 November 16, 2007 |
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| USCA: Imports of Older Canadian Cattle Resume Monday | |
Contact: Chuck Kiker 409/842-5070 or Danni Beer 605/524-3383 |
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| USCA (November 16, 2007) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Final Rule permitting the resumption of trade in older cattle from Canada will become effective Monday, November 19. The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) said today it remains concerned that USDA has resisted changing the March 1, 1999 effective feed ban date established by the agency and included in new regulations regarding the importation of cattle into the U.S. from minimal risk regions published recently on the USDA web site.
Five of Canada’s bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases were born after March 1, 1999, with one infected animal born as late as 2002, raising questions about Canada’s effective feed ban enforcement on March 1, 1999. USCA suggested, in both official comments to USDA and during informal meetings with agency administrators, that the effective enforcement date of Canada’s feed ban be moved to January 1, 2003, a full six months after the birth of the youngest infected animal. "U.S. Cattlemen’s Association has consistently contended that USDA’s priority should be regaining lost U.S. export markets," stated Chuck Kiker, USDA Director and Animal Health Committee chairman, Beaumont, TX. "It is perplexing that USDA fails to recognize this discrepancy in the Final Rule. This issue continues to serve as a roadblock for regaining lost export markets, a situation exacerbated by quality control issues that have occurred in recent months when export markets received shipments of beef containing banned materials. It’s time for USDA to explain to producers how the decision was made to set an effective feed ban date for Canada well before the feed ban was effectively implemented." Historically, critical fire walls have protected the U.S. from infection and spread of BSE, including import restrictions on countries infected with the disease; effective feed ban implementation; and removal of specified risk materials when cattle are processed. "The March 1, 1999 feed ban implementation date effectively compromises two of these fire walls," noted Kiker. "Unfortunately, USDA’s decision appears to be politically driven rather than based on the best available science and data." "Consumer confidence both domestically and internationally is something U.S. cattle producers take very seriously," noted Danni Beer, USCA Region X Director, South Dakota. "The U.S. produces the safest beef in the world. Mitigation measures have been implemented and extensive testing has been conducted to ensure the U.S. feed ban has been effective. In the wake of numerous food recalls as well as consumers’ growing concern about the safety of foreign produced food and goods, this is no time for the U.S. to lower its import standards and risk a negative outcome." |
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