Livestock to be tissue tested near train derailment area
Apr. 3—Beef farmers in close proximity to East Palestine, Ohio, are asking for more testing of their livestock in the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
During a recent state Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Acting Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said the farmers, in addition to having their soil tested, are asking to have tissue samples tested on their livestock.
"It is going to be done in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Agriculture," Redding said.
Redding said this tissue testing is done with cooperation from Penn State and Ohio State universities.
In addition, help will likely come from the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the state's toxicology teams, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, via its Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. (R-47), who chairs the senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, said customers have concerns over the products from the farms.
"They have customers who are leery of of purchasing because of the situation," Vogel said.
Vogel said he has spoken to several farmers who have had to sell their beef products at a discounted price.
Clifford Wallace said the farmers in Lawrence and Beaver counties who he spoke to said they want science to prove their soil is safe and their animals are safe for consumption, to ease the concerns of customers.
Wallace is the president of both the Beaver/Lawrence Farm Bureau and the Lawrence County Conservation District.
"We want our customers to know it is safe," Wallace said. "We don't want a black mark on our products."
Redding said one repeat question to the Department of Agriculture is if the food grown at the local farms is safe to consume, along with the water.
He said since the derailment began, a "Unified command" has been testing air, water and soil from around the East Palestine area.
Those in the command include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, FDA, USDA, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Agricultures for Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"I pushed we needed soil testing to see if there was any soil contaminants," Wallace said. "We've come a long way in the last few weeks."
Wallace said while farmers are waiting for final results, preliminary water and soil testing data show no irregularities that would cause concern.
During the hearing, Vogel asked Redding if Norfolk Southern would be willing to compensate farmers for any lost revenue as a result of the derailment.
Redding said he has spoken to Gov. Josh Shapiro's office about agricultural losses being included in the reimbursement program Norfolk Southern is planning.
"We have been advocating to Norfolk Southern to include those agricultural losses as a result of the train derailment," Redding said. "It's a tangible loss of income."
