CONSUMER GROUPS BLAST SAFETY OF U.S. BEEF SUPPLY
Denver, Colo. - The Cattlemen's Competitive Marketing Project (CCMP) filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of R-CALF USDA's challenge to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Minimal Risk Rule. CCMP is a lobbying organization operated by the Organization for Competitive Marketing (OCM) and R-CALF.
Cosigners to the amicus brief include consumer activist groups Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and Public Citizen. "It is a historic and sad day when cattle producers provide an open mic to activist groups who have worked 20 years to take beef off Americas' plates," said Jim McAdams, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
During the call, neither CFA or Public Citizen discussed the Canadian food safety system or it's BSE mitigation measures. Their statements were wholly directed at what these groups claim are failings in the United States beef production system.
CFA spokesperson Chris Waldrop said that since the first cow was found in Washington state, USDA has failed to protect U.S. consumers from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Waldrop called the USDA regulations and enforcement "little more than promise and paper checks" to keep the beef supply safe. He said the USDA rule on specified risk materials (SRM) removal is inadequate, and the FDA feed ban still allows "infectious materials" to be fed to cattle.
Waldrop concluded this "does not inspire confidence that our government is protecting public health."
Public Citizen's representative Patricia Loverna agreed, saying, "Given that we have these concerns with the domestic system, it doesn't make sense to open the border."