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Regionalization of Argentina

F

fchief

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Nov 29, 2007
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Argentina Should Now Take Center Stage



There's been a lot of attention paid to Canadian beef lately (and rightfully so) but hardly anyone is talking about an issue that could be far more devastating to U.S. cattlemen.



I'm talking about a little-known plan proposed by the USDA to bring in cattle from Argentina, a country with a long record of foot and mouth disease problems.



The USDA wants to set up imaginary borders around certain areas of Argentina that it considers to be foot and mouth free.



The only problem is that food and mouth travels through the air and cannot be contained by imaginary borders.



It is also possible that Argentina could use these "safe" zones as a backdoor to ship in diseased beef from other areas of Argentina and Brazil.



One only has to look to Argentina's record of defaulting on U.S. loans and siding against America in WTO cases to see that the country is not trustworthy.



The U.S. Cattlemen's Association has made this one of our top priorities, and as the group's trade chair, I just finished a series of visits on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to fight this USDA scheme.



Recently, one of USCA's state affiliates (Independent Beef Association of North Dakota) passed the resolution below against regionalized beef trade.



This is an issue all livestock producers need to rally around. If we don't, outbreaks of an uncontrollable disease won't just be something we read about in Europe.



REGIONALIZATION



WHEREAS the health of the U.S. cattle herd is vital to the profitability of independent cattle producers; and



WHEREAS the US policy was built on protecting US producers of food and fiber, and not managing a disease once it gets here,



BE IT RESOLVED, Independent Beef Association of North Dakota opposes efforts by the government of the United States to allow regionalization of foreign countries with animal disease problems if such regionalization weakens animal health or food safety standards concerning importation of cattle or beef into the United States.
 
The USDA wants to set up imaginary borders around certain areas of Argentina that it considers to be foot and mouth free.

Whose US. Business is inside those imaginary borders????????? Follow the Money!
 
Cactus Feeders and a packer haved already indicated they intend to put a feedyard and packing house in once the regionalization has gone through. Money, money, money....your are right that the trail of money is the answer to most all questions!
 
The regionalization of Argentina will set a dangerous precedent. Policy makers in USDA
seem to have a philosophy of managing foreign disease once it gets to the US rather than
keeping it out to begin with.

The term Shoot, Shovel and Shut up is know all over the world. If you were a rancher in
South America some things might just not get reported to a government official. If a
rancher has a FMD outbreak there is little or no indemnity on the livestock that would be
put down to control the outbreak, and then that state or part of the region would be
excluded from trade. What incentive would there be to report outbreaks?

How long would it be before the cracks in regionalization were big enough for the USA
to get a case of FMD.
 
The regionalization of Argentina will set a dangerous precedent. Policy makers in USDA
seem to have a philosophy of managing foreign disease once it gets to the US rather than
keeping it out to begin with.

We can't even keep bones OUT of Korea !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Need I say More ####.
 
USDA under this administration has made a method of operation in selling out to the highest corporate lobbiest.... It has forgot and lost all of its direction to protect and promote the US Ag industry and/or protect the US consumer- instead doing everything at the direction and benefit of multinational corporations and conglomerates... :( :(
 
We regionalized in the US already for animal disease control. But to do it for the purpose of exporting to other countries? How far would the we get if we tried to do that with exports???
I don't think our customers would appreciate it!
 
Seems to me I brought this up a long time ago..... :? :?

It's a good thing to bring it up again. Thanks fchief. :!:

You guys want backup on this one? I think you'll find lots of Canadian producers happy to chip in. FMD would make BSE look like a walk in the park.

Zero exports of any beef or pork. ZERO! They've discussed the scenario up here, and things like woodchippers set up by farrowing barns have been part of the discussion. Nobody wants to go there! It's just too horrible to imagine.

Before anyone starts saying, We don't need exports as badly as Canada does, think about what happened in Britain. All transport of all livestock was stopped dead in it's tracks. No sales. No trucking. No hunting or tourism. Quarantined farms with disinfectant baths set up in the lanes. No visits from neighbours. Isolation and financial ruin.

I highly doubt this disease is taken as seriously in Argentina as it was in Britain, and that is scarey! I bet it would be taken as seriously here though, and we'd be the ones to live with the measures and losses.
 
No hunting. no tourism. That is a great point. I bet International wildlife groups would be a huge help in changing this rule. Is anyone a member?
 
