Articles in this document:
U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification
OIE Ruling On US,Canada Cattle,Beef Draws Mixed Indus Reaction
U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification
Compiled By Staff
Western Farmer-Stockman
May 23, 2007
At its general session meetings in Paris Tuesday, the World Organization for Animal Health announced that it would formally reclassify the U.S. as a 'controlled risk' country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. A major U.S. cattle group and meat institute say "about time," while another cattle group wants a better classification.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association issued a statement saying its members are "pleased" with the decision by the international veterinary body, known by its French initials as the OIE.
NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud says the decision should pressure foreign markets to open to U.S. beef. According to USDA, 18 countries still have bans on U.S. beef, reaching back to the late 2003 discovery of a case of BSE in the U.S.
"It is simply unacceptable for such trade barriers to cause further economic damage to our industry," Doud says. "We expect this OIE categorization to trigger the lifting of long-standing political barriers to our products in various international markets."
The American Meat Institute said in a statement that it was "gratified" by the OIE's decision, and issued a more diplomatic request for the reopening of foreign markets: "We hope that this affirmation of the health of U.S. cattle herds and the safety of U.S. beef will give our trading partners full confidence."
Meanwhile, for R-CALF USA, the new classification is simply not enough. The group issued a statement disparaging "OIE's decision to lump the United States and Canada into the same risk category." While the group believes the U.S. deserved to receive the higher classification, R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard says USDA should seek the OIE's top BSE designation, that of a 'negligible risk.'
"Under a negligible risk, the most favorable designation of the OIE, a country cannot have had a BSE case born in the previous 11 years," Bullard says. "The younger of the two BSE cases detected in the U.S. was determined to be 10 years old, and this was more than a year ago. Therefore, as of today, the youngest case detected in the U.S. was born more than 11 years ago, meeting the standard for a BSE negligible risk country."
westernfarmerstockman.com
DJ OIE Ruling On US,Canada Cattle,Beef Draws Mixed Indus Reaction
Agriculture Online
3:25 PM, May 22, 2007
KANSAS CITY (Dow Jones)--Industry reaction to the World Organization for
Animal Health's grant of "controlled risk" status for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, was mixed Tuesday.
However, most industry associations and traders agreed that the ruling made
by the health body that often goes by its French initials, the OIE, during
meetings in Paris had the potential to increase beef exports. It was reacting
to requests from the two countries to designate them controlled risk, which
means their BSE-mitigation measures are adequate to control the disease's risk
to humans and livestock.
Since BSE was first detected in the U.S. in December 2003, U.S. cattle
producers have faced excessive trade barriers, with $4.8 billion in U.S. beef
and beef product exports banned from international export markets, said the
National Cattlemen's Beef Association in a release. The NCBA quoted U.S.
Department of Agriculture figures that said 86 countries are either fully or
partially opened to U.S. beef. Eighteen countries still have a ban in place.
Of the 86 currently open markets, 53 accept bone-in products, and 30 accept
product from animals over 30 months of age, the NCBA said.
The American Meat Institute said in a statement it was "gratified" by the
OIE's adoption of a recommendation to classify the U.S. as a controlled risk
country for BSE and hopes that this classification will restore U.S. beef
exports to pre-2004 levels.
USDA Secretary Mike Johanns said after the OIE announcement that the U.S.
would notify its trading partners and attempt to get them to commit to a
timetable that would expand access to their beef markets.
"This classification is a clear recognition of the U.S. beef industry's
proactive efforts to prevent, detect and control BSE," said AMI President
Patrick Boyle. He said no other nation took so many aggressive measures to
build firewalls to the disease before it was ever diagnosed within its borders.
"The U.S.' aggressive surveillance system, which exceeds international
guidelines, has confirmed that BSE is on its way out of North America. There is
no doubt: U.S. cattle are healthy and U.S. beef is safe."
"U.S. cattle producers are pleased the OIE has voted to classify the U.S. as
a 'controlled risk' country for BSE," said NCBA Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth
Parker, who is in Paris for the meetings. "We have taken progressive steps to
eradicate BSE for almost two decades, and our extensive testing proves these
steps have worked. In addition, our concrete system of science-based firewalls
ensures the BSE agent does not enter the food or animal feed supply."
