Screwworms, Spy Drones, and a Ballot Initiative That Could Break the Meat Industry | Rising Anxieties

Don't forget we're a podcast. We're on YouTube. Please subscribe, hit like wherever you listen. And of course, the thing that is worrying the meat industry this week is finally, uh, screw worm. And it's worrying a lot of people, I mean, you hear it on the mainstream news. They're actually reporting on something going on in the meat industry in the mainstream news.

We've, of course, been talking about it for months now, and it's here. I mean, we've been, you know, following its, its route up Mexico until, uh, it reached the border, and now it has reached the border. And, um, I just want to start by saying the whole thing is off. I know I've said this before. So the main take in the news, and, you know, I watch all the, you know, progressive news sites.

Well, I don't watch all of them, but, you know, that's mostly what I watch. And, and it's all about, like, how the Trump administration hasn't done enough to prevent screw worm. And, you know, under the Biden administration, they w- they were say, they say they were doing much more. And I, I've no reason not to believe this is true.

It sounds true, you know, all the budget cutting and whatever. But that's not my fundamental point, and I imagine it's not really yours either. I don't think the government should be doing anything about screw worm. Well, maybe to help the animals, maybe rescuing the animals who have been, like, viciously attacked by these, by these parasites 'cause it's a horrible, horrible disease.

Uh, but other than that, like, this is the industry's problem. Like, like, if the widget factory starts, uh, like, uh, having a problem with, uh, I don't know, like, bugs attacking the widgets, does the government go in and save the widget? No. That's the widget factory's problem. They have to run their factory, and they have to figure out how to do it, and it's not, it's not up to me to pay for, for them to be making more money, uh, selling their widgets, and it's not up to me to be paying more money to be paying the meat industry to prevent losing money on all of the many, many diseases and parasites and, and horrible situations that...

But, you know. All right, I'm sorry. Um, all right. That's not what anybody's saying. I'm the only one saying that. Except unless you are, uh, in which case I'm glad somebody agrees with me. All right, from Drovers, "The screw worm battle begins on y-" I have a bunch of articles on screw worm. Um, "Begins on US soil. Now what?"

All right, this is from June 4th by Angie Stump Denton. A quarantine order is in place. USDA officials say the Laporte detection is the only confirmed case so far. There's no food safety risk. Calling on cattle producers and pet owners to monitor wounds closely. I bet pet owners are doing something of a better job with that than cattle producers.

Um, and she goes on to say that officials are stressing two key messages. This is not a food safety crisis. They can't say that enough. They don't want people to stop buying their dead animal flesh. And the pest spreads with animals, not by flies traveling long distances on their own, by which to say there's nothing to worry about here.

We have, like, a containment area, and people are not gonna travel outside of that, and it's not, like, up to the flies to, to, to fly. It's, it... Apparently, this has been coming all the way up Mexico and into Texas just because people, people, people gave the flies a little ride on their trucks or whatever. I don't know. I don't know.

That sounds like the kind of stupid fucking thing they would do. Um, all right, and, and they ha- so they, they've put in all these animal movement restrictions. All right. Next day, June 5th, um, from, also from Drovers, a second screw worm case confirmed in Zavala County, Texas. Sorry if I pronounced that wrong.

Um, and so yeah, great, great job, people. In one day it has doubled. They have this horrible picture of this fly. I try to be sympathetic to all animals. Boy, this is one fucking animal, I'll tell you, this fly. They, it kinda dri- it's called a screw worm 'cause it's, like, shaped like a screw and it drills its way into, um, flesh.

Ah. Um, all right, so there's a second one. It is within the containment area that I mentioned before, so they're not really that worried about it. And, um, it can attack people, though that's rare, because, you know, you have to have an open wound. Like, if their, if their cows did not have open wounds... Well, I don't know whether it's just an open wound.

Um, but, uh, you know, they have to be able to... I, I don't know whether there's other ways they can get in. I don't wanna, like, misspeak, but an open wound is what, like, the main thing. Um, and so, uh, but there, you know, USDA is thrilled with what a great job it's done because according to this guy, Dudley Hoskins, who's an undersecretary, "Many models projected this pest would reach the United States last year, but thanks to USDA's phenomenal work and our cooperation with state, federal..."

USDA is, is cooperating with, well, all right, state, federal, and industry partners, "we've held it off until now." So the industry is their partner. That's our government. Um, there's an APHIS strike team already on s- APHIS, of course, is the part of the USDA, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service. Um, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories have deployed an entomologist to the agri- to the USDA's Agricultural Research Service laboratory.

