This interview appears to have been done before the Texas cow was identified.
Article Launched: 07/03/2005 01:00:00 AM
Q&A: Kathleen Sullivan Kelley
A conversation with a fourth-generation Meeker rancher
By The Denver Post
Q: How safe is the beef we eat?
A: Overall, the beef that we eat is very safe. We have one of the safest beef supplies in the world. But that doesn't mean we should give up our diligence to keep it that way.
Q: The activist ranchers' group that you co-founded, the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, (R-CALF) has a prominent voice in cattle- and beef-safety issues. What is the group trying to accomplish?
A: We want to make sure that the U.S. cattle producer's voice is represented, and represented well. We feel that in the past few years it hasn't been. We felt we needed to establish an organization that would target our primary concerns, which are protecting both the international market and the domestic market.
One of the most important things is that we need a beef industry with a consumer sector that trusts us. And the only way they'll trust us if we have substantive programs that protect the food supply. We need to make sure that diseases get taken care of at the source so they don't get started here.
Q: How much concern should there be on the part of consumers about mad cow disease?
A: There shouldn't be a lot of concern in terms of food safety - that's the least of the problems we've got. Careful food preparation is a much bigger issue.
What's vital is whether our food safety agencies are protecting the food supply. It's not just BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease), it's E. coli, salmonella and other food-borne bacteria that need processes that ensure the food we're getting is safe. We've not done an adequate job of providing the type of food inspection processes that are vital to protecting the safety of our food.
Q: Should the U.S. border continue to be closed to Canadian cattle imports?
A: I don't think it's just a matter of Canadian imports. It's about containment of the disease itself. Until a country appropriately manages its BSE problem, we should not open our border to its imports.
We have never done a thorough analysis of Canada's system to see the actual prevalence of BSE. Determining the prevalence is very important. Let's keep the known source of BSE out. Let's not just open the border and let it in.
Q: Critics of R-CALF describe it as a protectionist group. Is that a fair characterization?
A:In some respects, yes, I think it is. I don't shy away from the word protectionist.
In our business we have a responsibility to maintain the opportunity to profit. We can't leave that up to anyone else. It would be irresponsible for us just to throw these things up in the air like BSE, food safety, trade issues and think they'll take care of themselves. We have to watch out for ourselves.
Right now 40 countries will not take our beef. It would be irresponsible to support free-trade agreements that would open our borders and inundate us with beef when we don't have access to many of our export markets.
Q: You served a term as a Democrat in the Colorado House of Representatives in the early 1980s, then lost your re-election bid by 13 votes to future congressman Scott McInnis. Is politics still in your blood?
A: Yes, at a more specific level, and that's why I'm so involved in R-CALF. I enjoyed my time in the legislature immensely. It was the best and worst of times, and I saw the best and worst from people. Now I want to be focused on the cattle industry.
Q: What's it like being a Democrat in an agricultural sector dominated by Republicans?
A: I don't think many people know I'm a Democrat. I think party affiliations have lost a lot of their meaning in the past few years.
We've lost focus on the more substantive issues that deal with the infrastructure of this country. In terms of advancing the issues of transportation, education, health care, it's not coming from either of the major parties.
I don't vote Republican very often, but I have a hard time casting votes for Democrats, too.
Q: Are you happier as a farmer and rancher, or when you're an activist stirring things up?
A: I think I'm happier as a farmer and rancher, but the political side is very addictive. It's hard to stay away from. If you ignore politics, you're ignoring your business.
Q: What's your favorite beef dish?
A: Grilled steak. Give me a good, grilled ribeye any day. About seven minutes on one side and five minutes on the other.
Article Launched: 07/03/2005 01:00:00 AM
Q&A: Kathleen Sullivan Kelley
A conversation with a fourth-generation Meeker rancher
By The Denver Post
Q: How safe is the beef we eat?
A: Overall, the beef that we eat is very safe. We have one of the safest beef supplies in the world. But that doesn't mean we should give up our diligence to keep it that way.
Q: The activist ranchers' group that you co-founded, the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, (R-CALF) has a prominent voice in cattle- and beef-safety issues. What is the group trying to accomplish?
A: We want to make sure that the U.S. cattle producer's voice is represented, and represented well. We feel that in the past few years it hasn't been. We felt we needed to establish an organization that would target our primary concerns, which are protecting both the international market and the domestic market.
One of the most important things is that we need a beef industry with a consumer sector that trusts us. And the only way they'll trust us if we have substantive programs that protect the food supply. We need to make sure that diseases get taken care of at the source so they don't get started here.
Q: How much concern should there be on the part of consumers about mad cow disease?
A: There shouldn't be a lot of concern in terms of food safety - that's the least of the problems we've got. Careful food preparation is a much bigger issue.
What's vital is whether our food safety agencies are protecting the food supply. It's not just BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease), it's E. coli, salmonella and other food-borne bacteria that need processes that ensure the food we're getting is safe. We've not done an adequate job of providing the type of food inspection processes that are vital to protecting the safety of our food.
Q: Should the U.S. border continue to be closed to Canadian cattle imports?
A: I don't think it's just a matter of Canadian imports. It's about containment of the disease itself. Until a country appropriately manages its BSE problem, we should not open our border to its imports.
We have never done a thorough analysis of Canada's system to see the actual prevalence of BSE. Determining the prevalence is very important. Let's keep the known source of BSE out. Let's not just open the border and let it in.
Q: Critics of R-CALF describe it as a protectionist group. Is that a fair characterization?
A:In some respects, yes, I think it is. I don't shy away from the word protectionist.
In our business we have a responsibility to maintain the opportunity to profit. We can't leave that up to anyone else. It would be irresponsible for us just to throw these things up in the air like BSE, food safety, trade issues and think they'll take care of themselves. We have to watch out for ourselves.
Right now 40 countries will not take our beef. It would be irresponsible to support free-trade agreements that would open our borders and inundate us with beef when we don't have access to many of our export markets.
Q: You served a term as a Democrat in the Colorado House of Representatives in the early 1980s, then lost your re-election bid by 13 votes to future congressman Scott McInnis. Is politics still in your blood?
A: Yes, at a more specific level, and that's why I'm so involved in R-CALF. I enjoyed my time in the legislature immensely. It was the best and worst of times, and I saw the best and worst from people. Now I want to be focused on the cattle industry.
Q: What's it like being a Democrat in an agricultural sector dominated by Republicans?
A: I don't think many people know I'm a Democrat. I think party affiliations have lost a lot of their meaning in the past few years.
We've lost focus on the more substantive issues that deal with the infrastructure of this country. In terms of advancing the issues of transportation, education, health care, it's not coming from either of the major parties.
I don't vote Republican very often, but I have a hard time casting votes for Democrats, too.
Q: Are you happier as a farmer and rancher, or when you're an activist stirring things up?
A: I think I'm happier as a farmer and rancher, but the political side is very addictive. It's hard to stay away from. If you ignore politics, you're ignoring your business.
Q: What's your favorite beef dish?
A: Grilled steak. Give me a good, grilled ribeye any day. About seven minutes on one side and five minutes on the other.
