Bad time for beef recall

For cattle ranchers there is no good time for the federal government to recall 143 million pounds of beef.

But February, which the beef industry promotes as national beef month, is an especially awkward time for the recall the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Sunday. It is the largest recall of beef in the nation's history.

Although federal officials said the recalled meat does not pose a serious health risk, and there's no evidence anyone has become ill because they ate beef from the Southern California slaughterhouse that sold the meat on the recall list, we don't blame ranchers if they worry that most Americans will focus on that figure: 143 million pounds.

That's more than half a billion fast-food cheeseburgers.

Even though the recall involves only that one slaughterhouse, the tide of bad publicity could engulf, and unfairly taint, the entire industry — including the ranchers who comprise the biggest chunk of Baker County's economy.

Local cattle raisers don't always know, when they sell their animals, where the cattle will be slaughtered.

Yet, if beef prices plummet due to the recall, Baker County ranchers will suffer — even though they're not responsible for the misdeeds at the California plant, where videos show employees mistreating ill cows.

Fortunately, cooperatives such as Oregon-based Country Natural Beef monitor their cattle, including what happens at the slaughterhouse. These organizations can make a compelling case why their members, including about a dozen in Baker County, should not be tarred with the broad brush that some pundits will wield in the aftermath of the recall.

Branded beef like Country Natural Beef, Strawberry Mountain Beef and other direct to market sales are important to the positioning of the image of the beef industry nationwide.

A timely marketing campaign that showcases industry segments that are responsive to consumer demand for meat raised and processed with tight quality controls would certainly help counter the current wave of negative publicity surrounding the recall.