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Government investigating link between ethanol, beef recallsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP)--A surge in beef recalls may have an unusual culprit--the ethanol industry. Studies from two universities show evidence that feeding cattle a byproduct of ethanol production known as distillers grains can increase their levels of a deadly form of E. coli bacteria. In direct response to the findings, the U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists recently put 300 cattle on a diet of distillers grains and plans to test the cows regularly for the bacteria. Results of the test won't be known until later this year. The stakes of the research are potentially huge for both cattle producers and the ethanol industry. The increased use of corn for ethanol has pushed the cost of grain for livestock feed higher and higher. However, the availability of cheaper distillers grains has offset the impact of those higher corn prices on livestock producers while providing a valuable revenue stream to ethanol plants. "To those of us here in the Midwest, being able to utilize distillers grains gives us a huge advantage over the rest of the country," said Kevin Carstensen, who operates a cattle feeding operation near Odebolt in northwest Iowa and also is an investor in a local ethanol plant. Just as ethanol production has soared, so, too, has production of distillers grains. Approximately one-third of the corn that enters an ethanol plant is turned into distillers grains. Meatpackers recalled a record 33.4 million pounds of beef last year for possible E. coli contamination. It was an enormous uptick from 2006, when just 181,900 pounds were recalled, according to USDA statistics. The previous record, of 25.6 million pounds, was set in 1997. The 21 recalls last year were the most since 2002. The USDA's undersecretary for food safety, Richard Raymond, said he thinks distillers grains are one of several factors behind the spike in recalls. "There is just something different" going on, he said. Healthy cattle carry E. coli bacteria in their intestines. The bacteria isn't typically harmful to them but it can be deadly to people, especially children and the elderly, who eat undercooked ground beef. Raymond said the government had no intention at this time of restricting the use of distillers grains even if the E. coli link is confirmed, and would instead leave it to the industry to decide how to address the issue. One possibility, he said, is to vaccinate cattle. "I'm not about to tell the cattlemen what they are going to feed their cows," he said. 2/4/08 Date: 1/31/08 Advertisement
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