off to avoid any direct contact with the public. That decision is made on a year-to-year basis. "It's been a waxing and waning thing over the past five to seven years," Stas said. "Going forward, the agricultural part of the fair will go on as planned until we're told by the state that we can't do it or if there's a positive test in the area of the fairgrounds." For Adam Mason of Heal Farms, concern over avian flu is colored by unnecessary hysteria. Mason raises chickens and other farm animals in an open, natural setup at his farm in Allegheny Township. "You have to think of it like the Serengeti in Africa," he said. "There are lions and gazelles, and you don't want too many of either or you have an imbalance. And on a micro level, that is happening in the soil. And if this avian flu is a natural virus, that's OK. We want to be one with the environment when we manage our animals." Mason said he fully understands why commercial operations need to be more concerned. "If you're raising one single species, like turkeys, you don't want anything in their coop but turkeys," he said. "You're essentially bending nature to your will to grow those birds. But when disease interacts with us, we feel like we have the biological controls to prevent it." Mason probably should have just as much concern as Pounds, Kassube said. "The recommendation from any veterinarian is that birds that range openly are very much at risk," she said. "They should be keeping them in the coop or under a roof, if possible. Even if wild birds aren't landing near them, their droppings can infect other birds pretty easily." In the absence of a nearby positive test, poultry operators are not required to test their flocks for bird flu. Pounds said he regularly observes his birds for any signs of illness but primarily works to restrict unnecessary interaction with them. Mason said he hopes testing doesn't become a requirement. "All it will do is squeeze smaller business owners out," he said. "There's a push now to put RFID chips in all cattle to track disease. Big agriculture wants that because for them it's a minor cost. But for someone like us, it would be prohibitively expensive." Kassube said a broiler chicken or a chicken egg, even if avian flu was present, is safe to eat if cooked to the proper USDA-recommended temperature, which is 165 degrees for meat and 160 degrees for eggs. "No runny eggs," she said, "but as long as they're cooked to the proper temperature, it'll kill any virus that's in there." Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@
