TekVet CEO Sees Promise in Japan’s Decision to Lift its Ban on U.S. Beef Imports
(PRLEAP.COM) D. Bret Smith, chief executive officer of TekVet™, LLC, a Utah-based developer of agricultural technologies, today applauded Japan’s decision to lift its ban on U.S. beef imports.
“Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his advisors have made a wise and responsible decision,” Smith said. “Quality is being restored in the beef and dairy industries because of good old fashioned American ingenuity and hard work. With all the talk of Mad Cow and Hoof and Mouth disease, the United States has gotten its priorities straight and it has begun to pay off. ”
In January 2006, after reportedly finding an animal spine in a U.S. beef shipment, the Japanese government had re-instated what had been a two-year ban on U.S. beef imports. Smith joined 31 U.S. Senators in May 2006 in calling upon Japan to remove restrictions on imports of U.S. beef prior to Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to the U.S. later this month. (See http://www.tekvet.com/japanbeef.htm.)
“This move by the Japanese government opens a significant beef market but more importantly it signals a shift in perception taking place around the world,” Smith said, “Recently the U.S. Congress decided to freeze $33 million in assets that had been designated to fund development of a national animal identification system. Ultimately, they were giving a vote of confidence to private industry.”
According to media reports, the agreement to lift the ban is conditioned on compliance by U.S. beef manufacturers with stringent Japanese beef standards. Japanese health inspectors will visit specific meatpacking plants in the U.S. to verify that they are meeting the standards.
“The TekVet System will allow beef and dairy manufacturers to meet and exceed the most stringent health and safety standards imaginable,” Smith said.
The TekVet System is the nation’s first automated radio frequency (RF) wireless solution designed to constantly monitor the core temperatures of large livestock within the 418 MHz range of approximately 300 to 500 feet, while capturing vital historical data through a private network. TekVet has already begun partnership activities with universities and non-profit research institutions, where researchers can capitalize on TekVet’s RFID technology and investigate the impact of the technology on numerous related issues.
TekVet (formerly COLT Technologies) announced in mid-May that it had signed deals to begin deploying the TekVet System with major feedlot operations in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah, as well as with several foreign producers. The company has since announced a name change to TekVet, the move of its corporate headquarters to North Salt Lake, Utah.
About TekVet, LLC
Formed in 2003, TekVet, LLC is a privately funded Utah-based developer and manufacturer of agricultural technologies. The company focuses on the application of wireless technologies to lower production costs, increase profits and improve product safety in the livestock industry. For more information on the company, visit its Web site at www.tekvet.com or call 801-335-0500.
“Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his advisors have made a wise and responsible decision,” Smith said. “Quality is being restored in the beef and dairy industries because of good old fashioned American ingenuity and hard work. With all the talk of Mad Cow and Hoof and Mouth disease, the United States has gotten its priorities straight and it has begun to pay off. ”
In January 2006, after reportedly finding an animal spine in a U.S. beef shipment, the Japanese government had re-instated what had been a two-year ban on U.S. beef imports. Smith joined 31 U.S. Senators in May 2006 in calling upon Japan to remove restrictions on imports of U.S. beef prior to Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to the U.S. later this month. (See http://www.tekvet.com/japanbeef.htm.)
“This move by the Japanese government opens a significant beef market but more importantly it signals a shift in perception taking place around the world,” Smith said, “Recently the U.S. Congress decided to freeze $33 million in assets that had been designated to fund development of a national animal identification system. Ultimately, they were giving a vote of confidence to private industry.”
According to media reports, the agreement to lift the ban is conditioned on compliance by U.S. beef manufacturers with stringent Japanese beef standards. Japanese health inspectors will visit specific meatpacking plants in the U.S. to verify that they are meeting the standards.
“The TekVet System will allow beef and dairy manufacturers to meet and exceed the most stringent health and safety standards imaginable,” Smith said.
The TekVet System is the nation’s first automated radio frequency (RF) wireless solution designed to constantly monitor the core temperatures of large livestock within the 418 MHz range of approximately 300 to 500 feet, while capturing vital historical data through a private network. TekVet has already begun partnership activities with universities and non-profit research institutions, where researchers can capitalize on TekVet’s RFID technology and investigate the impact of the technology on numerous related issues.
TekVet (formerly COLT Technologies) announced in mid-May that it had signed deals to begin deploying the TekVet System with major feedlot operations in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah, as well as with several foreign producers. The company has since announced a name change to TekVet, the move of its corporate headquarters to North Salt Lake, Utah.
About TekVet, LLC
Formed in 2003, TekVet, LLC is a privately funded Utah-based developer and manufacturer of agricultural technologies. The company focuses on the application of wireless technologies to lower production costs, increase profits and improve product safety in the livestock industry. For more information on the company, visit its Web site at www.tekvet.com or call 801-335-0500.
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Curtis Gasser
TekVet
Email TekVet
801-523-3730