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SASH

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Speakout: On Canadian beef - trust but verify
By Ken Salazar
March 28, 2005

Late last week a bipartisan group of Senators - led by many of the senators representing the Rocky Mountain states - voted to halt the Department of Agriculture's premature plan to reopen the U.S. border to Canadian cattle. I was proud to cast a vote on behalf of this effort because in the face of new positive tests for mad cow disease in Canada it is prudent and right to protect Colorado's ranchers, farmers and consumers.

My family has been ranching since time immemorial, and still does today.

I know that American beef is the best and safest in the world, and I can think of nothing I would rather have for dinner.

As I have made clear to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, foreign leaders and my colleagues in the Senate, we need to fight to open more markets for our farmers and ranchers. It is too bad that Congress has not done more to open markets until now. I want the Canadian border reopened as soon as is possible and prudent.

An open border is good for our meatpackers and it is good for our farmers and ranchers, both in Colorado and across the nation.

The vote was simple and straightforward: a bipartisan signal that our government and the Canadian government must do more to end the threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy posed to America's farmers and ranchers.

Consider the following: Since the Department of Agriculture announced its intention to reopen the Canadian border, two more Canadian-born cows have tested positive for mad cow disease. One of those cows was born after 1997, the date that Canada stopped feeding its cows feed that included animal protein.

Why is this important? One of the principal ways mad cow disease was passed from England during the outbreak there that resulted in the slaughter of 5 million head of cattle was through feed that included animal protein.

U.S. veterinary teams were not sent to Canada to investigate Canada's efforts to stop mad cow disease until nearly a month after the administration decided to open the border. I am in favor of working closely with and even trusting our Canadian friends to get rid of mad cow disease, but as President Reagan said in a different context, "trust but verify." We need to verify what steps have been taken in Canada on BSE. For example, Canadian health inspectors have found that 40 percent of Canada's own feed lots apparently have tested positive for animal proteins!

At the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued import alerts concerning the presence of animal tissue in vegetable feed products that Canadian feed companies have attempted to export to the U.S. We need to determine whether these facts pose a risk to our American cattle industry before we open the border.

Some have observed that there is no evidence of any BSE-infected beef entering the U.S. food chain. But that is precisely the purpose for and result of the current import ban. In short, the ban is doing the job it was intended.

Here are four simple, common-sense steps the USDA should take right now so we can open our border with Canada as soon as possible, safe in the knowledge that we have done everything to ensure the health of our domestic livestock industry. The USDA must:

• Conduct on-site inspections and monitoring of feed systems in foreign countries to ensure compliance with the highest food safety standards.

• Provide for increased surveillance and oversight of the domestic feed industry to ensure producers are complying with the FDA ban on feeding ruminants to ruminants.

• Plan for and announce to American consumers how we intend to monitor our border when it is opened. How are we to know, for example, which of the 1 million cattle that cross the U.S.-Canada border daily are only 30 months old, which are acceptable and pose a minimal risk of mad cow disease, and which are 31 months old, which pose an unacceptable risk of mad cow disease.

• Make our trading partners, especially Japan and South Korea, understand that they need to reopen their markets to American beef. Remember that Japan closed its borders to American beef precisely because of that country's fear that Canadian beef imported into the U.S. would contaminate American product.

The 25,000 cattle operations in Colorado that have about 2.4 million head of cattle are right to expect that we open our border to Canada through a thoughtful and sound effort - and not simply on an arbitrarily chosen date.

Ken Salazar is the junior U.S. senator from Colorado.
 
Speakout: On Canadian beef - trust but verify
By Ken Salazar
March 28, 2005


Consider the following: Since the Department of Agriculture announced its intention to reopen the Canadian border, two more Canadian-born cows have tested positive for mad cow disease. One of those cows was born after 1997, the date that Canada stopped feeding its cows feed that included animal protein.

Why is this important? One of the principal ways mad cow disease was passed from England during the outbreak there that resulted in the slaughter of 5 million head of cattle was through feed that included animal protein.


I have a question for Ken Did the US recall all the feed in the U.S. feed system when the Feed ban was implemented? No they didn't and they haven't complied to the feed bans either. Just ask the GAO about compliance.

U.S. veterinary teams were not sent to Canada to investigate Canada's efforts to stop mad cow disease until nearly a month after the administration decided to open the border. I am in favor of working closely with and even trusting our Canadian friends to get rid of mad cow disease, but as President Reagan said in a different context, "trust but verify." We need to verify what steps have been taken in Canada on BSE. For example, Canadian health inspectors have found that 40 percent of Canada's own feed lots apparently have tested positive for animal proteins!

