Solution Please.

[Maple Leaf Angus]

Well folks, we know what the problems are. We have all taken turns at being either aggressive or defensive in our words and actions.

For what it is worth, what would you offer as a solution to this quagmire that we are finding ourselves in as cattle and/or beef producers?

Does one solution fit all or are we better off to approach this as two separate entities - Canadian and U.S?

 

[ranchwife]

just my opinion (and i realize that i am not as "educated" or "up to date" on the subject as many of you are :? ), but i have always believed that 2 (or 2 million, however many it takes) heads are better than one!! Let's get this figured out and solved!!!

 

[Maple Leaf Angus]

Ranchwife - I take from your reply that you were never pro-rcalf! And as for your qualifications, if you are in this business, your voice is as important as anyone else's.

 

[Mike]

Because the "Harvard Risk Assessment" authors concluded that for every one positive animal found there could be as many as 500-600 more infected, my solution would simply be what Stanley Prusiner tried to convey to Ann Veneman.
For a period of one year test every single downer and dying/dead animal plus every animal that goes to slaughter. We will know then, and only then, the prevalence of the infection. Make it mandatory for all ranchers, abbatoirs and packers, and make it a severe fine for not adhering. This will tell us whether to continue or not. Will get some imports back too.
I saw the manipulations during the sixties of the efforts to eradicate brucellosis. Cattlemen hid cattle because they didn't think the test was accurate and didn't trust the USDA. Sound familiar?
Form a "North American BSE Eradication" program consisting of Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.
And by all means put all the cards on the table.

 

[Jeannie]

That sounds like a plan, Mike. I would also suggest taking it one step further, and making it mandatory that any cattle crossing state lines, or borders be tested as well. That would give us an even better idea of just what we are up against. The WB test can pick up prions in sub-clinical animals. By testing all cattle that cross any border, we would also find out if it is in fact only cattle over 30 months of age or not. I personally believe that this is something that is picked up way earlier than that, and just does not manifest itself until a certain age.

This type of testing would also provide the opportunity to learn a whole lot more about the disease and determine once and for all whether it can be passed from animal to animal.

 

[Maple Leaf Angus]

Jeannie, that would work if we had a dependable live test.


I would sure like to hear the reasoning behind the way people vote. It would add a lot to the picture.

 

[Jeannie]

My apologies, I misread and was under the impression that the WB test could be done on live cattle.

 

[Radar]

I think the major Beef Provinces in Canada should secede and join the US, ya'll think more like most of us anyway!

 

[SASH]

In an 'ideal' world, I think the joint approach would be best. Our import regulations on US beef were actually more restrictive when we aligned them with US import regulations then they were previously. I think we have to see how this thing goes. If this is just another hiccup in getting trade open with the US, I say that we should go our own way and test all the exports leaving this country as is being asked by our potential customers

 

[Maple Leaf Angus]

In an ideal world, yes.

However, in light of the credibility problem facing the USDA, does the CDN. industry not have a better chance of regaining trust and export market share on its own?


Our BSE positives have been laid out for the whole world to see.

 

[Border rancher]

I believe that Canada is so far ahead of the US with it's testing program,(I am still hearing those silly ads on US radio commending US producers for tasting a few cows for BSE.) and its compulsory ID system which has been in place for a few years now, that we should get our new plants up and going, test everything we want to export and GET ON WITH IT. We all know how much many of the US producers cared when our markets went bad, and although I am not a vindictive person, I think the US cattleman has had their Christmas and we should move on without them.