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USDA- May Need to Tighten US/Canadian Border

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Anonymous

Guest
Conner warns still obstacles with Japanese beef trade



by Bob Meyer and Amanda Davenport, student intern

Brownfield

July 12, 2006



Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Chuck Conner talked to Brownfield about Japan reopening its borders to U.S. beef as well as recent Canadian BSE occurrences during his visit to the Wisconsin Farm Technology Days.



In regard to U.S. beef in Japan, Conner says with previous false starts, you can’t take anything for granted. Ultimately the proof, he says, will be when product is actually moving into Japan.



Even after Japan opens its borders to U.S. beef, there is still a lot of work to do. One obstacle will be getting the beef to actually sell. The Japanese government has left the credibility and safety of U.S. beef questionable and unstable among its citizens, according to Conner, and it will be important to reestablish the consumer market.



Conner believes the U.S. needs to collaborate with the Meat Export Federation. He added he expects it will be a slow process to build back consumer confidence and return the demand to where it was prior to 2003.



As far as the possible occurrences of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada, Conner says it’s too soon to know how it will affect the United State or even if it will.



The first recent occurrence dealt with a much older cow, which will not affect the U.S. as it was born before 1997 when the current feed laws were installed. Although the most recent possible case of BSE deals with a younger animal, it is still unconfirmed. If tests come back positive, it would have greater implications on the United States. According to Conner, if confirmed, it could mean a need to tighten the U.S./ Canadian border.





brownfieldnetwork.com
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Today 7/13/2006 4:12:00 PM


USDA Secretary Expresses Concern Over Latest Canada BSE Case



WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns expressed concern Thursday over Canada's confirmation of a new case of mad-cow disease because the infected animal was born well after Canada put a preventive feed ban in place.



"While the United States and Canada have a strong system in place to protect animal and human health, the diagnosis of BSE in an animal born roughly four and a half years after the implementation of the 1997 ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban does raise questions that must be answered," Johanns said.



Johanns said he will be dispatching USDA officials to Canada to monitor the country's investigation into its latest BSE case, discovered in a 50-month-old dairy cow from Alberta.



"We need a thorough understanding of all the circumstances involved in this case to assure our consumers that Canada's regulatory system is effectively providing the utmost protections to consumers and livestock," he said.



Johanns said he is particularly concerned about "how this animal may have been exposed to BSE-infected material."



The Canadian feed ban, similar to the one in the U.S., prohibits the use of bovine material in cattle feed because infected feed is believed to be the primary means of spreading the disease among animals. Both the U.S. and Canada implemented their respective feed bans in 1997.



The USDA still bans the importation of Canadian cattle that are older than 30 months, but the department is in the midst of creating a new federal rule that would lift the prohibition.



The USDA banned all Canadian beef and cattle in May 2003 after Canada announced its first native-born case of BSE. Shortly afterward, USDA began allowing in Canadian beef back into the U.S., but didn't ease its ban on some cattle until 2005.



The USDA lifted its ban on Canadian cattle under 30 months of age in July 2005.
 

Manitoba_Rancher

Well-known member
OT-
Why would the US need to tighten the border to our beef up here? The Japanese have not closed their market to our beef so why would that affect the US exporting beef to Japan?Another one of your lil R-calf cut and paste news stories.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
Manitoba_Rancher said:
If we have it here then why arent you finding cases down there? " The age old story swept under the right rug."

Put yourself in our boots, MR. A lot of us have seen how the USDA works and don't trust them as far as we can throw them. By your post, and the posts of many of your countrymen on this coverup notion, you share that sentiment. If we were importing your cows, that 4-year old could of been down here and we would have to trust the USDA to not only find it, but deal with it correctly - something only SH would put his money on. By asking us to take your cows, you're asking US producers to put our faith and trust and our futures into the hands of an outfit that you don't trust yourself.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Manitoba_Rancher said:
Another one of your lil R-calf cut and paste news stories.

MR- You can sit there and call it all an R-CALF thing if that makes you feel better :roll: - but you are wrong...There are many more concerned with USDA's BSE Policy...Remember MacDonalds independent study done by 7 science groups-- Remember this article the other day:

Coincidentally, the latest case comes on a day when representatives of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Director of the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to discuss their concerns regarding current USDA policies for BSE.



A press release announcing the meeting said the group urged stronger safety measures to guard against BSE from getting into the U.S. food or feed chains.



