Factors and Forces for Change Reports and Highlights
Market Watch Reports:
The purpose of these reports is to present trends in various industries or markets that have potential implications for Veterinary Services.
The Changing Times Informational Sheets:
The purpose of these informational sheets is to describe trends in market conditions that we believe have significance to Veterinary Services.
Overseas Investments by U.S. Meat Corporations - What’s the Future for U.S. Exports? 7/00 (PDF 84KB)
International commerce is increasingly the result of more commercial activities than just exporting or importing. Most of the top-ranked U.S.-based meat corporations are also investing overseas in processing or production. Market access, lower production costs, growth opportunities, and regulation drive international location decisions. Evidence from the broader food processing industry hints that growth in U.S. meat exports may not decline as U.S. meat industries expand their overseas operations to access worldwide markets.
Animal Pharming: The Industrialization of Transgenic Animals 12/99 (PDF 100KB)
Growing use of transgenic animals to produce human drugs is described in a Changing Times report issued last week by CEAH's Center for Emerging Issues. Transgenic animals are animals which have been genetically transformed to enable pharmaceutical production in an animal’s milk or bodily fluids. For some drugs, a herd of 600 transgenic animals could potentially supply worldwide demand. Although laboratory manipulation of genes in animals, plants, and bacteria accounted for less than one percent of world supply of human therapeutic proteins in 1998, that one percent was valued at $12 billion, or 50 percent of a $24 billion global market for human proteins.
The Wildlife Industry: Trends and Disease Issues 9/99 (PDF - 87KB)
The expanding popularity of wildlife conservation and the increased interest in domestically rearing traditionally wild animals have resulted in many changes in the wildlife industry in the last several decades. This informational sheet provides a brief description of the varied and changing wildlife industry and the impact this may have on disease transmission.
Composting Food Residuals - Food Products Travel Full Circle 1/99 (PDF 49KB)
This report examines growth in composting operations set up to handle food waste products. We describe trends in the number and location of operations and discuss various regulatory and health issues associated with food residual composting operations.
Direct Marketing from Farmers to Consumers - A Growing Trend 11/98
(PDF 19KB)
This report features direct marketing from farmers to consumers, such as farmers markets and community-supported-agriculture (CSA). We describe trends and initiatives aimed at promoting these alternative marketing outlets.
Current Trends and Uncertainties for the Future of Agriculture
This report was prepared in response to a request from the Committee for the Future of Veterinary Services (VS). The Committee for the Future of VS made recommendations to the VS Management Team regarding roles for VS in the future. The Committee began its work by reading this assessment of current trends affecting animal agriculture. The following areas are covered in this report:
Animal Industries
