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/Cattle producers press USDA, Congress for import reforms
By R-CALF USA media release
Jul 22, 2006
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Billings, Mont.) - R-CALF USA President and Region V Director Chuck Kiker today sent letters to members of Congress and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to request immediate policy reforms regarding import regulations for imports of Canadian cattle and beef, as well as immediate action to make certain consumers can differentiate U.S. beef from foreign beef. These urgent suggestions were made in light of Thursday's confirmation by Canadian officials of its ninth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) overall, this one in a 50-month-old cow, the youngest animal yet. Four of the Canadian cases were in animals born after implementation of its 1997 feed ban.
The letter to Johanns stated in part: "We believe U.S. cattle producers can prosper if we are allowed to compete in an open market where our import standards are upwardly harmonized with the rest of the world's, where market access is granted in an equitable and reciprocal manner, and where consumers everywhere can exercise their right to choose U.S. beef...R-CALF USA proposes a plan for action to help restore the competitiveness of U.S. cattle producers. We hope you will consider these proposals and lend them your support.
1) USDA should postpone indefinitely the proposal to allow from Canada imports of cattle over 30 months of age and beef from cattle over 30 months of age from Canada. U.S. trading partners around the world have continued to be concerned about purchasing beef because it is commingled with Canadian beef. Now is not the time to further weaken our import standards below those of our trading partners.
2) USDA should rescind its Final Rule and close the Canadian border to beef and cattle imports until the U.S. implements BSE import standards that reflect the consensus among BSE-affected countries and beef importing countries. Our standards should mirror those that exist abroad, not be lower than those of our competitors. Strong, science-based import standards not only protect animal health and consumer safety, they also remove a justification for continued restrictions on U.S. exports.
3) USDA should cease its policy of granting access to the U.S. market before we regain access to foreign export markets. Trade must be equitable and reciprocal, not a one-way street. We cannot sustain the gaping trade deficit in cattle and beef that results from these imbalanced market access opportunities.
4) USDA should ensure that beef produced exclusively from U.S. cattle can easily be differentiated by consumers in the U.S. and abroad. Packers already are required to develop differentiation techniques in order to meet certain countries' import requirements, so there is no reason the same process cannot be used to allow all consumers to exercise their right to choose 100 percent U.S. beef.
The letter to Congress also included the above requests made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and also explained R-CALF USA's deep concern with USDA's proposal to lower import standards related to BSE, particularly in light of BSE problems in the Canadian cattle herd that appear more serious than USDA originally assumed.
The letter to Congress stated in part: "USDA needs to put its newest proposal on hold and rescind its previous action pending a more thorough evaluation of Canada's BSE problem to ensure that U.S. standards are sufficient to address the risks posed by imports of Canadian cattle and beef."
The letter also outlined three policy approaches that have hampered the ability of U.S. cattle producers to effectively compete in the global marketplace:
1) U.S. import standards for cattle and beef are already lower than the standards our own exports must meet in many other countries - lowering U.S. standards even further, as proposed by USDA, will exacerbate this imbalance.
2) The U.S. grants expanded access to our market for imports of cattle and beef before our access to lost export markets is fully restored, enabling important export customers to drag their feet on market access as imports gain a growing share of the U.S. market.
3) Imported meat, and meat from imported animals, is commingled with U.S. beef, and thus consumers both at home and abroad are unable to clearly differentiate U.S. product.
"Our trading partners cite these policies in their refusal to re-open their markets to U.S. beef. For example, South Korea recently announced it would not resume imports of U.S. beef until it was assured that it would not be commingled with Canadian product," Kiker wrote. "These policies severely undercut U.S. cattle producers. U.S. cattle producers live up to the highest health and safety standards at home, but we cannot market our product based on compliance with these standards when consumers in the U.S. and overseas cannot distinguish our U.S. beef from foreign product."
Kiker also requested Congressional oversight hearings to review USDA's import standards for cattle and beef.
To view the letters and supporting background information, visit www.r-calfusa.com, and go to the "BSE - Litigation" link.
R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on domestic and international trade and marketing issues. R-CALF USA, a national, non-profit organization, is dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALF USA's membership consists primarily of cow/calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and feedlot owners. Its members - over 18,000 strong - are located in 47 states, and the organization has over 60 local and state association affiliates, from both cattle and farm organizations. Various main street businesses are associate members of R-CALF USA. For more information, visit http://www.r-calfusa.com/ or, call 406-252-2516.
© Copyright 2002-2006 by North Texas e-News, llc
to
North Texas
e-News!
