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USDA Proposes Cows Born After 1999

A

Anonymous

Guest
Release No. 0001.07
Contact:
Karen Eggert (301) 734-7280
Keith Williams (202) 720-4623

USDA PROPOSES TO ALLOW ADDITIONAL IMPORTS FROM BSE MINIMAL-RISK COUNTRIES

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2007-The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today announced a proposal to expand the list of allowable imports from countries recognized as presenting a minimal risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into the United States. Currently, Canada is the only minimal-risk country designated by the United States.


"This proposal would continue to protect against BSE in the United States while taking the next step forward in our efforts to implement science-based trade relations with countries that have appropriate safeguards in place to prevent BSE," said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "We previously recognized Canada's comprehensive set of safeguards and we have now completed a risk assessment confirming that additional animals and products can be safely traded. Our approach is consistent with science-based international guidelines."

The proposal expands upon a rule published by APHIS in January 2005 that allowed the importation of certain live ruminants and ruminant products, including cattle under 30 months of age for delivery to a slaughterhouse or feedlot, from countries recognized as minimal-risk. In the rule announced today, APHIS is proposing to allow the importation of:

Live cattle and other bovines for any use born on or after, March 1, 1999, the date determined by APHIS to be the date of effective enforcement of the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban in Canada;
Meat products from cattle born on or after March 1, 1999;
Blood and blood products derived from bovines, collected under certain conditions; and
Casings and part of the small intestine derived from bovines.
As part of the proposal, APHIS conducted a thorough risk assessment following guidelines put forth by the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, and found that the risk associated with these commodities is minimal. This assessment evaluated the entire risk pathway, including mitigations in place both in Canada and the United States. The assessment included evaluating the likelihood of introduction of BSE via imports, the likelihood of animal exposure if this were to occur and the subsequent consequences. All of these were combined to give the overall minimal risk estimation.

It is important to note that BSE transmission is prevented in bovines by a series of safeguards, including; slaughter controls and dead animal disposal, rendering inactivation, feed manufacturing and use controls, and biologic limitations to susceptibility. These layers of protection work together to prevent spread of the disease.

In the United States, human health is protected by a system of interlocking safeguards that ensure the safety of U.S. beef. The most important of these safeguards is the ban on specified risk materials from the food supply and the Food and Drug Administration's ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban. Canada has similar safeguards in place.

The risk assessment concluded that for all the commodities considered under the current proposal, the risk of BSE infectivity is minimal and the disease will not become established in the United States. The proposed rule will be published in the Jan. 9, 2007 Federal Register and is available on our Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov .

APHIS invites comments on this proposed rule. Consideration will be given to comments received on or before March 12, 2007. Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0041, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the Internet, go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov , select "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" from the agency drop-down menu; then click on "Submit." In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0041 to submit or view public comments and to view the proposal and the supporting and related materials available electronically.

Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and may also be viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call (202) 690-2817.


#
USDA News
[email protected]
202 720-4623
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
"Live cattle and other bovines for any use born on or after, March 1, 1999, the date determined by APHIS to be the date of effective enforcement of the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban in Canada;"

I wonder how they came up with that date? The last posivive case was born in 2002. How can positives be born 3 after the date of effective enforcement?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I wonder how NCBA will reconcile this conflict now that the higher risk Canadian beef and cows are being proposed to come south :???:

Will they oppose the opening to older cattle/beef? Or will they support tougher US feedban restrictions... Or will they do like normal- flipflop and stick their head between the USDA/AMI's legs?


The U.S. feed ban is less strict than Canada's, drawing criticism from companies such as McDonald's and food and agribusiness Cargill Inc.



Officials have proposed tightening the ban, but not as much as Canada has. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association says further restrictions are unnecessary because this country has lower risks.


U.S. Seeks More Canadian Beef Imports



By LIBBY QUAID, The Associated Press

Examiner

Jan 4, 2007



WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Thursday it will seek to increase cattle and beef imports from Canada despite questions about Canadian safeguards against mad cow disease.



Canada discovered five new cases of the disease last year. One in particular was disturbing because the cow was born years after Canada adopted safeguards to keep the disease from spreading.



The United States banned Canadian cattle and beef after Canada found its first case of mad cow disease in May 2003. Later that year, an imported Canadian cow in Washington state became the first U.S. case of mad cow disease.



Canadian imports of beef resumed swiftly, but a court battle with a Western ranchers' group kept the border from reopening to live cattle until July 2005.



Still, beef and cattle imports have been restricted to animals younger than 30 months because older animals carry a higher risk of having mad cow disease, which is known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.



The Agriculture Department is proposing to allow imports of beef and cattle from Canadian cattle 30 months and older. Live animals that are imported for breeding and slaughter in the U.S. must be born on or after March 1, 1999.