NCBA will continue to urge the U.S. government to demand free, fair and
reliable trading practices and a full re-opening of other countries' borders to
U.S. products, the release said.
But some traders expressed reservations about Canada being granted the same
controlled risk status as the U.S. One trader said he was concerned about the
number of Canadian cases that have cropped up in cattle that are much younger
than the Canadian ban on feeding rendered ruminant by-products back to cattle.
"It shows there was something wrong with feed ban compliance in the early
years" of the ban, the trader said.
In essence, the trader was echoing the concerns of R-CALF United Stockgrowers
of America, which said it was it was disappointed to learn that the USDA did
not aggressively seek an even more favorable disease risk classification for
the U.S. cattle industry from the OIE.
"According to media reports, (the) USDA is well satisfied with OIE's decision
to lump the U.S. and Canada into the same risk category for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, classifying both countries as a 'controlled' risk for the
disease," R-CALF USA said in its statement.
"The question of whether the U.S. at least meets OIE's controlled risk
category for BSE has never been disputed," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.
"The real question is why didn't USDA seek the more favorable category of a BSE
'negligible' risk country?
"Under a negligible risk, the most favorable designation of the OIE, a
country cannot have had a BSE case born in the previous 11 years," he said.
"The younger of the two BSE cases detected in the U.S. was determined to be 10
years old, and this was more than a year ago. Therefore, as of today, the
youngest case detected in the U.S. was born more than 11 years ago, meeting the
standard for a BSE negligible risk country."
"The problem with lumping the U.S. into the same category as Canada is that
the rest of the world knows that Canada has an inherently higher risk for BSE
than the U.S., so the U.S. has basically sold itself short," Bullard said.
"Canada has had six cases of BSE born after its feed ban, the youngest being
born in 2002," he noted. "This suggests that Canada's feed ban has not been
effective in halting the spread of the disease. There is no evidence - despite
the U.S. having tested hundreds of thousands more cattle than has Canada - to
suggest that the U.S. feed ban was not effective in preventing the spread of
the disease here in the U.S."
-By Lester Aldrich; Dow Jones Newswires
agriculture.com
U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification
OIE Ruling On US,Canada Cattle,Beef Draws Mixed Indus Reaction
U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification
Compiled By Staff
Western Farmer-Stockman
May 23, 2007
At its general session meetings in Paris Tuesday, the World Organization for Animal Health announced that it would formally reclassify the U.S. as a 'controlled risk' country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. A major U.S. cattle group and meat institute say "about time," while another cattle group wants a better classification.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association issued a statement saying its members are "pleased" with the decision by the international veterinary body, known by its French initials as the OIE.
NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud says the decision should pressure foreign markets to open to U.S. beef. According to USDA, 18 countries still have bans on U.S. beef, reaching back to the late 2003 discovery of a case of BSE in the U.S.
"It is simply unacceptable for such trade barriers to cause further economic damage to our industry," Doud says. "We expect this OIE categorization to trigger the lifting of long-standing political barriers to our products in various international markets."
The American Meat Institute said in a statement that it was "gratified" by the OIE's decision, and issued a more diplomatic request for the reopening of foreign markets: "We hope that this affirmation of the health of U.S. cattle herds and the safety of U.S. beef will give our trading partners full confidence."
Meanwhile, for R-CALF USA, the new classification is simply not enough. The group issued a statement disparaging "OIE's decision to lump the United States and Canada into the same risk category." While the group believes the U.S. deserved to receive the higher classification, R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard says USDA should seek the OIE's top BSE designation, that of a 'negligible risk.'
"Under a negligible risk, the most favorable designation of the OIE, a country cannot have had a BSE case born in the previous 11 years," Bullard says. "The younger of the two BSE cases detected in the U.S. was determined to be 10 years old, and this was more than a year ago. Therefore, as of today, the youngest case detected in the U.S. was born more than 11 years ago, meeting the standard for a BSE negligible risk country."
westernfarmerstockman.com
DJ OIE Ruling On US,Canada Cattle,Beef Draws Mixed Indus Reaction
Agriculture Online
3:25 PM, May 22, 2007
KANSAS CITY (Dow Jones)--Industry reaction to the World Organization for
Animal Health's grant of "controlled risk" status for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, was mixed Tuesday.