I thought the US was in on the first investigation and did the second and the rules were written before the third and fourth cases were found. The US was informed of and brought into the investigation of the third cow before the announcement went out about the ruling. The USDA announced they were working closely with the CFIA in the investigations. Did the USDA ever find the cattle that were related to the Canadian cases that were imported to the U.S.? Maybe Senator Ken should get checking around Colorado for these animals.

At the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued import alerts concerning the presence of animal tissue in vegetable feed products that Canadian feed companies have attempted to export to the U.S. We need to determine whether these facts pose a risk to our American cattle industry before we open the border.

How many farmers have run a combine and not found animal proteins in there grain box, IE rodents , birds, grass hoppers the odd skunk all harmless animal proteins. Everybody seem to forget that some of the samples the CFIA investigated came from the U.S. feed system. Did the FDA ever inspect the feed plants for compliance after they exported their feed containing animal proteins to Canada?


Some have observed that there is no evidence of any BSE-infected beef entering the U.S. food chain. But that is precisely the purpose for and result of the current import ban. In short, the ban is doing the job it was intended.

Wrong BSE infected beef did enter the U.S. food chain via the Washington cow. If it had not why was there a recall of 10,000 pounds of U.S. ground beef from eight states. There is no evidence that any entered the Canadian food chain and was shipped to the U.S.. That is percisely why banning Canadian cattle and beef will not protect the U.S. consumers from BSE infected beef.


Here are four simple, common-sense steps the USDA should take right now so we can open our border with Canada as soon as possible, safe in the knowledge that we have done everything to ensure the health of our domestic livestock industry. The USDA must:

• Conduct on-site inspections and monitoring of feed systems in foreign countries to ensure compliance with the highest food safety standards.

Gee the USDA did that in Canada and so did the NCBA but CFIA can inspect US plants because of the privacy act.

• Provide for increased surveillance and oversight of the domestic feed industry to ensure producers are complying with the FDA ban on feeding ruminants to ruminants.

So Canada is being held accountable for the Non compliance of the U.S. system. How will banning Canadian cattle and beef help your compliance rate. If your system is non-compliant you have more to worry about than just imported UTM cattle.


• Plan for and announce to American consumers how we intend to monitor our border when it is opened. How are we to know, for example, which of the 1 million cattle that cross the U.S.-Canada border daily are only 30 months old, which are acceptable and pose a minimal risk of mad cow disease, and which are 31 months old, which pose an unacceptable risk of mad cow disease.

1 million cattle that cross the U.S.-Canada border daily just how many cattle does this guy think Canada has? At that rate Canada could export their whole herd in less than two weeks.

Didn't this guy hear Canada can age verify by birth date with our National ID system? how is Japan or any other country to know that they will be getting what the U.S. says they are getting. The U.S. meat inspectors have put a big question mark on what the US is exporting to Canada and Mexico when it comes to age and SRM removal haven't they?


• Make our trading partners, especially Japan and South Korea, understand that they need to reopen their markets to American beef. Remember that Japan closed its borders to American beef precisely because of that country's fear that Canadian beef imported into the U.S. would contaminate American product.

Wrong Japan and the rest of the world closed their borders because a BSE infected cow was recalled from your food chain and you have no way of finding the rest of the Canadian cattle that were imported or the U.S. cattle that ate tons of Canadian feed, or the feed that was made from the UK cattle or the possibably other BSE infected Canadian cattle and distributed by your non-compliant feed system

The 25,000 cattle operations in Colorado that have about 2.4 million head of cattle are right to expect that we open our border to Canada through a thoughtful and sound effort - and not simply on an arbitrarily chosen date
.

But Japan is to bow down to threats of trade santions By the same Senate that voted to hold the Canadian border closed because of economic reasons right. DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO right junior Senator Ken Salazar. :x
 
Thanks, Tam. I saw alot of those errors but you caught a few more than I saw. Kind of scary to see the misinformation that is believed by what are supposed to be some of the best minds in the US. :???:
 
SASH said:
Thanks, Tam. I saw alot of those errors but you caught a few more than I saw. Kind of scary to see the misinformation that is believed by what are supposed to be some of the best minds in the US. :???:

I guess we can hope with his mind set he will not make it pass JUNIOR Senator. He doesn't seem to need the truth to cast a vote, so I'll bet he is headed to the top of R-CALF's list of Senators to back in the next election. :roll:
 
Since when does the US have the monopoly on ill-advised politicians? :lol:

Tam, you know dang well their job is to get votes from constituents. Some of these guys pass errors over their tongues so smoothly they stay in office forever! :wink:
 
At the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued import alerts concerning the presence of animal tissue in vegetable feed products that Canadian feed companies have attempted to export to the U.S. We need to determine whether these facts pose a risk to our American cattle industry before we open the border.

