COMSTOCK REPORT
*** Covering Rear Ends ***
Covering Rear Ends. That's what reopening the border to Canadian cattle and
the subsequent posturing is mostly about. President Bush, pressured by the
Canadian Prime Minister, pledged to open the U.S. border to Canadian cattle
imports. When George W. pledges something, he doesn?t renege no matter what.
It doesn?t matter if he's proven wrong, his constituency views stubborn error
as preferable to flip-flopping. If a court finds fault with USDA rules, George
W. can't help that. He pledged to the Canadian Prime Minister that the
government would do everything it could to reopen the border. OMB and USDA
executed the President's orders.
The U.S. government is working to meet its commitment to the Canadian
government to the full limits of power of the executive branch. U.S. beef
processors cheered the process and aided the effort. The interests of U.S.
cattlemen were ignored in both the policy and politics. Anything to stop it
will come from either legislative or judicial efforts. George W.'s rear end is
covered. Even if blocked by legislative or judicial roadblocks, he's fulfilled
his commitment.
The NCBA has belatedly moved to cover its rear end. The first time the USDA
attempted to reopen the Canadian border, they failed to follow the rules
process. The NCBA cheered them on. R-CALF blocked the attempt with a court
ordered injunction or we wouldn't even be debating the current set of USDA
rules the NCBA belatedly finds it too, opposes. If it had been left up to the
NCBA, the Canadian border would have been open without rules last year. The
NCBA criticized R-CALF and pushed the USDA to move ahead with the rules
process. The NCBA was deeply involved in the USDA rules writing process so the
rules as announced by the USDA had the signature of the NCBA on them. The NCBA
put as much work into opening the Canadian border to imports as it has
reopening Asian markets to exports. Now in the ninth inning, NCBA membership
suddenly decides they are on the wrong team.
The media has been calling it a "membership rebellion". I'd call it an
exercise in amazing stupidity. However you describe it, the NCBA is flip-
flopping policy 180 degrees, at least on paper. The reason was self-
preservation. NCBA policy relative to opening the Canadian border has never
been grassroots policy. Every poll, every survey taken showed NCBA policy at
odds with cattlemen. The ninth inning epiphany was that if they kept on
supporting the USDA and President as they had been doing, they wouldn't have
had any members left. They'd have all joined R-CALF. The NCBA is already all
hat and no cattle but they wouldn't have been able to keep up the deception of
being a producer organization with no producers as members. Current NCBA
policy was poised to destroy the NCBA, R-CALF membership was surging and tens
of thousands of dollars was pouring into the R-CALF litigation fund from
grassroots cattlemen in a manner the NCBA has never been able to attract.
One new R-CALF member who attended the Black Hills Stock Show told me
people in front of the R-CALF booth were standing 10 deep. The NCBA has a
member relations disaster on its hands and its rear end was totally exposed,
about to be kicked. Their support for opening the Canadian border came to a
screeching, tire burning, brake-pad smoking halt and the NCBA went to crisis
management mode, this time in self-preservation.
The result is left open to interpretation but according to their press
release, "NCBA will work to resolve a list of conditions before trade is
resumed. These include: 1. Prohibit the importation of cattle and beef
products from cattle more than 30 months of age. 2. Assurance that all
Canadian firewalls to prevent BSE, specifically adherence to their feed ban,
are functioning properly. 3. No feeder cattle imported until agreement is
reached on harmonization of animal health standards, especially bluetongue and
anaplasmosis. 4. Movement of Canadian cattle into the United States must be
managed to minimize market disruptions. 5. Fed cattle imported for immediate
slaughter must be certified to be less than 30 months of age at the time of
importation. 6. Ban the use of fetal bovine serum from heifers imported for
immediate slaughter. 7. USDA grades and stamps not be allowed on any imported
beef product. 8. Feeder cattle must be branded with a "CAN," individually
identified with an ear tag, certified to be less than 30 months of age at time
of slaughter, shipped in sealed trucks from the border directly to an approved
feedlot, then moved directly in sealed trucks to slaughter. 9. Feeder heifers
imported into the United States from Canada must be spayed. 10. USDA must work
with our primary trading partners to ensure that expanded export access for
U.S. beef is not in any way jeopardized by expanded importation of cattle and
beef from Canada. 11. The Administration must reach an agreement to re-
establish beef and beef by-product trade with Japan, South Korea and Mexico,
and apply economic sanctions if necessary."
That's about as 180 degree opposite previous NCBA policy as one could get.
What happens next? The powers behind the NCBA would not support this new
direction. Chandler Keys staff-types make policy by the manner in which they
implement policy. If they agree with it, they push it. If they don't, they go
on vacation. Much of the NCBA staff and leadership will go on vacation rather
than implement the new policy. NCBA leadership already ruled out litigation.
It would be too late for them to put together a legal challenge before March
7th. They will not back R-CALF litigation simply because it would be an
admission of their previous stupidity. They will attempt to gain some partial
face-saving concessions from the USDA to take credit for. Ag Secretary Johanns
will likely drop the rule allowing old cow beef to be imported. It would
appear to me that that was part of their strategy all a long. They put that
rule in just so that they would have something to concede for appearance sake
or to give the AMI lawsuit against the initial ban merit.
Will the NCBA put forth a full blown legislative effort to block reopening
the border until their conditions are met? Key Congressional leadership works
for packers and George W., not cattlemen. The NCBA will find that out being on
the other side. The NCBA policy shift is primarily self-preservation with
membership. That's its first objective. It put new policy on the books so they
can now say regardless of what happens that they opposed reopening the
Canadian border. That is supposed to cover their rear end. But it won't help
the smell.
