Release No. 0397.06
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Darby Holladay (301) 734-3265
Kristin Scuderi (202) 720-4623
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MEXICO OPENS MARKETS TO U.S. DAIRY HEIFERS
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2006--Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced that Mexico will resume trade in U.S. dairy heifers under 24 months of age.
"I am pleased with this first step in reestablishing cattle trade with Mexico, but I remain committed to a broader resumption of cattle trade between our countries," said Johanns. "My goal is to restore the once-vibrant live cattle commerce between the United States and Mexico and to do so in accordance with science-based international guidelines."
Under the agreement announced today, U.S. producers will be able to export dairy heifers to Mexico that are under 24 months of age and registered with a purebred dairy breed association or the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, a national dairy producer cooperative. Shipments to Mexico can begin on Oct. 4. The dairy heifers will be individually identified as they depart the United States. Their identification information will be entered into the Mexican animal identification system for purposes of maintaining these animals under bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance.
Mexico closed its market to U.S. dairy heifers following the December 2003 find of BSE in Washington state. In March 2004, Mexico opened its market to boneless U.S. beef from animals under 30 months of age, and in February 2006, the country opened its market to U.S. bone-in beef from animals under 30 months of age.
In 2003, the United States exported $ 6.9 million worth of dairy heifers to Mexico.
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PLEASE note, Mexico, AS WITH the USA and Canada, are all THREE designated as BSE GBR risk factor III, so all they are really doing is just importing and exporting different strains of BSE/TSE between themselves. the sad part are all the other countries that have battle so hard to eradicate BSE, are just bringing it back, just potentially multiple strains, thanks to the OIE and GWs BSE MRR policy. i like to call it the TSE 'ping-pong' effect. just bouncing it back and forth, as the agent mutates and spreads further. ...
EFSA concludes that the current GBR level of USA, CANADA, AND MEXICO is III, i.e. it is likely but not confirmed that domestic cattle are (clinically or pre-clinically) infected with the BSE-agent. As long as there are no significant changes in rendering or feeding, the stability remains extremely/very unstable. Thus, the probability of cattle to be (pre-clinically or clinically) infected with the BSE-agent persistently increases. that is why GW et al changed the rules to the legal trading of all strains of TSE, i.e. BSE MRR policy, and from the recent USDA/FDA mad cow feed violations, there are literally hundreds of thousands of tons and tons out there in commerce, and it is still being funneled out there today. ...TSS
EFSA Scientific Report on the Assessment of the Geographical BSE-Risk (GBR) of Canada
Adopted July 2004 (Question N° EFSA-Q-2003-083)
[Last updated 08 September 2004]
[Publication Date 20 August 2004]
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/tse_assessments/gbr_assessments/564.html
EFSA Scientific Report on the Assessment of the Geographical BSE-Risk (GBR) of Mexico
Adopted July 2004 (Question N° EFSA-Q-2003-083)
[Last updated 08 September 2004]
[Publication Date 20 August 2004]
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/tse_assessments/gbr_assessments/565.html
EFSA Scientific Report on the Assessment of the Geographical BSE-Risk (GBR) of the United States of America (USA)
Adopted July 2004 (Question N° EFSA-Q-2003-083)
[Last updated 08 September 2004]
[Publication Date 20 August 2004]
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/tse_assessments/gbr_assessments/573.html
TSS