Texas cattlemen are speaking out against the World Health Organization for its report comparing beef hot dogs to cigarettes and listing red meat as a probable link to colorectal cancer. Larmine Adams is with the Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association. He said reports like this one, in the past, have hurt the cattle industry and driven down beef prices.
“In this case, they came out with the live cattle markets earlier and they did see a little bit of a decrease. You know I don’t know if it’s linked to this or not, however we do have to be concerned about the markets being affected here,” Adams said.
In 1998, Texas cattlemen sued talk show host Oprah Winefrey for defamation following her scathing report on Mad Cow Disease and the beef industry that sent the price of beef plummeting to a ten-year low at the time. Winfrey ultimately won the defamation case against her.
Adams worries the latest report from the World Health Organization could cause a similar drop.
The Texas Department of Agriculture shows Texas as the largest global exporter of beef.