January 2, 2003
		Cattlemen's Association Tries to Placate Consumers With New Guidelines Acknowledging that consumers have demanded it, the nation's largest cattlemen's group is currently drafting a set of guidelines for proposed animal welfare measures it hopes will please grocery and restaurant trade groups. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) has been working on a draft of the guidelines for several months, and the final draft is expected to be adopted next year. "Consumers are concerned about how their food is produced," according to Mark Spire, a food animal health specialist at Kansas State University. He added that consumers are pressuring retailers and food service operations about animal welfare issues, particularly expressing discomfort over castratrion, dehorning, branding and marketing of cows and beef products. The NCBA began drafting their own guidelines for animal care at the urging of the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute, which represents supermarkets. The NCBA's "producer code of cattle care" addresses general recommendations for the care and handling of cows by producers, feedlots and auction yards.