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Photo by Foss Farrar click image to enlarge

By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer
reporter@arkcity.net

John Stewart, CEO of Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, founded the company more than a decade ago with the goal of providing superior quality meat products.

Creekstone has distinguished itself as a high-quality producer with a state-of-the-art meat processing plant in Arkansas City, he says.

But for more than two years, the efforts of Stewart, his managers and workers to enhance Creekstone's high-quality image for overseas customers have been thwarted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, company officials contend.

They recently filed a lawsuit against the USDA to force the agency to allow Creekstone to test its animals for mad cow disease.

Creekstone is challenging the Agriculture Department's claim that it has the legal authority to control access to and use of test kits needed to test cattle for mad cow, or BSE.

The lawsuit was filed March 23 in United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Creekstone first asked the USDA for permission to do BSE testing on all the cattle it processes two years ago. But the USDA said no and repeatedly has refused to allow private testing. It said the U.S. beef supply is safe and such testing isn't warranted by science.

Science isn't the issue for Creekstone, regarding BSE testing, Stewart has said. Creekstone agrees with the federal government that U.S. beef is safe.

"Our customers, particularly our Asian customers, have requested it over and over again," Stewart said. "We feel strongly that if customers are asking for tested beef, we should be allowed to provide that."

The Japanese ban of U.S. beef imports starting in 2003 resulted in the loss of nearly one-third of Creekstone sales, Stewart said. The company was forced to slash production and lay off about 150 people.

The ban was put into place after the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States in December 2003.

"Our customers support our brand for the many points of difference we provide," Stewart said. "If BSE testing is an additional attribute that our customers want, free enterprise should allow us to provide this additional element.

"In a country where free enterprise, satisfying consumers and building businesses through thoughtful marketing and innovation are encouraged, I find it very difficult to understand why our government would not be supportive of this important effort," Stewart said.

On Feb. 10, Stewart urged members of Japan's ruling party to reopen that country's borders to U.S. beef imports. He addressed the officials at the Creekstone plant in Arkansas City.

The 10 Japanese officials traveled to Kansas to inspect the Creekstone plant and a Tyson facility in Emporia.

"We are thoughtful and understand the concern of Japan, particularly the consumers, and want to say that U.S. beef is safe," Stewart said after the tour.

"It is difficult from the U.S. industry standpoint for every plant to be the same. We are hopeful that you consent to make a recommendation to resume trade."

The Japanese officials representing the ruling party were following up on a previous tour of Kansas meatpacking facilities by other Japanese officials.

Nine members of Japan's main opposition party also toured the Creekstone plant on Jan. 30.

The nine officials, who were accompanied by several officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met with Creekstone managers in a conference room after the tour.

"A lot of these people are on food safety commissions," Kevin Pentz, vice president of operations for Creekstone, said after the meeting.

Earlier in January, Creekstone officials, including Stewart, traveled to Washington for a meeting to help re-establish the meat export trade with Japan. That country had briefly lifted its ban on U.S. products only to reimpose it after the discovery of bone in a shipment of veal from a plant in New York.

Pentz said that while the new ban was a setback for Creekstone, it did not affected production levels or employment levels at the plant. Creekstone has about 750 employees and slaughters about 5,000 head of cattle per week, he said.

Before the import ban was reimposed Creekstone had sold approximately two million pounds to beef to Japan, Pentz said.

Above: Creekstone administrators meet with Japanese officials to discuss beef politics late last year.