Beef producers challenge R-CALF

[frenchie]

Beef producers challenge R-CALF
this document web posted: Wednesday April 6, 2005 20050407p4

By Ed White
Winnipeg bureau

A group of Canadian farmers is proceeding with a class action lawsuit against an American farmers' group that has caused the border to be closed to Canadian cattle.

Organizer John Morrison said he hopes the suit, which has not yet been filed, will punish and destroy R-CALF.

"We feel the Canadian industry is safer than the U.S. industry," said Morrison during an auction day at Winnipeg Livestock Sales.

"We definitely have a better cattle production."

Morrison said his group, which calls itself Fair Market Beef, wants to force R-CALF to post a bond of $7-$10 million for each day the U.S. border remains closed to Canadian cattle.

Morrison said that is how much the border closure is hurting Canadian producers. Posting such a large bond would cripple or bankrupt R-CALF, he said.

The loosely organized group doesn't yet know exactly what kind of lawsuit it will launch.

"I'm not a lawyer," Morrison said. "I don't really know which direction we're going."

Volunteers across the Prairies are collecting $20 cheques from producers to fund the lawsuit, Morrison said.

The lawsuit is expected to be filed in a federal court in Montana where R-CALF managed to win an injunction that has kept the border closed.

Fair Market Beef has received little concrete support from other farm groups or provincial governments, but Morrison expects tens of thousands of individual farmers to sign up and send their cheques

 

[Anonymous]

Organizer John Morrison said he hopes the suit, which has not yet been filed, will punish and destroy R-CALF.

Now theres a statment that will bring sympathy from a Judge or Jury :roll: "We Want to Destroy Them- We Have No Issues- Just Revenge" :shock:

 

[Sandhusker]

Yep, R-CALF is the cause of all of their problems. Get rid of R-CALF and everything will be daisys and daffodils. :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like there is enough BS to go around.--

"We feel the Canadian industry is safer than the U.S. industry," said Morrison during an auction day at Winnipeg Livestock Sales.

Fact: The only cow in the US that has tested positive for BSE (so far), was imported from Canada.

Fact: Canada has had other cattle test positve for BSE.

I do not think of BSE as a big risk to consumers, but a statment like Mr. Morrison's is ignorant.


I am all for trade when our export markets open again, but give me one good reason why we should until that becomes reality. Don't give me the NAFTA agreement angle. That changed when we lost our export market becuase of the BSE cow.

 

[don]

jake: I am all for trade when our export markets open again, but give me one good reason why we should until that becomes reality

your markets will open again when you get some credibility with the rest of the world. the longer you run this phony testing system the longer japan will stall and dither over opening up. if the world believed the gospel according to usda you would have all your markets back. your only bse positive was a canadian born cow and in the past that has been excused and you would have been deemed bse free just as canada was in the early '90's. the fact that canada is now finding cases and we have had harmonized regs. and open borders tells the rest of the world it is highly likely you have it too. add in the whistle blowers and the blatant avoidance of testing high risk animals and the world is calling you a liar. your senators are, i'm sure, sources of amusement to the japanese and old condi didn't seem to have much luck telling the japanese how it was gonna go so maybe look inside your borders for the problem.

 

[Bill]

Yep, R-CALF is the cause of all of their problems. Get rid of R-CALF and everything will be daisys and daffodils. :roll:

I don't buy the notion that R-Calf is the cause of all Canadian probblems but no North American c/calf producer will be immune to the devastation that will happen when a couple of US cases are announced given the approach taken by R-Calf. The money gathered to support R-Calf through the calf auctions will be minute to that needed to regain American consumer confidence. Daisys and daffodils won't be enough to brighten up the R.I.P. the cattle industry may face in both our countries.

 

[SASH]

BS! Consumer confidence didn't drop off after YOUR CANADIAN cow was found with BSE in Washington, if it is ever found in the US then I expect consumer confidence to reamain high. Tell me how is your consumer confidence in Canada? Finding TWO BSE COWS in one week didn't destroy your domestic demand did it????? Please tell me why it will be different in the US. Your hatred for R-Calf clouds everything you say. You guys are pathetic.

The whole US testing system is questionable at best. They are using a very old test just so they can say that they are testing for BSE. They also aren't testing for prevalence and the testing is much more selective than the Canadian herd. Most US consumers are not aware of the shortcomings in the US testing system but they will be if a domestic case is found. Good Luck with that.

