By NEIL WAUGH, SUN MEDIA
It's never a good time to have a mad cow day. Although this time around, it's a mad bull moment.
But the latest confirmation of the ninth (tenth if you include the Washington State dairy cow) BSE-infected Canadian animal couldn't have come at a worse time.
And once again the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is being less than forthcoming about all the details, especially about the age of the animal. Although it now appears the bull from a farm somewhere in Alberta was born in 2000. This means it appears to be three years younger than when the Canadian government's iron-clad ban on feeding cattle remnants back to livestock was locked in place.
R-CALF REVS ENGINES
This practice is the feared source of the brain-wasting disease that pretty well laid waste to the British cattle industry when it was detected - then covered up - across the pond.
"The finding of a mature animal should not impact Canada's BSE country categorization," insisted CFIA statement.
And the feds' animal health bureaucrats boasted that "BSE should be eliminated from the national cattle herd within approximately 10 years."
Unfortunately they may not have a decade of slack to wait for it to happen.
Because R-Calf is once again revving its engines. They are pushing hard to not only get the United States Department of Agriculture's ruling to allow Canadian cattle over 30 months across the U.S. border again blocked but to finally force a courtroom showdown overturning the earlier order that re-opened the Medicine Line to young Canadian cattle and boxed beef.
The border ban cost Canadian taxpayers over $1 billion in a dubious program that was supposed to trickle down to the small cow/calf operators, but gushered up to the large corporate feedlots and multi-national packers.
Next week reps from the Billings, Montana-based protectionist outfit will hold their "Washington Stampede."
"It's more critical than ever for our members to saddle up and contact their senators and representatives," R-Calf's Membership Alert urged. "So their voices will be heard."
And the latest Alberta BSE confirmation just put more ammo in R-Calf CEO Bill Bullard's gun.
"Each successive case has reinforced their original argument," Bullard spat. "That we didn't know the true magnitude of the problem back in 2005."
Bullard confirmed that next week's three key lobbying points will be "Canadian BSE, trade issues and country of origin labelling."
And the R-Calf "talking points" document tells the Washington Stampeders to stress that any further relaxation of the border rules will "further harm the United States' ability to fully restore lost exports."
Financial losses to the U.S. cattle industry "will be severe."
Even before the R-Calfers ride into Power Town, their cause has picked up some major momentum.
Four days ago a quartet of powerhouse cattle country senators wrote a letter to USDA secretary Mike Johanns warning that opening the border to more Canadian cattle will have "serious repercussions."
And urged him to "withdraw the proposal" which is going through the American legislative processes' politically sensitive "comment period."
CATTLE PRICES DROPPED
"American ranchers, who have already experienced a severe summer drought, punishing winter snowstorms and rising feed prices," said senators Byron Dorgan, Jeff Bingaman, Mike Enzi and John Thune, adding they shouldn't have to endure another drop in cattle prices.
Johanns points out that U.S. cattle prices "dropped three times" after the 2005 border-opening ruling.
The senators insisted that "at the very least" Johanns should delay his ruling until mandatory country of origin labelling can be put in place.
And the White House might showing signs of cracking. Because while Johanns claimed he "would not expect" the new BSE bull will impact "our trade with Canada", he did reveal that comment period "allows for consideration of additional information."
Bullard revealed he will build it into R-Calf's submission.
Meanwhile, the final briefs will be before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal by March 12 as R-Calf ramps up its court challenge of Johanns' 2005 border opening order.
It's a mad, mad, mad, mad-cow world.
It's never a good time to have a mad cow day. Although this time around, it's a mad bull moment.
But the latest confirmation of the ninth (tenth if you include the Washington State dairy cow) BSE-infected Canadian animal couldn't have come at a worse time.
And once again the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is being less than forthcoming about all the details, especially about the age of the animal. Although it now appears the bull from a farm somewhere in Alberta was born in 2000. This means it appears to be three years younger than when the Canadian government's iron-clad ban on feeding cattle remnants back to livestock was locked in place.
R-CALF REVS ENGINES
This practice is the feared source of the brain-wasting disease that pretty well laid waste to the British cattle industry when it was detected - then covered up - across the pond.
"The finding of a mature animal should not impact Canada's BSE country categorization," insisted CFIA statement.
And the feds' animal health bureaucrats boasted that "BSE should be eliminated from the national cattle herd within approximately 10 years."
Unfortunately they may not have a decade of slack to wait for it to happen.
Because R-Calf is once again revving its engines. They are pushing hard to not only get the United States Department of Agriculture's ruling to allow Canadian cattle over 30 months across the U.S. border again blocked but to finally force a courtroom showdown overturning the earlier order that re-opened the Medicine Line to young Canadian cattle and boxed beef.
The border ban cost Canadian taxpayers over $1 billion in a dubious program that was supposed to trickle down to the small cow/calf operators, but gushered up to the large corporate feedlots and multi-national packers.
Next week reps from the Billings, Montana-based protectionist outfit will hold their "Washington Stampede."
"It's more critical than ever for our members to saddle up and contact their senators and representatives," R-Calf's Membership Alert urged. "So their voices will be heard."
And the latest Alberta BSE confirmation just put more ammo in R-Calf CEO Bill Bullard's gun.
"Each successive case has reinforced their original argument," Bullard spat. "That we didn't know the true magnitude of the problem back in 2005."
Bullard confirmed that next week's three key lobbying points will be "Canadian BSE, trade issues and country of origin labelling."
And the R-Calf "talking points" document tells the Washington Stampeders to stress that any further relaxation of the border rules will "further harm the United States' ability to fully restore lost exports."
Financial losses to the U.S. cattle industry "will be severe."
Even before the R-Calfers ride into Power Town, their cause has picked up some major momentum.
Four days ago a quartet of powerhouse cattle country senators wrote a letter to USDA secretary Mike Johanns warning that opening the border to more Canadian cattle will have "serious repercussions."
And urged him to "withdraw the proposal" which is going through the American legislative processes' politically sensitive "comment period."
CATTLE PRICES DROPPED
"American ranchers, who have already experienced a severe summer drought, punishing winter snowstorms and rising feed prices," said senators Byron Dorgan, Jeff Bingaman, Mike Enzi and John Thune, adding they shouldn't have to endure another drop in cattle prices.
Johanns points out that U.S. cattle prices "dropped three times" after the 2005 border-opening ruling.
The senators insisted that "at the very least" Johanns should delay his ruling until mandatory country of origin labelling can be put in place.
And the White House might showing signs of cracking. Because while Johanns claimed he "would not expect" the new BSE bull will impact "our trade with Canada", he did reveal that comment period "allows for consideration of additional information."
Bullard revealed he will build it into R-Calf's submission.
Meanwhile, the final briefs will be before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal by March 12 as R-Calf ramps up its court challenge of Johanns' 2005 border opening order.
It's a mad, mad, mad, mad-cow world.