Tommy
Well-known member
Senator discusses cattle imports
By Steve Miller, Journal Staff Writer
RAPID CITY - Japan is not nearly as close to resuming imports of American beef as the U.S. Department of Agriculture has indicated, and reopening the U.S. border to Canadian cattle will make regaining Japanese trust even more difficult, Sen. Tim Johnson said here Saturday.
Johnson echoed comments by Herman Schumacher of Herreid, a panelist at a Rapid City ag forum sponsored by Johnson on the USDA's plan to reopen the U.S. border to Canadian cattle March 7. Schumacher runs Herreid Livestock Auction and is a regional director for R-CALF USA, a cattle producers group that has filed suit to stop the border reopening. "The USDA has tried to sell us about 10 times since last summer that Japan is ready to come to the table," Schumacher said. "They're a long ways from there."
Johnson said the Japanese government appears more willing than Japanese consumers are to resume shipments of U.S. beef.
Japan and the U.S. banned beef imports from Canada after a Canadian cow was found with mad cow disease in May 2003. Japan banned imports of U.S. beef after mad cow disease was found in a Washington state cow in December 2003, even though that animal originated in Canada. Mad cow disease is known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.
"The consumer backlash in Japan has been terrible," Johnson told the group of about 20 ranchers meeting at the Central States Fairgrounds. "They're scared to death."
Rick Fox, another panelist at the ag forum, said the Japanese fear is understandable. "There's nothing wrong with protecting your consumers. That's what we're trying to do," he said. Fox, a Hermosa rancher, is vice president of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, an affiliate of R-CALF USA.
Johnson said the Japanese want to buy American beef. "But we can't certify that the beef we sell to the Japanese is American beef," he said. Johnson said implementing country of origin labeling would resolve that problem. COOL is now scheduled to take effect in late 2006 after a two-year delay that Johnson blamed on Southern congressmen.
Johnson said the United States at one point was exporting 10 percent of its beef, much of it to Japan and South Korea. "We have lost virtually all of that because of their concern about BSE," he said.
He said reopening the U.S. border to live Canadian cattle would result in a "tidal wave" of Canadian cattle that, coupled with the loss of the export markets, could devastate what has been a strong U.S. cattle market over the past several months.
Estimates vary widely about the number of Canadian cattle that would come across the border after it is reopened. The South Dakota Cattlemen's Association cites figures indicating about 900,000 Canadian cattle would come into the United States. But Fox said the real figure could be much higher because of the backlog of cattle and beef that Canada has not been able to export since May 2003.
In addition to damaging the cattle market, the border reopening will hurt consumer confidence in beef, according to a third panelist, Margaret Nachtigall of Owanka, who represented Dakota Rural Action at the forum.
"This would be the first time in history that a BSE-free country has opened up its borders to a country that has BSE," she said. Nachtigall said the USDA's rule redefining what constitutes a country at "minimal risk" for BSE will open the United States to beef from other countries that have BSE. "It won't stop with Canada," she said.
Johnson said the USDA has broken with accepted international standards for minimal-risk nations. "Nowhere in the rest of the world do they accept the definition we're applying to Canada right now," he said.
Despite objections from cattle-state congressmen of both parties, the USDA is moving "full-speed ahead" toward re-opening the border to live Canadian cattle, Johnson said.
Johnson and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns cites worries about large meatpackers closing plants here and moving them to Canada. Tyson already has announced plans to close four plants in the United States, saying it faces a shortage of cattle to slaughter.
"We don't want to see packing plants close, but the answer can't possibly be to allow importation of suspect meat," Johnson said after Saturday's forum.
"We want to keep our packers but not at the price of undermining consumer confidence and creating real risk in this country."
Johnson and Thune both say the United States eventually will again open its borders to Canadian cattle. But both say the move is premature until Canada proves it has stopped the spread of BSE in its cattle herd.
Johnson has sponsored a resolution of disapproval for the USDA's border rule. He admits that he faces an uphill battle to get it passed in the Senate, then the House. And he said there is little chance President Bush would sign it. But he said the resolution, now backed by two Republican senators and seven Democrats, would send a strong signal to the administration.
Thune hasn't signed on to the resolution of disapproval. But Thune has sponsored a bill that would delay the border reopening until USDA can certify that Canada is adequately enforcing its ban on feeding ruminant parts to cattle. The feed ban is considered the primary firewall to prevent BSE from spreading.