****************************************
*** Covering Rear Ends ***
Covering Rear Ends. That's what reopening the border to Canadian cattle and
the subsequent posturing is mostly about. President Bush, pressured by the
Canadian Prime Minister, pledged to open the U.S. border to Canadian cattle
imports. When George W. pledges something, he doesn?t renege no matter what.
It doesn?t matter if he's proven wrong, his constituency views stubborn error
as preferable to flip-flopping. If a court finds fault with USDA rules, George
W. can't help that. He pledged to the Canadian Prime Minister that the
government would do everything it could to reopen the border. OMB and USDA
executed the President's orders.
The U.S. government is working to meet its commitment to the Canadian
government to the full limits of power of the executive branch. U.S. beef
processors cheered the process and aided the effort. The interests of U.S.
cattlemen were ignored in both the policy and politics. Anything to stop it
will come from either legislative or judicial efforts. George W.'s rear end is
covered. Even if blocked by legislative or judicial roadblocks, he's fulfilled
his commitment.
The NCBA has belatedly moved to cover its rear end. The first time the USDA
attempted to reopen the Canadian border, they failed to follow the rules
process. The NCBA cheered them on. R-CALF blocked the attempt with a court
ordered injunction or we wouldn't even be debating the current set of USDA
rules the NCBA belatedly finds it too, opposes. If it had been left up to the
NCBA, the Canadian border would have been open without rules last year. The
NCBA criticized R-CALF and pushed the USDA to move ahead with the rules
process. The NCBA was deeply involved in the USDA rules writing process so the
rules as announced by the USDA had the signature of the NCBA on them. The NCBA
put as much work into opening the Canadian border to imports as it has
reopening Asian markets to exports. Now in the ninth inning, NCBA membership
suddenly decides they are on the wrong team.
The media has been calling it a "membership rebellion". I'd call it an
exercise in amazing stupidity. However you describe it, the NCBA is flip-
flopping policy 180 degrees, at least on paper. The reason was self-
preservation. NCBA policy relative to opening the Canadian border has never
been grassroots policy. Every poll, every survey taken showed NCBA policy at
odds with cattlemen. The ninth inning epiphany was that if they kept on
supporting the USDA and President as they had been doing, they wouldn't have
had any members left. They'd have all joined R-CALF. The NCBA is already all
hat and no cattle but they wouldn't have been able to keep up the deception of
being a producer organization with no producers as members. Current NCBA
policy was poised to destroy the NCBA, R-CALF membership was surging and tens
of thousands of dollars was pouring into the R-CALF litigation fund from
grassroots cattlemen in a manner the NCBA has never been able to attract.
One new R-CALF member who attended the Black Hills Stock Show told me
people in front of the R-CALF booth were standing 10 deep. The NCBA has a
member relations disaster on its hands and its rear end was totally exposed,
about to be kicked. Their support for opening the Canadian border came to a
screeching, tire burning, brake-pad smoking halt and the NCBA went to crisis
management mode, this time in self-preservation.
The result is left open to interpretation but according to their press
release, "NCBA will work to resolve a list of conditions before trade is
resumed. These include: 1. Prohibit the importation of cattle and beef
products from cattle more than 30 months of age. 2. Assurance that all
Canadian firewalls to prevent BSE, specifically adherence to their feed ban,
are functioning properly. 3. No feeder cattle imported until agreement is
reached on harmonization of animal health standards, especially bluetongue and
anaplasmosis. 4. Movement of Canadian cattle into the United States must be
managed to minimize market disruptions. 5. Fed cattle imported for immediate
slaughter must be certified to be less than 30 months of age at the time of
importation. 6. Ban the use of fetal bovine serum from heifers imported for
immediate slaughter. 7. USDA grades and stamps not be allowed on any imported
beef product. 8. Feeder cattle must be branded with a "CAN," individually
identified with an ear tag, certified to be less than 30 months of age at time
of slaughter, shipped in sealed trucks from the border directly to an approved
feedlot, then moved directly in sealed trucks to slaughter. 9. Feeder heifers
imported into the United States from Canada must be spayed. 10. USDA must work
with our primary trading partners to ensure that expanded export access for
U.S. beef is not in any way jeopardized by expanded importation of cattle and
beef from Canada. 11. The Administration must reach an agreement to re-
establish beef and beef by-product trade with Japan, South Korea and Mexico,
and apply economic sanctions if necessary."
That's about as 180 degree opposite previous NCBA policy as one could get.
What happens next? The powers behind the NCBA would not support this new
direction. Chandler Keys staff-types make policy by the manner in which they
implement policy. If they agree with it, they push it. If they don't, they go
on vacation. Much of the NCBA staff and leadership will go on vacation rather
than implement the new policy. NCBA leadership already ruled out litigation.
It would be too late for them to put together a legal challenge before March
7th. They will not back R-CALF litigation simply because it would be an
admission of their previous stupidity. They will attempt to gain some partial
face-saving concessions from the USDA to take credit for. Ag Secretary Johanns
will likely drop the rule allowing old cow beef to be imported. It would
appear to me that that was part of their strategy all a long. They put that
rule in just so that they would have something to concede for appearance sake
or to give the AMI lawsuit against the initial ban merit.
Will the NCBA put forth a full blown legislative effort to block reopening
the border until their conditions are met? Key Congressional leadership works
for packers and George W., not cattlemen. The NCBA will find that out being on
the other side. The NCBA policy shift is primarily self-preservation with
membership. That's its first objective. It put new policy on the books so they
can now say regardless of what happens that they opposed reopening the
Canadian border. That is supposed to cover their rear end. But it won't help
the smell.
****************************************