APHIS has deployed two dedicated New World, uh, screwworm response cargo trailers. Uh, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorizations for, um, treatments. Uh, the National Veterinary Stockpile is doing something, stockpiling whatever they stockpile. So, you know, your government is at work, like spending your, your hard-earned money, um, uh, preventing this thing that the industry caused. And the industry caused it, make no doubt about it. We shouldn't have this industry. That's the p- all right. I'm sorry.

Um, all right. Also from Drovers: "Why New World screwworm confirmation sparks surprise rebound in cattle futures." In case you were worried about the cattle industry, apparently nothing can kill the markets these days, uh, because, uh, according to this article by Todd Morgan, um, it's because the fear was already baked in 'cause everybody knew this was gonna happen, so now that it's happened, uh, it's already priced into the, into the futures price.

But, you know, in case you were worried about the cattle industry's, um, ability to succeed financially, not to worry. They're doing just fine. Um, all right, from Rona Johnson on The Fence Post: "New World screwworm is not a food safety concern." They cannot say that frequently enough. They don't want anybody to stop buying beef, even if, you know, right next to the piece of flesh that you're eating, a little screwworm, like, managed to find it, like, not a problem.

"Now that New World screwworm has been found in the U.S., we in the ag industry need to remind people that it is not a food safety issue. It is also not a disease, but an infestation." I don't think anybody's calling it a disease. Everybody knows it's worm. It's these, it's these flies. Um- Uh, and she points out it spreads only when a screwworm fly lays eggs in a wound.

So again, these animals have to have wounds. Maybe it is true that there's no other way in. Not through meat, poultry, or dairy products. Nobody says it is. However, it is a serious concern because of the potential disruption it could cause to the US livestock industry. That apparently is the concern, not the potential disruption it could cause to the bodies of these little animals.

And by, by little, I, I, I mean it because a lot of the animals, at least the ones who have been infected so far, they're babies. Um, "this is important because the groups that are against animal agriculture will try to make this into something it is not." No, they're actually trying to make it into what it is and get people to pay attention.

And I, you know, I would say, like, we're not really succeeding because the... like I said, the message that I keep seeing is that the USDA should be doing more, which, you know, now that we're here, maybe that's true, but we shouldn't be here. All right, she talks about an email she got from Ben Williamson, who was on the podcast recently.

He's the Executive Director of Animal Outlook. Um, basically blaming livestock producers and some of their practices. Of course, he doesn't say anything like it's a disease and like, and not a, a parasite. He points out that open wounds left by dehorning, branding, castration, and ear tagging... well, yeah, uh, if you do those things to animals, they're gonna leave open, open wounds.

And he points out, like, this is the reason the scr- the screwworm is, uh, infecting these animals. He points out, I'll, I'll quote him, "This crisis is a moral test. Farmed animals feel pain just as intensely as we do. They deserve better than a system designed to guarantee their suffering." Yeah. Go, Ben. All right.

This is her, uh, response: "This type of response is not helping, but it is typical of these animal activist organizations. We need to be telling people who are not familiar with animal husbandry that it is science-based and done for the welfare of the animals." That animal husbandry is done for the welfare of the animals.

Let that sink in for a minute. "It is also up to all of us to remind people about why this infestation is not new." I don't know what point she's trying to make, but she's mentioning that, you know, there was screwworm 60 years ago, and they eradicated it. Like, so is this a good thing for them that this is a recurring thing and it keeps coming back?

Doesn't seem like a good thing All right. Oh, do I have... No, that was it. That's all the articles I have on screwworm. Um, and we will see. Two cases so far, as far as I know, as of the moment I'm recording this, in Texas. I doubt it's gonna stop there.

Um, th- also from Drovers, I do have one more article from Drovers. This is a column by John Nalivka, "Cattle production profitable, but industry challenges persist." He does say that, that the US beef industry, one of their two big threats is screwworm. So yeah, uh, he, he, he agrees that it's a problem, but that's not why I got this article out. It's because the other one is a radical Oregon ballot initiative that could criminalize standard animal husbandry, and he is exactly right.

I love this. This is, of course, the ballot initiative which we've talked about before and which we had, um, David Michelson on a few years ago to talk-- You know, they've tried it for a few years, and they're finally, I think, on the ballot for this year. Or I don't know whether it's a done deal, but they're getting close.

And, um, he points out that this is, you know, he considers this apparently as big a problem for the industry as screw worm, which seems surprising. It could easily move to other states and, um, it's called the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty. It's going on the ballot, presumably. I think, I think they got the signatures, but maybe they haven't gotten through the court case yet.