 

[Tam]

Yep, R-CALF is the cause of all of their problems. Get rid of R-CALF and everything will be daisys and daffodils. :roll:

I don't buy the notion that R-Calf is the cause of all Canadian probblems but no North American c/calf producer will be immune to the devastation that will happen when a couple of US cases are announced given the approach taken by R-Calf. The money gathered to support R-Calf through the calf auctions will be minute to that needed to regain American consumer confidence. Daisys and daffodils won't be enough to brighten up the R.I.P. the cattle industry may face in both our countries.

BS! Consumer confidence didn't drop off after YOUR CANADIAN cow was found with BSE in Washington, if it is ever found in the US then I expect consumer confidence to reamain high. Tell me how is your consumer confidence in Canada? Finding TWO BSE COWS in one week didn't destroy your domestic demand did it????? Please tell me why it will be different in the US. Your hatred for R-Calf clouds everything you say. You guys are pathetic.

Our Consumer demand rose after we found BSE but we also had good records and a record fast effective investigation into all cases to reassure them that we care about their safety. If the Washington cow hadn't been a Canadian cow traced back to Canada could the US have found all the animals involved? They couldn't even find the 81 imported with her or her calf. The OIE told them to call off looking for them. Have they found the ones imported to the US that were birth cohorts of the last two BSE postitive cows in Canada?

The different is we have told our consumers all long the truth. We have been telling our Consumers that because of all the precautionary measures we have put in place we are providing them with a safe product. Since our three cases didn't make it into our food chain they see that those precautionary measures worked and since we are doing the OIE recommended testing and it has only turned up a couple other cases that reassures them that our feed ban also worked to stop the spread. We have not been lieing to our consumers to protect something that will fast disappear if BSE is admitted to in the US, your High cattle prices. We have not been standing hand in hand with the likes of PETA and bad mouthing another countries beef to the point of destroying any hope of maintaining the consumer confidence we have. We have not been telling our consumers that even though we have a feed ban it is not being complied to and it is putting our herd in danger. And we are not telling them even though we have slaughter plant regulations we can't trust them to comply so if we import cattle your lives will be put in danger. Maybe you should stop and think about the stories R-CALF is using to protect your high cattle prices and think about what is going to happen when you consumers learn the TRUTH about BSE in the US

 

[Bill]

Yep, R-CALF is the cause of all of their problems. Get rid of R-CALF and everything will be daisys and daffodils. :roll:

I don't buy the notion that R-Calf is the cause of all Canadian problems but no North American c/calf producer will be immune to the devastation that will happen when a couple of US cases are announced given the approach taken by R-Calf. The money gathered to support R-Calf through the calf auctions will be minute to that needed to regain American consumer confidence. Daisys and daffodils won't be enough to brighten up the R.I.P. the cattle industry may face in both our countries.

BS! Consumer confidence didn't drop off after YOUR CANADIAN cow was found with BSE in Washington, if it is ever found in the US then I expect consumer confidence to reamain high. Tell me how is your consumer confidence in Canada? Finding TWO BSE COWS in one week didn't destroy your domestic demand did it????? Please tell me why it will be different in the US. Your hatred for R-Calf clouds everything you say. You guys are pathetic.

Consumer confidence did not drop off because the truth was told both on May 20, 2003 and when your US case was announced. The risk to human health is very, very low. It was NCBA that led the charge in making sure at least some of the facts were told. Since then R-calf has cranked up the music in an attempt to gain NEGATIVE National media attention and they aren't stopping.

See the difference?

Consumer confidence in Canada has been and continues to be exceptional because our cattle orgs. are dealing with the media properly and are trying to find solutions while maintaining beef demand not trying to fan the flame like the group you are so proud of.

You seem to be the sort that used to (or maybe still do) play with fire.
Be careful you don't get burned.

 

[frenchie]

Organizer John Morrison said he hopes the suit, which has not yet been filed, will punish and destroy R-CALF.

Now theres a statment that will bring sympathy from a Judge or Jury :roll: "We Want to Destroy Them- We Have No Issues- Just Revenge" :shock:

WHAT A JOKE! :lol:

Just like you mommas boy