"We think that has a more realistic chance of getting action in Congress," Thune said Saturday, referring to his bill
By Steve Miller, Journal Staff Writer
RAPID CITY - Japan is not nearly as close to resuming imports of American beef as the U.S. Department of Agriculture has indicated, and reopening the U.S. border to Canadian cattle will make regaining Japanese trust even more difficult, Sen. Tim Johnson said here Saturday.
Johnson echoed comments by Herman Schumacher of Herreid, a panelist at a Rapid City ag forum sponsored by Johnson on the USDA's plan to reopen the U.S. border to Canadian cattle March 7. Schumacher runs Herreid Livestock Auction and is a regional director for R-CALF USA, a cattle producers group that has filed suit to stop the border reopening. "The USDA has tried to sell us about 10 times since last summer that Japan is ready to come to the table," Schumacher said. "They're a long ways from there."
Johnson said the Japanese government appears more willing than Japanese consumers are to resume shipments of U.S. beef.
Japan and the U.S. banned beef imports from Canada after a Canadian cow was found with mad cow disease in May 2003. Japan banned imports of U.S. beef after mad cow disease was found in a Washington state cow in December 2003, even though that animal originated in Canada. Mad cow disease is known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.
"The consumer backlash in Japan has been terrible," Johnson told the group of about 20 ranchers meeting at the Central States Fairgrounds. "They're scared to death."
Rick Fox, another panelist at the ag forum, said the Japanese fear is understandable. "There's nothing wrong with protecting your consumers. That's what we're trying to do," he said. Fox, a Hermosa rancher, is vice president of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, an affiliate of R-CALF USA.
Johnson said the Japanese want to buy American beef. "But we can't certify that the beef we sell to the Japanese is American beef," he said. Johnson said implementing country of origin labeling would resolve that problem. COOL is now scheduled to take effect in late 2006 after a two-year delay that Johnson blamed on Southern congressmen.
Johnson said the United States at one point was exporting 10 percent of its beef, much of it to Japan and South Korea. "We have lost virtually all of that because of their concern about BSE," he said.
He said reopening the U.S. border to live Canadian cattle would result in a "tidal wave" of Canadian cattle that, coupled with the loss of the export markets, could devastate what has been a strong U.S. cattle market over the past several months.
Estimates vary widely about the number of Canadian cattle that would come across the border after it is reopened. The South Dakota Cattlemen's Association cites figures indicating about 900,000 Canadian cattle would come into the United States. But Fox said the real figure could be much higher because of the backlog of cattle and beef that Canada has not been able to export since May 2003.
In addition to damaging the cattle market, the border reopening will hurt consumer confidence in beef, according to a third panelist, Margaret Nachtigall of Owanka, who represented Dakota Rural Action at the forum.
"This would be the first time in history that a BSE-free country has opened up its borders to a country that has BSE," she said. Nachtigall said the USDA's rule redefining what constitutes a country at "minimal risk" for BSE will open the United States to beef from other countries that have BSE. "It won't stop with Canada," she said.
Johnson said the USDA has broken with accepted international standards for minimal-risk nations. "Nowhere in the rest of the world do they accept the definition we're applying to Canada right now," he said.
Despite objections from cattle-state congressmen of both parties, the USDA is moving "full-speed ahead" toward re-opening the border to live Canadian cattle, Johnson said.
Johnson and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns cites worries about large meatpackers closing plants here and moving them to Canada. Tyson already has announced plans to close four plants in the United States, saying it faces a shortage of cattle to slaughter.
"We don't want to see packing plants close, but the answer can't possibly be to allow importation of suspect meat," Johnson said after Saturday's forum.
"We want to keep our packers but not at the price of undermining consumer confidence and creating real risk in this country."
Johnson and Thune both say the United States eventually will again open its borders to Canadian cattle. But both say the move is premature until Canada proves it has stopped the spread of BSE in its cattle herd.
Johnson has sponsored a resolution of disapproval for the USDA's border rule. He admits that he faces an uphill battle to get it passed in the Senate, then the House. And he said there is little chance President Bush would sign it. But he said the resolution, now backed by two Republican senators and seven Democrats, would send a strong signal to the administration.
Thune hasn't signed on to the resolution of disapproval. But Thune has sponsored a bill that would delay the border reopening until USDA can certify that Canada is adequately enforcing its ban on feeding ruminant parts to cattle. The feed ban is considered the primary firewall to prevent BSE from spreading.
"We think that has a more realistic chance of getting action in Congress," Thune said Saturday, referring to his bill
