Creekstone Farms Premium Beef Earns European Union (E.U.) Approval Company is one of only five US processors able to export to E.U.

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (September, 2005)— Creekstone Farms® Premium Beef today announced the company has received approval to export beef to the European Union (E.U.). This coveted approval—awarded to just four other U.S. beef processors to date—speaks volumes about Creekstone Farm's high standards for animal handling and beef production.

“The E.U. has strict requirements on facility sanitation and product packaging that can only be met by the most modern facilities, like the one we have in Arkansas City,” stated John Stewart, Creekstone Farms CEO and founder. “In addition to these sanitation and packaging requirements, an E.U. approved facility must comply with animal handling and water quality standards and all livestock is subject to testing for hormones," added Stewart. The E.U. strictly forbids the use of hormone feed additives in beef production.

The Creekstone Farms facility in Arkansas City, Kan. is among the most modern beef processing facilities in America. The 450,000 square foot facility was built in 2001 utilizing state-of-the-art technology, materials and equipment. In the same year, Technology Magazine named the Creekstone facility “Plant of the Year.” The plant is the only one in the world that exclusively processes Black Angus cattle, renowned for their superior genetics.

“Being approved to produce beef for the E.U. wasn’t easy,” stated James Wilson, Creekstone Farms Director of Technical Services. “The cost to the company in both dollars and time required an extraordinary commitment from the entire organization." Beyond meeting stringent E.U. requirements for sanitation, packaging and animal handling, a company wishing to export beef to the E.U. must receive approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and submit to another review by the Agriculture Marketing Service Agency. Approval to export to the E.U. is granted only after the facility is audited and nominated by the FSIS facility auditor. Next, the FSIS approval is forwarded to the E.U. member commission for comment and approval by all members of the E.U. commission.

“Earning this approval is not just a great opportunity for Creekstone, but for the entire U.S. beef industry,” said Rich Swearingen, Creekstone Farms Vice President of International Sales. “The rewards for Creekstone and the U.S. beef industry far outweigh the work and effort it took to become E.U. approved. This approval makes a statement about the commitment to customer service that Creekstone and other U.S. processors are willing to make to open new markets and grow our business."

Creekstone Farms® Premium Beef was founded more than 10 years ago with a goal of providing superior quality food products to satisfy the most discerning of palates. Today, the Creekstone Farms Premium Black Angus Beef program is one of the few branded programs certified by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). With facilities in Arkansas City, Kansas and Campbellsburg, Kentucky, the family-owned business supplies many of the nation’s top grocers and restaurants with top-quality beef produced in a humane and environmentally friendly manner. For more information, visit www.creekstonefarms.com or call 1-866-CREEKSTONE (1-866-273-3578).

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