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BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Colorado Gov. Bill Owens said Monday it is "hypocrisy" for the United States to pressure Japan to lift a ban on U.S. beef over mad cow concerns while banning Canadian beef for the same reason.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT PART, WE ARE TAKING CANADA'S BEEF.
"It's this sort of hypocrisy that makes it very difficult for the U.S. to win any sort of trade war," Owens said at the Western Governors' Association meeting.
Owens and other governors said the U.S. action is encouraging Canada to build its own meatpacking plants, instead of relying on plants south of its border, and taking away jobs in Western states.
The premiers of two Canadian provinces told the governors the U.S. ban had gone on long enough.
"It's time for this nonsense to stop," Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said.
Klein said animals have been crossing the Canadian-U.S. border for years without problems. He said the ban is hurting both countries.
Saskatchewan Premier Loren Calvert said both countries need to eliminate agriculture subsidies and promote free trade.
"I'm not sure this is beneficially mutual for either of us," he said.
Only one case of mad cow disease has been confirmed in the United States, in a dairy cow in Washington state in December 2003. Since then, preliminary tests indicated the existence of the disease in three cows, but subsequent tests ruled out any infection.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns told the governors that public reaction was mild after additional tests performed on one of the three cows turned up positive last week.
Johanns said additional tests have been ordered, but all three cows were kept out of the food chain.
"The fact is, the safeguards did work," Johanns said.
Johanns said the new test result should not interfere with efforts to persuade foreign beef customers to reopen their markets. Dozens of countries banned U.S. beef imports after the Washington state case. Japan, once the biggest customer of U.S. beef, has not yet lifted its ban despite agreeing to do so last fall.
The United States imposed a ban on Canadian cattle imports after the first mad cow case there in May 2003. The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to reopen the border in March, but a federal judge in Billings, Mont., ordered it be kept closed at the request of ranchers suing to block Canadian cattle imports.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT PART, WE ARE TAKING CANADA'S BEEF.
"It's this sort of hypocrisy that makes it very difficult for the U.S. to win any sort of trade war," Owens said at the Western Governors' Association meeting.
Owens and other governors said the U.S. action is encouraging Canada to build its own meatpacking plants, instead of relying on plants south of its border, and taking away jobs in Western states.
The premiers of two Canadian provinces told the governors the U.S. ban had gone on long enough.
"It's time for this nonsense to stop," Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said.
Klein said animals have been crossing the Canadian-U.S. border for years without problems. He said the ban is hurting both countries.
Saskatchewan Premier Loren Calvert said both countries need to eliminate agriculture subsidies and promote free trade.
"I'm not sure this is beneficially mutual for either of us," he said.
Only one case of mad cow disease has been confirmed in the United States, in a dairy cow in Washington state in December 2003. Since then, preliminary tests indicated the existence of the disease in three cows, but subsequent tests ruled out any infection.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns told the governors that public reaction was mild after additional tests performed on one of the three cows turned up positive last week.
Johanns said additional tests have been ordered, but all three cows were kept out of the food chain.
"The fact is, the safeguards did work," Johanns said.
Johanns said the new test result should not interfere with efforts to persuade foreign beef customers to reopen their markets. Dozens of countries banned U.S. beef imports after the Washington state case. Japan, once the biggest customer of U.S. beef, has not yet lifted its ban despite agreeing to do so last fall.
The United States imposed a ban on Canadian cattle imports after the first mad cow case there in May 2003. The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to reopen the border in March, but a federal judge in Billings, Mont., ordered it be kept closed at the request of ranchers suing to block Canadian cattle imports.
