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North Platte (Neb.) Bulletin – Monday – September 24, 2007 Farm groups: USDA opens doors to mad cows from Canada by George Lauby Farm and ranch groups are battling the USDA over beef shipments from Canada. Again, it’s about mad cow disease, a mysterious disease carried by livestock for which there is no known cure. There have been nine confirmed cases of mad cow disease in Canada. The disease is also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE. Shipment of older cows that might carry the disease, will be allowed without inspection, according to the proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The open border policy would begin Nov. 19 unless Congress intervenes. The National Farmer’s Union notes that in January, Canada’s ninth BSE-positive case was discovered. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently concluded that Canadian cattle are 26 times more likely to test positive for BSE than U.S. cattle,” said R -CALF USA President Max Thornsberry, who is also a Missouri veterinarian. “How in the world did USDA get the authority to decide it’s in the United States’ best interest to continue pushing for the ‘no borders’ approach to create a North American cattle herd, which continues to jeopardize the health of the U.S. cattle herd?” Thornsberry asked. “USDA went on to say that it’s an integral part of the agency’s efforts to promote fair trade practices,” Thornsberry said. “It is not the USDA’s job to improve trade relations because there already are federal agencies for that – the U.S. Trade Representative and the Commerce Department. The USDA is supposed to look out for the welfare of the U.S. livestock industry.” The USDA rule would: · Allow importation of all live Canadian cattle born after March 1, 1999, regardless of the intended use of the cattle, e.g., breeding, feeding, or slaughter. · Allow importation of beef, beef products, and beef byproducts, including whole or half carcasses, offal, tallow, and gelatin derived from Canadian OTM cattle. · Allow importation of bovine blood and blood products derived from Canadian cattle of any age. · Allow importation of casings and the part of the small intestine from Canadian cattle of any age and from sheep that were less than 12 months of age at slaughter. “The USDA could not be operating more irresponsibly or carelessly with the health and safety of our cattle industry and our consumers as it is in this rule,” said R-CALF USA Chairman Bill Bullard. The NFU and R-CALF are asking Congress to block the open border policy. In a Sept. 21 letter to the members of the House and the Senate, the NFU expressed strong opposition to the rule and urged Congress to rescind it. http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=13048&pageID=29 |
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