Montana Judge Sets July Hearing on Canada Cattle

[PORKER]

MT Judge sets July hearing

Montana Judge Sets July Hearing on Canada Cattle



Thu March 17, 2005 7:20 PM GMT-05:00

By Richard Cowan



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration will face off in federal court on July 27 with an American rancher group suing to keep the U.S. border closed to imports of live Canadian cattle because of mad cow disease concerns.



U.S. District Court Judge Richard Cebull in Billings, Montana, on Thursday set the court date to hear arguments that pit the U.S. Department of Agriculture against R-CALF USA, an activist rancher group.



R-CALF, which has been successful in two previous attempts with Cebull in restraining beef and cattle trade, is suing to stop USDA from allowing imports of young Canadian cattle. R-CALF has cited two more cases of mad cow disease discovered in Canada at the beginning of 2005.



Two weeks ago, Cebull granted R-CALF's request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily suspend a USDA plan that would have allowed Canada to export young live cattle to the United States for the first time since 2003, when mad cow disease was discovered in Alberta.



At the July hearing in Billings, the judge will hear arguments on whether to make the injunction permanent.



Late Thursday, the U.S. government filed an emergency appeal with the federal appeals court in San Francisco to overturn the preliminary injunction.



"We remain confident that the requirements of the minimal-risk rule, in combination with the animal and public health measures already in place in the United States and Canada, provide the utmost protection to both U.S. consumers and livestock," the USDA said in a statement.



The National Meat Association, a group representing meatpackers, earlier this month also filed an emergency appeal. U.S. meatpackers want quick access to the Canadian cattle, which they say are needed to keep slaughter plants operating efficiently.



R-CALF also wants Cebull to stop U.S. imports of boxed beef from Canada.



The USDA planned to open the U.S. border on March 7 to Canadian cattle younger than 30 months old, saying those animals presented little or no risk for carrying mad cow disease. Scientists believe the brain-wasting disease needs several years to incubate within an animal's brain and nervous system.



On March 3, the U.S. Senate voted 52-46 to maintain a trade ban on Canadian cattle.

[Broke Cowboy]

Excuse my ignorance - as a legal beagle idiot. Does this mean Cebull runs this set of hearings as well?

thanks
BC

[PORKER]

HIS COURT ,HE Rules

[Moose]

What I understand is that Cebull will preside over the July court hearing also. I wonder why they bother as he already has his mind made up (or made up for him) I can only hope that our government will finally get it's head out of the sand and agree to start testing and expand our markets and slaughter capacity. Relying on the US as a market for anything is extremely foolish. (Unless of course if it's oil)

[Broke Cowboy]

Porker

Thanks for the info. I figure the Canucks are going to have to find a new market for the boxed beef as well, from the way I see it at present.

BC

[PORKER]

JUST start BSE testing everything and the Koreans and Japanese will beat your DOORS DOWN.

[Broke Cowboy]

Porker

Never will the Canucks test. Their government is too weak and simply unable to make a decision - they tend to be afraid to "offend" anyone.

BC

[Oldtimer]

[agman]

[PORKER]

Thus the ORDER from the appellate court that he MUST listen to the NMA's appeal for intervenor status after he outright rejected their request in his court.
Yes He'll listen and thats about it.This is what you get from the STATUS QUO ! The customers health is of no concern or the nations health 20 years from now.Sounds like the World Com deal,Just how much can we get away with and not hurt my pocketbook.The BIG Packers want control to fill their pockets either side of the border at everyones expence.The World is just so big.

[Tam]