British Columbia calls for cattle trade retaliation
by David Schmidt
Turnabout is fair play, says B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, John van Dongen. In a strongly worded letter sent to federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Andy Mitchell and International Trade Minister David Peterson, van Dongen has called for Canada to retaliate for the continued American border closure to Canadian beef.
Specifically, he called on the federal government to halt the agreement that allows the U.S. to ship live cattle from Hawaii to the continental U.S. through the port of Vancouver.
"I believe we need to send a strong message to the United States that opposition to the border opening is not based on science or good economics but rather on domestic trade protectionism," van Dongen wrote in his March 4 letter.
"I am still confident reason will prevail, but urge Canada to stop the U.S. trans-shipments through Vancouver until that happens."
Last spring, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reached an agreement that allows about 11,000 live animals from Hawaii to move through the Vancouver port each year. The animals "rest" for 15 days in Vancouver before moving on to U.S. processors.
Van Dongen said it is "difficult to explain the fairness of this" when the U.S. has not only forbidden the import of Canadian cattle but will not even let Canadian breeding cattle move through the U.S. to Mexico in sealed trucks.
Van Dongen's statement came as a surprise, as his previous public comments have always been highly conciliatory.
Alberta and Manitoba announce beef industry support
by Kevin Hursh
On the heels of the Montana court decision that is keeping the American border closed to live cattle, the governments of Alberta and Manitoba have responded with extra assistance to help expand slaughter capacity and markets.
Alberta has announced a $30 million Beef Market Development and Retention Fund to help the industry find more export markets and increase sales in existing markets. The fund will be administered by the cattle industry and will be set up to allow further investment from other sources such as the federal government, other provinces and the beef industry.
An additional $7 million from the Alberta government will go towards the development of commercial uses for specified risk material (SRM). SRMs are tissues that will typically contain the prions associated with BSE in an affected animal. This includes the skull, brain, eyes, tonsils, trigeminal gaglia, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of cattle older than 30 months and the distal ilium (portion of the small intestine) from cattle of all ages.
Canada generates more than 50,000 tonnes of SRMs a year. Potential new uses are being investigated for this material.
Meanwhile, the Manitoba government has announced that $3 million will be made available to investors looking to increase slaughter capacity for beef and other ruminants. The funding is over and above the $11.5 million the Manitoba government has committed to help the Rancher's Choice slaughter plant proposal.
Manitoba also announced it will cover up to 90 per cent of the costs of feasibility studies for those wishing to upgrade their existing provincially-inspected facilities to become federally-inspected plants. Details are to be announced shortly.
by David Schmidt
Turnabout is fair play, says B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, John van Dongen. In a strongly worded letter sent to federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Andy Mitchell and International Trade Minister David Peterson, van Dongen has called for Canada to retaliate for the continued American border closure to Canadian beef.
Specifically, he called on the federal government to halt the agreement that allows the U.S. to ship live cattle from Hawaii to the continental U.S. through the port of Vancouver.
"I believe we need to send a strong message to the United States that opposition to the border opening is not based on science or good economics but rather on domestic trade protectionism," van Dongen wrote in his March 4 letter.
"I am still confident reason will prevail, but urge Canada to stop the U.S. trans-shipments through Vancouver until that happens."
Last spring, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reached an agreement that allows about 11,000 live animals from Hawaii to move through the Vancouver port each year. The animals "rest" for 15 days in Vancouver before moving on to U.S. processors.
Van Dongen said it is "difficult to explain the fairness of this" when the U.S. has not only forbidden the import of Canadian cattle but will not even let Canadian breeding cattle move through the U.S. to Mexico in sealed trucks.
Van Dongen's statement came as a surprise, as his previous public comments have always been highly conciliatory.
Alberta and Manitoba announce beef industry support
by Kevin Hursh
On the heels of the Montana court decision that is keeping the American border closed to live cattle, the governments of Alberta and Manitoba have responded with extra assistance to help expand slaughter capacity and markets.
Alberta has announced a $30 million Beef Market Development and Retention Fund to help the industry find more export markets and increase sales in existing markets. The fund will be administered by the cattle industry and will be set up to allow further investment from other sources such as the federal government, other provinces and the beef industry.
An additional $7 million from the Alberta government will go towards the development of commercial uses for specified risk material (SRM). SRMs are tissues that will typically contain the prions associated with BSE in an affected animal. This includes the skull, brain, eyes, tonsils, trigeminal gaglia, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of cattle older than 30 months and the distal ilium (portion of the small intestine) from cattle of all ages.
Canada generates more than 50,000 tonnes of SRMs a year. Potential new uses are being investigated for this material.
Meanwhile, the Manitoba government has announced that $3 million will be made available to investors looking to increase slaughter capacity for beef and other ruminants. The funding is over and above the $11.5 million the Manitoba government has committed to help the Rancher's Choice slaughter plant proposal.
Manitoba also announced it will cover up to 90 per cent of the costs of feasibility studies for those wishing to upgrade their existing provincially-inspected facilities to become federally-inspected plants. Details are to be announced shortly.