I didn't want to get in an argument with Roper on the ranch site where the Border issue poll was posted- but there is a whole lot more producer concern than just from R-CALF- even that poll was interesting with 60% opposing the border opening- and thats with all the Canadians on the site....Personally from just talking with producers I think if you could poll ALL US producers (and not just those that belong to some organization) about 90% oppose any change in the OTM rule and over 60% oppose the current allowance of UTM's and beef-- and I'm sure that will increase now with these 2 showing up within a week of each other...

I think the thing that is bending many Canadians noses and at the same time giving R-CALF much greater influence and credibility in US political/producer circles is that R-CALF claimed 2 years ago that they had evidence of Canada's feed ban being violated and not working- but USDA/AMI/NCBA/Canada etal did not want to hear it or see it come to light and got it squelched from ever being presented.....
 

Manitoba_Rancher

Well-known member
Oldtimer,

You can bring up all this Horse$%^@ that you want but all your interested in is trying to keep the border closed so you can try to make an extra dollar. I believe if R-calf did succeed in getting the border blocked again it is time that the power, water, oil, and fertilizer that is crossing the border from Canada be cut off. Talk about a 3rd world country then,remember when the power went down in and around New York? Mass caos!! You know how you are always talking about riding on shirttails OT, well the US is doing a pretty good job of riding on Canada's shirttails when it comes to our precious comodities. Its jsut a damn shame that there is cult in the United States by the name of R-calf that is doing such a damn good job running the beef industry into the ground on both sides of the border.
 

Mike

Well-known member
all your interested in is trying to keep the border closed so you can try to make an extra dollar

Not trying to stir the pot here but doesn't this work both ways?

Are you trying to keep the border open so you can make an extra dollar?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Mike said:
all your interested in is trying to keep the border closed so you can try to make an extra dollar

Not trying to stir the pot here but doesn't this work both ways?

Are you trying to keep the border open so you can make an extra dollar?

If I remember correct, part of the argument Canadian producers used for years for the Anaplas/Blue Tongue 10+ years border closure was to protect the health and economic viability of the Canadian cattle and sheep industry...

Now the US producer is only asking to do the same....
 

Tam

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Mike said:
all your interested in is trying to keep the border closed so you can try to make an extra dollar

Not trying to stir the pot here but doesn't this work both ways?

Are you trying to keep the border open so you can make an extra dollar?

If I remember correct, part of the argument Canadian producers used for years for the Anaplas/Blue Tongue 10+ years border closure was to protect the health and economic viability of the Canadian cattle and sheep industry...

Now the US producer is only asking to do the same....

Oldtimer why can't you get it that Canadian producers have been working for years to get our government to drop the anna and blue restriction? :roll: :roll: Look at it this way They listen to us about as well as the USDA listens to you. Maybe we should had some fund raiseing calf auction and have taken them to court to get them to listen to us. :wink:
That said if the tables were turned and we had anna and blue and there is a test to prove animals are free of it would you expect us to use it to protect your herds? and again tell us why we as an independent country should not have the right to ask you to test when your neighboring states within the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA have the right to ask for the same testing you feel we should not have the right to ask for? :wink:
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Oldtimer why can't you get it that Canadian producers have been working for years to get our government to drop the anna and blue restriction?

Tam- Who lobbied CFIA and the Canadian government to put the Anaplas/Bluetongue barrier up in the first place-- Did CFIA just go out there and do it because they had nothing else to do :???:

But that is not really the issue... It set precedence of a barrier to protect the health and economy of the cattle industry in one of the countries (Canada)...And there definitely now is a threat to the US cattle industries economy and health by the Canadian cattle...Not to mention the questions that may arise about human health...
 

Tam

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Oldtimer why can't you get it that Canadian producers have been working for years to get our government to drop the anna and blue restriction?

Tam- Who lobbied CFIA and the Canadian government to put the Anaplas/Bluetongue barrier up in the first place-- Did CFIA just go out there and do it because they had nothing else to do :???:


Does the US government always have the full support of the US beef industry when implementing safeguards that they feel are in the best interest of the industry? ( feed bans, national ID systems, BSE testing protocol, M'COOL") :?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Tam said:
Does the US government always have the full support of the US beef industry

Tam- There has never been full support on anything in the US beef industry/ agriculture industry....I doubt it has occurred in Canada either..
 