I don't know. That's, that's what was going the last time I talked about it. And the objective of re- w- with the objective, quote, "Of removing long-held animal husbandry practices such as dehorning, tail docking, and castration, and would criminalize routine reproductive management practices such as artificial insemination, unless performed by a licensed veterinarian."

Right. It also bans slaughter. Like, that seems, like, really relevant. Has he not read it, or does he not wanna talk about that? Because, you know, saying it bans slaughter actually sounds good to people. I don't know. Um, it would also eliminate hunting and fishing in the state because it criminalizes killing animals, uh, necessarily.

Like, without-- It takes away all the exemptions for, um, for all of these practices. And, uh, that's the... You know, hunting and fishing is getting huge, huge attention in the press when I Google it, and not so much that it, that it will take out the animal, the animal abuse industries in Oregon. Won't be illegal to sell meat in Oregon, but, uh, he's really worried.

He points out that, um, that as a resident of Eastern Oregon and close to Idaho, by which I'm sure he means God's country, Oregon's largest share of population is on the west side of the Cascade Range. Oregon is definitely a state that is split into two different, uh, mentalities. Um, "how many California residents thought Prop 12 would pass in 2018?"

Well, apparently enough of them they voted for it. Um, "so is this going to be a replay of Prop 12?", he asks. "Yes, record high prices are generating record returns for cow-calf producers, but the risks to those returns persist." Yeah, they do. God, I would love to see this thing pass. Wouldn't that be... Oh, wow. I mean, I'm sure they would find some way around it.

Uh, and the fight would not be over. I mean, let me put it that way. Uh, the fight would not be over. Wow, it would be a nice one. All right, here's a weird one. How d- how much do you love to fly? I hate to fly. I'm not saying I never do, though I haven't in a while. And, uh, but I really hate it. Always have hated it even though of course I have.

I'm not, I, I... My point is I'm not trying to present myself as some kind of like saint that would never get on an airplane. No, I get on airplanes, or I have gotten on airplanes, but it's real- I just find it one of the most dreadful experiences, uh, everything about it. Um, and now it is gonna get worse. TSA, this is hilarious.

It's not hilarious. It is hilarious. Uh, this is from Watt Poultry. "TSA backs chicken in the protein wars," and you are now wondering, what does that have to do with flying? Social media post from federal agency, the TSA, the, uh, what does that stand for? I don't really remember. But anyway, you know. You know what the TSA is.

It's the, uh, the people who check whether you have a bomb in your suitcase when you get on a plane. Social media post from federal agency encourages flyers to bring rotisserie chickens in their carry-ons. Yep. So if you hate flying now, just imagine how you're gonna feel when you're crammed into those little seats, and you've been lucky enough to get the middle one, and, uh, y- the, people are, like, breathing heavily on either side of you, and one of them reaches into his carry-on and takes out a little dead bird and eats it.

I'm not saying this is gonna happen, but the TSA is apparently all in favor of it. I don't know why the TSA is promoting, uh, chicken consumption, but, um, but protein shakes, three quar- 3.4 ounces or less, but rotisserie chickens, as many as you can fit in your carry-on. I guess they're saying that the rotisserie chicken is the only solution to having to bring liquids onto a plane.

I don't know. "The National Chicken Council has thanked TSA for their service." That's a quote. Uh, and they were inspired by the fact that in P- or this writer of this, this article, who I should name, Elizabeth Dohmen, um, points out that, "In Portland, Maine, there are stores at the airport to help you package your live lobster to bring on the airplane. It's clearly time that airport shops start doing the same for rotisserie chicken."

So it's a choice. You could be sitting next to the guy chomping on the dead bird that actually looks like a little dead bird. Um, or you could be sitting next to the guy, or woman, I shouldn't be sexist about this, who's carrying the live lobster, clicking around in his little, uh, I don't know, secure, uh, carry-on, um, nicely packaged so he can go, go off to, uh, LA or wherever and be boiled. What a world.

What a world. To quote the Wicked Witch of the East, I think it was she, I think she was of the East. All right, planning rules hold, holding back poultry sector growth. This is from the UK, or this is about the UK. It's by Mark Clements. It's also from Watt Poultry. How can the industry respond to growing demand for poultry meat when over-regulation and strict planning laws hold back investments?

So yes, yes, yes, congratulations to everyone in the UK who has been part of the fight to keep chicken factory farms from growing, which is a huge environmental problem. Uh, I mean, it is everywhere, but actually people have noticed there, and they, they've been fighting these facilities, and the chicken industry is not happy.