Heads Up said:
We regionalized in the US already for animal disease control. But to do it for the purpose of exporting to other countries? How far would the we get if we tried to do that with exports???
I don't think our customers would appreciate it!
Click to expand...

Your right Heads Up. different states have different laws. Why is that OK in the US but not in other places?
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
Heads Up said:
We regionalized in the US already for animal disease control. But to do it for the purpose of exporting to other countries? How far would the we get if we tried to do that with exports???
I don't think our customers would appreciate it!
Click to expand...

Your right Heads Up. different states have different laws. Why is that OK in the US but not in other places?
Click to expand...

You think we should regionalize off Alberta for BSE since it is the "cluster area" for the disease in Canada- and not allow any beef transport out of there- EH :???:
 
I'm glad to see this issue being given attention. In case you missed it, K-State has issued a study that validates concerns about regionalizatin of Argentina.

Late last week K-State University released a study saying that the impact on Kansas' economy were there an outbreak of FMD in that region could amount to to nearly a billion dollars in losses. That's just in the region. Think about the disaster that could take place if the disease was not contained.

"If such an outbreak were to occur, livestock and meat commerce, trade and movement would halted," said Ted Schroeder, a KState professor of ag economics. "That represents a very, very expensive endeavor."

K-State researchers said even under the smallest hypothetical scenario where the disease is introduced at a single cow-calf operation, 126,000 head of livestock would have to be destroyed. If it happened to hit a larger feedlot operation the losses would amount to nearly half a million head.

"Contagious foreign animal diseases like FMD are of considerable alarm," said Schroeder, who pointed to globalization, extensive international travel, outbreaks in other countires and heightened concers about bioterrorism.

Bottom line from university researches is that an outbreak of FMD would paralyze the industry and economy at the very least on a regional basis.
Prevention is key, which means NO REGIONALIZATION with countries like Argentina that have the disease and are proven to be unreliable.
 
"I is but a question of time when the Argentine Republic will prove a formidable competitor to American beef in foreign countries and probably in this." ~Philip Danforth Armour~ November 1889


Best Regards
Ben Roberts
 
The government in Britain are now trying to get the farmers to share in the costs of the F+M outbreak, the USA politicians may well try to 'adopt' a similar cost sharing legislation if their British counterparts manage to achieve their goal.
http://www.thebeefsite.com/news/20720/organisations-unite-against-cost-sharing
 
The US does not and should not regionalize for trade with other countries. Disease control and trade are seperate. South America is dealing with a very contagious disease (FMD) and wants to regionalize areas for trade. Fresh beef and cattle trade with the US is the goal.
No, I don't think Canada, Alberta, should be regionalized because of BSE for trade purposes.
Were you suggesting that for trade purposes?? or disease control.
 
Come now...we can't have all this protectionist talk! We are a free country and must have free trade! Access to the USA market is a Constitutional right!!!! Let's all join NCBA and help promote this effort!!!!

Warning: Sarcasm alert!!!!
 
RobertMac said:
Come now...we can't have all this protectionist talk! We are a free country and must have free trade! Access to the USA market is a Constitutional right!!!! Let's all join NCBA and help promote this effort!!!!

Warning: Sarcasm alert!!!!
Click to expand...


Note: The sarcasm will continue;

That's right! You have to give access before you get access! Other countries will treat us as we treat Argentina!
 
There's no doubt that the current Republican administration is focused on trade and not disease prevention when it comes to importing commodities. That's stating the obvious. It's also true that NCBA has a free trade agenda. Again...stating the obvious.

An FMD outbreak in the U.S. would make the experiences with BSE look like a cake walk. Markets would not only plummet they would be shut down within days if not hours. Your herd would be subject to seizure and depopulation. You will not be given a choice in the matter. You would be left to the mercy of the administration for compensation. K-State just provided you with research data that substantiates your vulnerability. Use it.

Take some of the precious time each of you spend on this site posting messages castigating USDA, NCBA and one another and DO SOMETHING about what's happening. Heighten public awareness by writing letters to the editor of your local newspapers opposing regionalization with Argentina. Get the word out. Ask your friends and neighbors to do the same. Contact your elected officials in Washington and tell them you oppose regionalization with Argentina or any other country that has an FMD problem for that matter. Make sure the organizations you belong to hear your opinion and make sure they pay attention. Be proactive not reactive.
 

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