Canadian mad cow cases threaten trade with US
ABC Online - Australia
By Matt Kaye
Monday, 12/02/2007
Canadian authorities have found another case of mad cow disease, prompting a call from United States farm groups to abandon plans to expand trade between the two countries.
The US Agriculture Department (USDA) has dispatched an expert to Canada to participate in Canada's probe of its latest of several mad cow cases.
But USDA is not pulling back a pending rule to expand cattle and beef trade with Canada, even as US groups like the National Farmers Union (NFU) call for that.
NFU spokesman Bart Chilton is worried about US markets.
"This intermingling between Canada and the US, when they don't have their act together, is deeply troubling for many US producers," he said.
The US is already struggling to reopen or fully restore top markets Korea and Japan.
The US National Cattlemens Beef Association wants an animal ID system to track Canadian animals before any expansion of trade.
ABC Online - Australia
By Matt Kaye
Monday, 12/02/2007
Canadian authorities have found another case of mad cow disease, prompting a call from United States farm groups to abandon plans to expand trade between the two countries.
The US Agriculture Department (USDA) has dispatched an expert to Canada to participate in Canada's probe of its latest of several mad cow cases.
But USDA is not pulling back a pending rule to expand cattle and beef trade with Canada, even as US groups like the National Farmers Union (NFU) call for that.
NFU spokesman Bart Chilton is worried about US markets.
"This intermingling between Canada and the US, when they don't have their act together, is deeply troubling for many US producers," he said.
The US is already struggling to reopen or fully restore top markets Korea and Japan.
The US National Cattlemens Beef Association wants an animal ID system to track Canadian animals before any expansion of trade.