The following is a press conference directly after the Washington cow was found positive. Dr Ron DeHaven (you know the S-A-N-T-A G-E-R-T-R-U-B-I-S guy :lol: )
Anyway notice the reporter who said that all downers were tested in Canada and allowed in the food chain after the test has been found negative. Wouldn't this be considered a "Food Safety" test?
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DAWN WALTON: Oh, hi. I'm with the Globe and Mail in Canada.
With your ban on downer cows entering the human food chain, what does that mean for a country like Canada which tests every downer cow, holds it, and then the meat's cleared it can go into the human food chain? What would that mean for trade relations?
DR. DEHAVEN: As you probably know, early in November we published a proposed rule that would create a, what we refer to as a minimal risk country or zone, and from those countries that qualify as minimal risk or zone would permit certain commodities and certain live animals to include cattle under 30 months of age into the United States.
Given this situation, that rule -- well, let me first explain that rule, the comment period for that rule is still open and will be open at least until January 5. So we are still receiving comments on that rule, and we would welcome and encourage those comments.
Suffice it to say that this current situation that has been evolving since that proposed rule was published is an important factor, and the entire epidemiological investigation needs to be taken into account as we determine what action that we would take once this proposed rule has the comment period closed, and we make all due consideration in terms of how we proceed from there.
So it would be premature for me to speculate on where we might go as it references your question simply because that's directly tied to the rule that we proposed, and we obviously haven't made any determination on how we will proceed with that proposed rule since we're still in the middle of the comment period.
Next question, please?
OPERATOR: The next question's from Beth Gorum (sp). Please state your affiliation.
BETH GORUM: Hi. Beth Gorum from the Canadian Press Wire Service.
Dr. DeHaven, you said the last couple of days that U.S. trading partners were reacting based on perceptions rather than science. And I was wondering how that squares with the U.S. closing its borders to Canadian beef and cattle after the May case of Mad Cow.
DR. DEHAVEN: I have stated in previous press briefings that in fact in the past the United States has been part of the international problem in terms of only having two standards or two categories in place -- either countries have BSE or don't have BSE. But I've also said very emphatically that we have been very proactive since the finding of the case in Canada which brought home the fact that this reaction hasn't been consistent with international standards and therefore hasn't been consistent with the science that we know about the disease because indeed those international standards are based on the science.
Because of that and that recognition, it was the U.S. that really has taken the first bold step to implement the international standards and the science-based standards.
We do so by allowing certain commodities, most notably boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age, to begin coming into the United States from Canada, and we did so not too long after the finding of that case, and we proposed this rule in November that would contemplate not only codifying those products but adding additional products or commodities that come into the United States as well as live animals.
That action is unprecedented in the international arena. So in fact while we may have been part of the problem in the past, we have taken a very active role in terms of trying to change that standard. We've been working very closely since then with our international North American partners, officials in Canada and Mexico, to develop a North American strategy.
And we are working through the international community, going to the OIE [Office of International Epizootics] to help their effort to get more countries to adopt the existing international standard.
One last question from the telephone bridge, please?
OPERATOR: The next question is from Jim Dugan (sp). Please state your affiliation.
JIM DUGAN: Yes. This is Jim Dugan with Ag Day Television.
I'd like to ask a follow-up question if I could to a question that was asked earlier from I think someone from United Press International, relating to the fact that these cows in Japan perhaps younger than 30 months tested positive.
If it's not clear whether or not those cows in fact have BSE or not, how can it be definitively said that all cows under 30 months are safe?
DR. DEHAVEN: International standards and national policy are established based on the preponderance of evidence that's available and established based on the recommendations of the international scientists whose job it is to stay current on the current research and current thinking with that regard.
If we were to, excuse the phrase, respond in a "knee-jerk reaction" to every aberrant finding in the scientific community, I'm afraid we would be having such knee-jerk reaction all of the time. And because there's always the abnormal situation that occurs in the scientific community.
And so again, we have to take the preponderance of scientific evidence that is available and base our international policies on that.
We also have in that regard the international standard-setting body whose job it is to establish those standards based on science, and clearly we would look to them as part of their responsibility to evaluate the new science and make adjustments accordingly. So i would certainly be premature to make any changes internationally based on these recent finds until there's been more opportunity to evaluate and draw some real science-based conclusions from them.
