Fast Action Urged on Older Cows-What packers wanted

[Tommy]

Fast Action Urged on Older Cows


Mon Aug 1, 2005 09:24 AM CDT




-Packers Looking for Steady Supply of Cattle

WASHINGTON (CP) -- The American Meat Institute is urging the U.S. Agriculture Department to move fast on reopening the border to older Canadian cattle.

The institute, which represents companies that process about 70 per cent of U.S. meat and poultry, says the industry is suffering without a steady supply of cows.

"Many U.S. beef packers that specialize in the slaughter of older animals still find themselves in an extremely difficult economic situation," president Patrick Boyle said in a letter Friday to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.

Boyle estimates the mad cow crisis has cost 7,800 American jobs since May 2003, when the first case of the disease was discovered in an Alberta cow.

The border reopened this month to Canadian cattle under 30 months of age, thought to be at lowest risk for contracting mad cow or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

The U.S. department is expected to release a proposed rule on older cows by the end of the year if a legal battle with a Montana-based ranchers group is resolved.

The U.S. Court of Appeals ordered an end to the cattle ban this month, overturning a temporary injunction imposed by District Court Judge Richard Cebull, who sided with R-CALF in March.

Cebull has not said whether he'll dismiss the case or order a new hearing on the long-term fate of the border

 

[Denny]

WHAT A CROCK OF ****.

 

[redriver]

Although I agree that it seems a bit premature to be opening the border to OTM cattle, now that the US has BSE in it's herd I suppose there really isn't any justification for keeping it closed. Canada has proven that it's monitoring and testing procedures are superior to those in the US, as Canada hasn't mishandled every case as has the USDA. So considering that Canada's beef is probably more safe than US beef, there is no reason not to normalise trade. If anything, Canada should be restricting imports of US beef until the USDA can prove that their testing procedures are up to Canadian standards.

 

[Bro]

Very good point redriver. I agree that it does not make sense to disallow OTM cattle trade across the border, due to the prevelance of BSE in both countries being about the same. But politics will dictate that it will be a while yet before trade occurs

 

[Bill]

Glad the AMI has some common sense behind it. Both countries have BSE folks what's the next excuse?

 

[Anonymous]

See Redriver, you can actually post civilly without calling everyone who disagrees with you an a$$hole or moron or idiot or a multitude of other names.

Good job presenting your opinion without being a jerk.


~SH~

 

[Mike]

See Redriver, you can actually post civilly without calling everyone who disagrees with you an a$$hole or moron or idiot or a multitude of other names.

Good job presenting your opinion without being a jerk.


~SH~

I say his mother was standing over his shoulder when he wrote that.

 

[HAY MAKER]

See Redriver, you can actually post civilly without calling everyone who disagrees with you an a$$hole or moron or idiot or a multitude of other names.

Good job presenting your opinion without being a jerk.


~SH~

*

 

[CattleCo]

I thought with all this increased killing, oop's "harvesting" capacity in Canada we would could be getting BSE tested COW BEEF shipped across in the box????
Food for thought:
Remember when we use to have "Hamburger Joints" ? These food joints served mostly Beef burgers. Now we have Arby's that has to sell a "**** load" of sliced roast beef, Subway and other sandwiches shop that sell a multitude of meat sandwiches? Well, with all this addded "other meat sandwich choices" we are still having a helluva time finding enough Beef Burger meat! This is good.....we have a nation full of Beef Burger Eaters!
So what happenend to all the imported hamburger/grinding meat??? :???: