Big Muddy rancher said:
The cost of testing. Figures thrown around from $18 to $28. Are the least of our worries. To hold the carcasses and offal for the results would slow line speed and productivity by 40 -60% . In Canada we now have 69 countries taking our beef. The biggest hold up right now in Canada is slaughter capacity. As we increase capacity we won't be held captive by limited competion for our cattle. We really have to be careful we don't set a precedent by testing for one country . We can sell all we produce, we just need more competition within Canada.
Testing is a tool to use for survallence purposes to determine the level of BSE. SRM removal makes the beef safe to eat. :cowboy:
FROM QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION AFTER WASHINGTON COW:
DR. DEHAVEN: “I would just reiterate that again the announcement today is an enhanced, more robust testing program for surveillance purposes which is separate and apart from the testing that you're referring to which is testing for marketability purposes and would test a different population of animals but be done for export or marketing purposes.
“We have those proposals or we have received such requests; those proposals are actively under consideration within the Department. I hesitate to make any prediction on how soon there might be a response or a decision with regard to those. I'd simply say that those proposals, we are aware of them, and they are actively under consideration within the Department at this point.
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Seems as though the USDA acknowledges that there is a such thing as "testing for marketability purposes" or "export marketing purposes".
We know how their decision went though.