Anyway notice the reporter who said that all downers were tested in Canada and allowed in the food chain after the test has been found negative. Wouldn't this be considered a "Food Safety" test?
**********************************************************
DAWN WALTON: Oh, hi. I'm with the Globe and Mail in Canada.
With your ban on downer cows entering the human food chain, what does that mean for a country like Canada which tests every downer cow, holds it, and then the meat's cleared it can go into the human food chain? What would that mean for trade relations?
DR. DEHAVEN: As you probably know, early in November we published a proposed rule that would create a, what we refer to as a minimal risk country or zone, and from those countries that qualify as minimal risk or zone would permit certain commodities and certain live animals to include cattle under 30 months of age into the United States.
Given this situation, that rule -- well, let me first explain that rule, the comment period for that rule is still open and will be open at least until January 5. So we are still receiving comments on that rule, and we would welcome and encourage those comments.
Suffice it to say that this current situation that has been evolving since that proposed rule was published is an important factor, and the entire epidemiological investigation needs to be taken into account as we determine what action that we would take once this proposed rule has the comment period closed, and we make all due consideration in terms of how we proceed from there.
So it would be premature for me to speculate on where we might go as it references your question simply because that's directly tied to the rule that we proposed, and we obviously haven't made any determination on how we will proceed with that proposed rule since we're still in the middle of the comment period.
Next question, please?
OPERATOR: The next question's from Beth Gorum (sp). Please state your affiliation.
BETH GORUM: Hi. Beth Gorum from the Canadian Press Wire Service.
Dr. DeHaven, you said the last couple of days that U.S. trading partners were reacting based on perceptions rather than science. And I was wondering how that squares with the U.S. closing its borders to Canadian beef and cattle after the May case of Mad Cow.
DR. DEHAVEN: I have stated in previous press briefings that in fact in the past the United States has been part of the international problem in terms of only having two standards or two categories in place -- either countries have BSE or don't have BSE. But I've also said very emphatically that we have been very proactive since the finding of the case in Canada which brought home the fact that this reaction hasn't been consistent with international standards and therefore hasn't been consistent with the science that we know about the disease because indeed those international standards are based on the science.
Because of that and that recognition, it was the U.S. that really has taken the first bold step to implement the international standards and the science-based standards.
We do so by allowing certain commodities, most notably boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age, to begin coming into the United States from Canada, and we did so not too long after the finding of that case, and we proposed this rule in November that would contemplate not only codifying those products but adding additional products or commodities that come into the United States as well as live animals.
That action is unprecedented in the international arena. So in fact while we may have been part of the problem in the past, we have taken a very active role in terms of trying to change that standard. We've been working very closely since then with our international North American partners, officials in Canada and Mexico, to develop a North American strategy.
And we are working through the international community, going to the OIE [Office of International Epizootics] to help their effort to get more countries to adopt the existing international standard.
One last question from the telephone bridge, please?
OPERATOR: The next question is from Jim Dugan (sp). Please state your affiliation.
JIM DUGAN: Yes. This is Jim Dugan with Ag Day Television.
I'd like to ask a follow-up question if I could to a question that was asked earlier from I think someone from United Press International, relating to the fact that these cows in Japan perhaps younger than 30 months tested positive.
If it's not clear whether or not those cows in fact have BSE or not, how can it be definitively said that all cows under 30 months are safe?
DR. DEHAVEN: International standards and national policy are established based on the preponderance of evidence that's available and established based on the recommendations of the international scientists whose job it is to stay current on the current research and current thinking with that regard.
If we were to, excuse the phrase, respond in a "knee-jerk reaction" to every aberrant finding in the scientific community, I'm afraid we would be having such knee-jerk reaction all of the time. And because there's always the abnormal situation that occurs in the scientific community.
And so again, we have to take the preponderance of scientific evidence that is available and base our international policies on that.
We also have in that regard the international standard-setting body whose job it is to establish those standards based on science, and clearly we would look to them as part of their responsibility to evaluate the new science and make adjustments accordingly. So i would certainly be premature to make any changes internationally based on these recent finds until there's been more opportunity to evaluate and draw some real science-based conclusions from them.