Tam

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Tam said:
Does the US government always have the full support of the US beef industry

Tam- There has never been full support on anything in the US beef industry/ agriculture industry....I doubt it has occurred in Canada either..

So why can't you admit that the Canadian beef producers have been working for 10 + years to get our government to drop the anna and blue restrictions that were implemented to protect the Canadian sheep industry? Or does it just fit your agenda and make you feel good to keep blaming us for something that was implemented without beef industry support. :roll: :roll:
 

Maple Leaf Angus

Well-known member
Tam said:
Oldtimer said:
Tam said:
Does the US government always have the full support of the US beef industry

Tam- There has never been full support on anything in the US beef industry/ agriculture industry....I doubt it has occurred in Canada either..

So why can't you admit that the Canadian beef producers have been working for 10 + years to get our government to drop the anna and blue restrictions that were implemented to protect the Canadian sheep industry? Or does it just fit your agenda and make you feel good to keep blaming us for something that was implemented without beef industry support. :roll: :roll:

Tam - You deal heavily in rhetorical questions.

:nod: :lol2: :lol2:
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Tam said:
Oldtimer said:
Tam said:
Does the US government always have the full support of the US beef industry

Tam- There has never been full support on anything in the US beef industry/ agriculture industry....I doubt it has occurred in Canada either..

So why can't you admit that the Canadian beef producers have been working for 10 + years to get our government to drop the anna and blue restrictions that were implemented to protect the Canadian sheep industry? Or does it just fit your agenda and make you feel good to keep blaming us for something that was implemented without beef industry support. :roll: :roll:

Tam- I never saw much of a move to drop the Anaplas/Bluetongue until the US had closed the border to Canadian beef- Canadas tit was in a wringer because they had sold out their cattle industry to the US beef industry-- then everyone put on this pure and innocent gameface like it had just been a simple little mistake and that they really had been working day and night lobbying to change it :wink: :roll: :lol: Also showed how truly unnecessary and trade oriented it truly was......

But like I said before that you avoided:


But that is not really the issue... It set precedence of a barrier to protect the health and economy of the cattle industry in one of the countries (Canada)...And there definitely now is a threat to the US cattle industries economy and health by the Canadian cattle...Not to mention the questions that may arise about human health...

I would say this issue is much more pressing than Anaplas/ Bluetongue...
 

Murgen

Well-known member
I think the US should close the border to all Canadian Beef and live animals.

A BSE country should not trade with other countries, unless asked to do so.

Canadian feedmills should not import anymore US feed ingredients. Especially milk replacer.

Check to see where the feed ingredients come from for Canadian feed, you will have your answer as to source.

Why do you think everything is being kept "hush hush"!
 

Tam

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Tam said:
Oldtimer said:
Tam- There has never been full support on anything in the US beef industry/ agriculture industry....I doubt it has occurred in Canada either..

So why can't you admit that the Canadian beef producers have been working for 10 + years to get our government to drop the anna and blue restrictions that were implemented to protect the Canadian sheep industry? Or does it just fit your agenda and make you feel good to keep blaming us for something that was implemented without beef industry support. :roll: :roll:

Tam- I never saw much of a move to drop the Anaplas/Bluetongue until the US had closed the border to Canadian beef- Canadas tit was in a wringer because they had sold out their cattle industry to the US beef industry-- then everyone put on this pure and innocent gameface like it had just been a simple little mistake and that they really had been working day and night lobbying to change it :wink: :roll: :lol: Also showed how truly unnecessary and trade oriented it truly was......

But like I said before that you avoided:


But that is not really the issue... It set precedence of a barrier to protect the health and economy of the cattle industry in one of the countries (Canada)...And there definitely now is a threat to the US cattle industries economy and health by the Canadian cattle...Not to mention the questions that may arise about human health...

I would say this issue is much more pressing than Anaplas/ Bluetongue...

Then drop the anna and blue crap and stick to the BSE issue. If this is a true health issue then pass Dennis's resolution until the truth is known about BSE in the US. Until you back your health risk arguments with requests to ban marketing of all beef coming from countries affected by BSE INCLUDING THE US this is just another trade restricing farce.
 

Murgen

Well-known member
I hope the Canadian government has finally come to realize that they should let the world know where the feed ingredients came from, for this plant in Edmonton!

I bet you the US/ Canada border would open within minutes.
 
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