What all too often holds the poultry and other industries, what other industries, back is not a lack of interest in investing or lack of funds, but an overly demanding or complex regulatory system. And the National Farmers Union in the UK is very up in arms about it. And, uh, the, the board chair there says, "When applications are in limbo or the industry is blocked from building new poultry housing or even upgrading ventilation and windows in older units, it stymies growth," yes, "and directly harms on-farm innovation and efficiency."

And so they, this is, they always like to threaten people with what will happen. You know, it'll be worse for the animals if you, if you try to end this, that, that, uh, UK production will be displaced with chicken produced overseas, including from countries where food is produced in ways that would be illegal in the UK.

Yeah, I'm sure the laws protecting chickens in the UK are just, like, fabulous. But, um, you know, well, maybe that they should get on the whole project of, of banning imports of, uh, of animal flesh that was not produced in compliance with their own standards, which is a whole... I, I don't even know where the status of this, that is in World Trade.

Um, it, you know, used to be the WTO was the place you would w- I, I'm talking through my hat, like I don't know enough about this. I think now there're like just, it's, it's much more disparate, like, like who has agreements with what about what standards can be applied. Within the European Union, um, that is a live issue that can still be litigated and has not been worked out as far as I know.

So that is, like, one of the biggest issues, I think, that, that if, if this actually happens, it can be fought, and it will be, honey There, I said it. Alright, our favorite commentator is here today. Just don't have her every week. It's from Hannah Thompson-Weeman, um, on Animal Ag Watch column on Meatingplace.

"The next frontier in farm and plant security is above your head." Guess what she's talking about? Yes, you're right. You figured it out. She's talking about drones. "For years," she says, "conversations about farm security have focused on physical threats, trespassing, undercover investigations, cyber attack."

Cyber attacks? Okay, "cyber attacks, and activist campaigns targeting farms and food companies." So activist campaigns constitute a physical threat? Okay. But now it's drones, um, because, uh, you know, drones are really cheap now, as we've learned from the war in Iran, and, um, and really easy to use, and everybody's using them, and she doesn't like it.

The issue isn't simply privacy. Actually, it kind of is. Um, drone activity can create biosecurity concerns. Uh, they love to trot out biosecurity concerns, but I'm damned if I c- uh, you know, maybe they'll come up with something, but, like, what kind of biosecurity concern? They're flying overhead.

They can stress livestock. Yeah, those livestock, that's what's stressing out the livestock. Expose operational vulnerabilities. I guess, like, show where, like, we could break in? I don't know. And generate misleading narratives. Oh, yeah. Those misleading narratives are really the problem for animal agriculture. If the footage is taken out of context.

Yeah. Okay. Like, what kind of context could you put it in that would make it misleading? It's drone footage. Um, and it-- drone activity could be also connected to broader activist efforts that include trespassing, surveillance, or coordinated campaigns against a farm or company.

Yeah, well, yeah, we should ban it because somebody might use it in coordination with something else that we should ba- uh, what? Okay. Just, just ban everything, everything we can think of. Um, it can be tempting, she says, to view an unwanted drone as a trespassing nuisance that should be immediately removed.

However, interfering with or disabling a drone can create significant legal problems, i.e., don't shoot the drones down, which is what you all wanna do. Don't shoot the drones down. It, it's, it's against the law. Um, instead, people should consider, if someone viewed your facility from above, from above today, what would they see?

Actually, I think she would probably prefer to say, would they see anything? Anything at all? Put an end to that. One of the things that she's particularly concerned about are, are mortality management areas, loading zones or animal treatment spaces presented in a way that could be easily misunderstood when viewed through a camera lens without context.

Exactly what context are going to make mortality management areas look good? I think she probably means the piles of dead pigs. Oh, what a world. I'm really on, on the witch today, aren't I? I think that's it. Yep, that's it. I thought I had one more, but I don't. That's all I've got.

Uh, so I'm really glad you were here today. Thank you so much for joining me. Uh, it is a comfort. You know, every Monday morning I wake up and I think, "What do I have to do today?" And I'm-- and then I remember, oh, yeah, Rising Anxieties. And there's something about it that I just enjoy. And I don't, you know, I don't generally like to work, but, but Rising Anxieties is satisfying to me, so I'm glad it is to you, too.

I hope it is. Um, and don't forget to subscribe, like and comment wherever you are able to, which includes YouTube, of course, if you've been watching. And don't forget to tune in to our other podcasts, The Hen Report and the Our Hen House Interview. We've really had some good ones of late. Thanks for being here.