However, most industry associations and traders agreed that the ruling made
by the health body that often goes by its French initials, the OIE, during
meetings in Paris had the potential to increase beef exports. It was reacting
to requests from the two countries to designate them controlled risk, which
means their BSE-mitigation measures are adequate to control the disease's risk
to humans and livestock.
Since BSE was first detected in the U.S. in December 2003, U.S. cattle
producers have faced excessive trade barriers, with $4.8 billion in U.S. beef
and beef product exports banned from international export markets, said the
National Cattlemen's Beef Association in a release. The NCBA quoted U.S.
Department of Agriculture figures that said 86 countries are either fully or
partially opened to U.S. beef. Eighteen countries still have a ban in place.
Of the 86 currently open markets, 53 accept bone-in products, and 30 accept
product from animals over 30 months of age, the NCBA said.
The American Meat Institute said in a statement it was "gratified" by the
OIE's adoption of a recommendation to classify the U.S. as a controlled risk
country for BSE and hopes that this classification will restore U.S. beef
exports to pre-2004 levels.
USDA Secretary Mike Johanns said after the OIE announcement that the U.S.
would notify its trading partners and attempt to get them to commit to a
timetable that would expand access to their beef markets.
"This classification is a clear recognition of the U.S. beef industry's
proactive efforts to prevent, detect and control BSE," said AMI President
Patrick Boyle. He said no other nation took so many aggressive measures to
build firewalls to the disease before it was ever diagnosed within its borders.
"The U.S.' aggressive surveillance system, which exceeds international
guidelines, has confirmed that BSE is on its way out of North America. There is
no doubt: U.S. cattle are healthy and U.S. beef is safe."
"U.S. cattle producers are pleased the OIE has voted to classify the U.S. as
a 'controlled risk' country for BSE," said NCBA Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth
Parker, who is in Paris for the meetings. "We have taken progressive steps to
eradicate BSE for almost two decades, and our extensive testing proves these
steps have worked. In addition, our concrete system of science-based firewalls
ensures the BSE agent does not enter the food or animal feed supply."
NCBA will continue to urge the U.S. government to demand free, fair and
reliable trading practices and a full re-opening of other countries' borders to
U.S. products, the release said.
But some traders expressed reservations about Canada being granted the same
controlled risk status as the U.S. One trader said he was concerned about the
number of Canadian cases that have cropped up in cattle that are much younger
than the Canadian ban on feeding rendered ruminant by-products back to cattle.
"It shows there was something wrong with feed ban compliance in the early
years" of the ban, the trader said.
In essence, the trader was echoing the concerns of R-CALF United Stockgrowers
of America, which said it was it was disappointed to learn that the USDA did
not aggressively seek an even more favorable disease risk classification for
the U.S. cattle industry from the OIE.
"According to media reports, (the) USDA is well satisfied with OIE's decision
to lump the U.S. and Canada into the same risk category for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, classifying both countries as a 'controlled' risk for the
disease," R-CALF USA said in its statement.
"The question of whether the U.S. at least meets OIE's controlled risk
category for BSE has never been disputed," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.
"The real question is why didn't USDA seek the more favorable category of a BSE
'negligible' risk country?
"Under a negligible risk, the most favorable designation of the OIE, a
country cannot have had a BSE case born in the previous 11 years," he said.
"The younger of the two BSE cases detected in the U.S. was determined to be 10
years old, and this was more than a year ago. Therefore, as of today, the
youngest case detected in the U.S. was born more than 11 years ago, meeting the
standard for a BSE negligible risk country."
"The problem with lumping the U.S. into the same category as Canada is that
the rest of the world knows that Canada has an inherently higher risk for BSE
than the U.S., so the U.S. has basically sold itself short," Bullard said.
"Canada has had six cases of BSE born after its feed ban, the youngest being
born in 2002," he noted. "This suggests that Canada's feed ban has not been
effective in halting the spread of the disease. There is no evidence - despite
the U.S. having tested hundreds of thousands more cattle than has Canada - to
suggest that the U.S. feed ban was not effective in preventing the spread of
the disease here in the U.S."
-By Lester Aldrich; Dow Jones Newswires
agriculture.com