Ranchers and consumers react to proposed diet

JEFFERSON COUNTY - by Sarai Demien

Ranchers express concern over proposed dietary guidelines from the USDA that cast red meat as detrimental to personal health and the environment.

Mike Douguet is at his ranch in Nome off Hwy 326. He is checking up on the heifers he will sell at the big cattle sale in Beaumont next Saturday.

Today he is confused by the latest dietary recommendations proposed by the USDA that discourage eating red meat.

"Five years ago they came out with the Food Pyramid and they recommended the Mediterranean diet which is very high in red meat. And they eat more pounds per year than the U.S. consumer does," says Douguet.

The Brangus cattle Douguet raises are sold for breeding and to commercial ranchers. He and other ranchers hope the proposed guidelines are not adopted.

"Anything like that definetely hurts the market. If they come out with that and actually recommend less red meat or whatever it'll have an effect on our price we get for our product," says Douguet.

Consumers like Kenneth Daigre eat red meat but also takes dietary guidelines into consideration.

"People been eating red meat since the beginning of time so why it's now that something is wrong with the meat. So it has to be something going on with how these animals are being raised and what they're feeding these animals," says Daigre.

Some shoppers think the proposed guidelines could hurt the cattle industry.

"It's not fair for the ranchers or the people who produce the feed or all that goes along with it. You know it's going to affect more than just the ranchers," says David Ronquille.

An industry that hopes to make itself heard before these guidelines are adopted.



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