/Cattle producers press USDA, Congress for import reforms
By R-CALF USA media release
Jul 22, 2006
Email this article
Print this page
Billings, Mont.) - R-CALF USA President and Region V Director Chuck Kiker today sent letters to members of Congress and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to request immediate policy reforms regarding import regulations for imports of Canadian cattle and beef, as well as immediate action to make certain consumers can differentiate U.S. beef from foreign beef. These urgent suggestions were made in light of Thursday's confirmation by Canadian officials of its ninth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) overall, this one in a 50-month-old cow, the youngest animal yet. Four of the Canadian cases were in animals born after implementation of its 1997 feed ban.
The letter to Johanns stated in part: "We believe U.S. cattle producers can prosper if we are allowed to compete in an open market where our import standards are upwardly harmonized with the rest of the world's, where market access is granted in an equitable and reciprocal manner, and where consumers everywhere can exercise their right to choose U.S. beef...R-CALF USA proposes a plan for action to help restore the competitiveness of U.S. cattle producers. We hope you will consider these proposals and lend them your support.
1) USDA should postpone indefinitely the proposal to allow from Canada imports of cattle over 30 months of age and beef from cattle over 30 months of age from Canada. U.S. trading partners around the world have continued to be concerned about purchasing beef because it is commingled with Canadian beef. Now is not the time to further weaken our import standards below those of our trading partners.
2) USDA should rescind its Final Rule and close the Canadian border to beef and cattle imports until the U.S. implements BSE import standards that reflect the consensus among BSE-affected countries and beef importing countries. Our standards should mirror those that exist abroad, not be lower than those of our competitors. Strong, science-based import standards not only protect animal health and consumer safety, they also remove a justification for continued restrictions on U.S. exports.
3) USDA should cease its policy of granting access to the U.S. market before we regain access to foreign export markets. Trade must be equitable and reciprocal, not a one-way street. We cannot sustain the gaping trade deficit in cattle and beef that results from these imbalanced market access opportunities.
4) USDA should ensure that beef produced exclusively from U.S. cattle can easily be differentiated by consumers in the U.S. and abroad. Packers already are required to develop differentiation techniques in order to meet certain countries' import requirements, so there is no reason the same process cannot be used to allow all consumers to exercise their right to choose 100 percent U.S. beef.
The letter to Congress also included the above requests made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and also explained R-CALF USA's deep concern with USDA's proposal to lower import standards related to BSE, particularly in light of BSE problems in the Canadian cattle herd that appear more serious than USDA originally assumed.
The letter to Congress stated in part: "USDA needs to put its newest proposal on hold and rescind its previous action pending a more thorough evaluation of Canada's BSE problem to ensure that U.S. standards are sufficient to address the risks posed by imports of Canadian cattle and beef."
The letter also outlined three policy approaches that have hampered the ability of U.S. cattle producers to effectively compete in the global marketplace:
1) U.S. import standards for cattle and beef are already lower than the standards our own exports must meet in many other countries - lowering U.S. standards even further, as proposed by USDA, will exacerbate this imbalance.
2) The U.S. grants expanded access to our market for imports of cattle and beef before our access to lost export markets is fully restored, enabling important export customers to drag their feet on market access as imports gain a growing share of the U.S. market.
3) Imported meat, and meat from imported animals, is commingled with U.S. beef, and thus consumers both at home and abroad are unable to clearly differentiate U.S. product.
"Our trading partners cite these policies in their refusal to re-open their markets to U.S. beef. For example, South Korea recently announced it would not resume imports of U.S. beef until it was assured that it would not be commingled with Canadian product," Kiker wrote. "These policies severely undercut U.S. cattle producers. U.S. cattle producers live up to the highest health and safety standards at home, but we cannot market our product based on compliance with these standards when consumers in the U.S. and overseas cannot distinguish our U.S. beef from foreign product."
Kiker also requested Congressional oversight hearings to review USDA's import standards for cattle and beef.
To view the letters and supporting background information, visit www.r-calfusa.com, and go to the "BSE - Litigation" link.
R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on domestic and international trade and marketing issues. R-CALF USA, a national, non-profit organization, is dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALF USA's membership consists primarily of cow/calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and feedlot owners. Its members - over 18,000 strong - are located in 47 states, and the organization has over 60 local and state association affiliates, from both cattle and farm organizations. Various main street businesses are associate members of R-CALF USA. For more information, visit http://www.r-calfusa.com/ or, call 406-252-2516.
© Copyright 2002-2006 by North Texas e-News, llc