Canadians Scared?-Or Not Proud of their Beef?

[DiamondSCattleCo]

We were told by the same people that BSE testing costs would fall on producers, too. That didn't make any sense, either.

More countries than not have COOL. Why don't they bring those countries as examples to show the "prohibitive expenses"?

BSE testing is a horse of a different color. If BSE testing was performed on export beef only or where the consumer demanded it (niche), the consumer would pick up the tab.

However, if we decided to move to 100% BSE testing on everything including domestic, historically the producer would pick up the tab as consumers would be unwilling to pay for something they didn't ask for.

I see COOL in the same light as 100% BSE testing in the domestic market. Consumers aren't asking for it. Therefore the producer would have to pay for it. Not a big deal, unfortunately the USDA has already proven itself incapable of handling it in the fish game without vast expenses.

You give us COOL that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg, and I'd support it. I think it would help Canadian beef and we could move from a commodity to a specialty product, raising the price of it to the point where it may make sense to ship to the US instead of other countries.

Rod

 

[Sandhusker]

What vast expenses, Rod?

COOL is not a new thing the US just came up with. Actually, the US is behind most of the world on this. If the others are doing it economicaly, why can't we? If it is costing others a great deal, why don't the opponents bring those examples?

This "consumers aren't asking for it" doesn't hold any water with me (were consumers asking for CAB?). Polls support it. It fits in with homeland security. Pair COOL with a checkoff that supports only our products and we've got the best weapon possible to combat the South American beef that Agman and his crew WILL be bringing up here.

 

[RobertMac]

You give us COOL that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg, and I'd support it.

Canadian beef that crosses the boarder TODAY is label for COOL...the only thing lacking is requiring that label to follow your meat to the consumer. VERY LITTLE TO NO ADDED EXPENSE!!!!!!!!!!! The only thing lost is the multi-national's ability to hide the origin. Branding live cattle and segregating processing is VERY LITTLE TO NO ADDED EXPENSE! What is lost is the ability of large processors to mix foreign cattle with domestic to hide the origin. Beginning to see a pattern?

The small USA plants (that Kato is SO worried about...and I say that with a high degree of sarcasms) would have an advantage over the 5000 hd/day processors and could process Canadian cattle with VERY LITTLE TO NO ADDED EXPENSE!

Same with BSE testing...small independents will have the advantage. Large processors would have to considerably slow the speed of their processing system and thereby loss their cost advantage with is a barrier to competition. Claims of a move to 100% testing is packer propaganda to instill fear in producers for the sole purpose of protecting their competition barriers. BSE testing is vital for exports and also will pick up a domestic niche. In fact, testing for BSE is vital for the survival of the beef industry...look at Japan.

As far as consumers asking for COOL, they weren't asking for COOL on catfish...it was the USA catfish industry because the consumer didn't know they were being duped. Domestic catfish producers see COOL as an asset...why don't beef producers?

COOL and BSE testing is a battle between small, independent processors AND producers against multi-national, generic commodity processors...our destiny is at stake!

 

[PORKER]

The cost to add the code for COOL labels is $0.0025 of a cent to every package of meat products. JUST how much does INK COST !!!!!!!!