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Michigan Farmer (part of the Farm Progress
family of magazines) – Tuesday – October 9, 2007
Resolutions
Introduced in Congress to Block Canadian Cattle
By Jason
Vance
Congress is
not in session this week for the Columbus Day recess, but before leaving
Washington last week, resolutions of disapproval were introduced in both houses.
The resolutions would essentially reverse the BSE Minimal Risk Rule that USDA
announced last month. It would allow cattle of any age from Canada to be
imported into the U.S.
R-Calf USA was opposed to the rule and when it was announced promised action to
prevent it from going into effect on Nov. 19. R-Calf CEO Bill Bullard says the
group is pleased that Congress has taken action.
"Congress has clearly recognized that the USDA is being overzealous in its
attempts to facilitate more imports into this country from a country that has an
ongoing disease problem with a disease that is incurable and always fatal,"
Bullard says.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., introduced the resolution in the Senate and Rep.
Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., put it forward in the House.
"The effectiveness of Canada’s BSE mitigation measures to prevent the continued
spread of BSE is, at best, uncertain and unverified as five of the seven cases
of BSE discovered in Canada since the beginning of last year were born after
March 1, 1999," Dorgan says.
Dorgan also cited the fact that mixing of U.S. and Canadian cattle could limit
export potential by undermining trading partners' confidence, causing further
damage to the U.S. beef industry.
Both resolutions have a number of bipartisan co-sponsors, although R-Calf plans
to work at securing additional co-sponsors.
http://michiganfarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=30320&fpstid=1
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