Found another one Sash he wants the border kept closed on cattle because of some animal protein in some feed that the US is and always has imported from Canada. How can a ban on cattle protect the U.S. cattle industry from feed that is not ban?
 
Some of these guys pass errors over their tongues so smoothly they stay in office forever!

Odd, how that quote automatically makes me think of Bill Clinton. 'I did not have sex with that woman'. After that little bout with Monica, I guess they called him ' Slick Willie' for a reason. :roll:
 
Found another one Sash he wants the border kept closed on cattle because of some animal protein in some feed that the US is and always has imported from Canada. How can a ban on cattle protect the U.S. cattle industry from feed that is not ban?

The whole article is so full of be nice that I couldn't believe it was published as fact. Sounds like this guy has been listening to too many R-CALF lies. Can hardly wait until that libel suit kicks in. R-CALF will be auctioning off all those Montana calves just to pay out us Canadians. It makes my heart warm just to think about it.
 
Hat said:
Tam said:
At the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued import alerts concerning the presence of animal tissue in vegetable feed products that Canadian feed companies have attempted to export to the U.S. We need to determine whether these facts pose a risk to our American cattle industry before we open the border.

Found another one Sash he wants the border kept closed on cattle because of some animal protein in some feed that the US is and always has imported from Canada. How can a ban on cattle protect the U.S. cattle industry from feed that is not ban?

The last cow that CANADA had turn up with BSE was born after YOUR feed ban (1997). Compliance? I think not. This is for all the Canadians on here, CLEAN YOUR HOUSE BEFORE YOU CLEAN OURS.


Answer me this did the U.S. in Aug 1997 go around to all the feed mills to collect the feed that was in the U.S. feed system and destroy it? Maybe this is why the USDA believes the CFIA when they said the animal ate held over pre feed ban feed? Have they destroyed any of the feed that they found in, according to the GAO investigation, hundreds of plants they found to be non compliant over the years? or the feed that they found in the plants when they did get around to reinspecting and still found to be non compliant? Don't question what was or wasn't done in Canada until you look at the US feed ban implementation and compliance records.
You talk about our compliance but one of the reason this Senator wants the border kept closed is so the USDA can

• Provide for increased surveillance and oversight of the domestic feed industry to ensure producers are complying with the FDA ban on feeding ruminants to ruminants.

Now if you would clean up your non compliant feed system then you wouldn't have to fear cattle being imported. No you would rather ban our cattle from the US instead of CLEANING UP YOUR ACT WOULDN'T YOU. But You can call in to question our system all you want but that doesn't change the fact you and this Senator fear your industry's inablilities to comply to rules set to protect you and your consumers.
 
Hat said:
Tam said:
At the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued import alerts concerning the presence of animal tissue in vegetable feed products that Canadian feed companies have attempted to export to the U.S. We need to determine whether these facts pose a risk to our American cattle industry before we open the border.

Found another one Sash he wants the border kept closed on cattle because of some animal protein in some feed that the US is and always has imported from Canada. How can a ban on cattle protect the U.S. cattle industry from feed that is not ban?

The last cow that CANADA had turn up with BSE was born after YOUR feed ban (1997). Compliance? I think not. This is for all the Canadians on here, CLEAN YOUR HOUSE BEFORE YOU CLEAN OURS.





Its no wonder you don,t want anyone to look too close....
:roll:


FDA Accused of Not Doing Enough to Oversee Feed Ban in U.S.

Xinhua News Agency, March 14, 2005



WASHINGTON, Mar 14, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was on Monday accused of not doing enough to enforce the ban on feed linked to the spread of BSE, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative wing of Congress, said that despite the improvement the FDA made in its management of the feed ban, "various program weaknesses continue to undermine the nation's firewall against BSE."

According to its report, not all the US feed manufacturers and shippers have been inspected. And about 20 percent of the 14,800 firms inspected since 1997 have not been re-inspected in five years or more.

The report listed the absence of a system to identify the feed manufacturers and shippers that are subject to the feed ban but have not been inspected, and that of instructions to sample routinely cattle feed to test for potentially banned material.

The FDA said the weaknesses mentioned were not sufficient to place US cattle at risk and its inspection approach was adequate.

The spread of BSE, which is a fatal brain-wasting animal epidemic, is linked to contaminated animal feed. People who eat meat from infected animals can develop BSE's human equivalent, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The United States reported its first ever single BSE case in May 2003 and many countries have since been keeping a ban on the import of US cattle and beef products.

Copyright 2005 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

 

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