The plan will go through 60 days of public comment until March 12. Department officials said they will take into account all comments before proceeding, possibly in the summer.



"This proposal would continue to protect against BSE in the United States while taking the next step forward in our efforts to implement science-based trade relations with countries that have appropriate safeguards in place to prevent BSE," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said.



He said U.S. officials conducted a risk assessment and determined that the older cattle would be safe for consumers.



"Our approach is consistent with science-based international guidelines," Johanns said.



The department waited to relax the trade rules while investigators tried to solve the mystery of the cow that was infected years after Canada put its safeguards in place.



The safeguards bar the use of cattle remains in cattle feed. This is the primary firewall against the disease because the only known way for cattle to get infected is by eating feed containing diseased cattle tissue.



The practice was largely outlawed in Canada - and the United States - in 1997. But the infected cow was born in 2002.



Canadian officials blamed the infection on cross-contamination, either when the feed was mixed or when it was transported because cattle remains have been allowed in food for other livestock and pets. Canada announced last year it will ban cattle tissues known to carry the disease from feed for all livestock and pets.



The U.S. feed ban is less strict than Canada's, drawing criticism from companies such as McDonald's and food and agribusiness Cargill Inc.



Officials have proposed tightening the ban, but not as much as Canada has. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association says further restrictions are unnecessary because this country has lower risks.


The ranchers' group that sued, R-CALF USA, says older cattle from Canada present too great a risk. The magnitude of Canada's mad cow epidemic is still unfolding, said Bill Bullard, the group's chief executive.



"USDA's proposal to allow over 30-month cattle and beef is premature, and we are asking Congress to intervene to stop it," Bullard said.



The U.S. imports about 12 percent of its beef. In 2005, Canada accounted for nearly one-quarter of those imports, shipping $1.2 billion worth of beef and veal, an estimated 812 million pounds, to U.S. markets. Imports dropped off in 2006; the most recent data shows about $776 million in Canadian shipments through October.



Mad cow disease, a brain-wasting disorder, infected more than 180,000 cows and was blamed for more than 150 human deaths during a European outbreak that peaked in 1993.



In humans, eating meat contaminated with BSE is linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare and deadly nerve disease. The U.S. has found three cases of BSE, two of them in native-born animals in Texas and Alabama. Canada has found eight cases in all.



examiner.com
 

Bill

Well-known member
Hey OLDTIMER tell the folks at the R-Klan temple you want the USDA corrections sent to you as well!


Please see the revised press release from the USDA.
CORRECTION: This version contains corrected information related to meat
and meat products.



Release No. 0001.07
Contact:
Karen Eggert (301) 734-7280
Keith Williams (202) 720-4623

USDA PROPOSES TO ALLOW ADDITIONAL IMPORTS FROM BSE MINIMAL-RISK
COUNTRIES

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2007-The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service today announced a proposal to expand the
list of allowable imports from countries recognized as presenting a
minimal risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into
the United States. Currently, Canada is the only minimal-risk country
designated by the United States.


"This proposal would continue to protect against BSE in the United
States while taking the next step forward in our efforts to implement
science-based trade relations with countries that have appropriate
safeguards in place to prevent BSE," said Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns. "We previously recognized Canada's comprehensive set of
safeguards and we have now completed a risk assessment confirming that
additional animals and products can be safely traded. Our approach is
consistent with science-based international guidelines."

The proposal expands upon a rule published by APHIS in January 2005 that
allowed the importation of certain live ruminants and ruminant products,
including cattle under 30 months of age for delivery to a slaughterhouse
or feedlot, from countries recognized as minimal-risk. In the rule
announced today, APHIS is proposing to allow the importation of:

-Live cattle and other bovines for any use born on or after, March 1,
1999, the date determined by APHIS to be the date of effective
enforcement of the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban in Canada;

-Blood and blood products derived from bovines, collected under certain
conditions; and

-Casings and part of the small intestine derived from bovines.

Meat and meat products from animals of any age, with specified risk
materials removed, were addressed in the January 2005 final rule. In
March 2005, APHIS published a notice of a delay of applicability of
certain provisions of that rule. This delay affected only meat and meat
products from animals 30 months of age or older. If the proposed rule
announced today is made final, it would be consistent to lift the delay
and also allow the importation of these products.


As part of the proposal, APHIS conducted a thorough risk assessment
following guidelines put forth by the World Organization for Animal
Health, or OIE,
and found that the risk associated with these
commodities is minimal. This assessment evaluated the entire risk
pathway, including mitigations in place both in Canada and the United
States. The assessment included evaluating the likelihood of
introduction of BSE via imports, the likelihood of animal exposure if
this were to occur and the subsequent consequences. All of these were
combined to give the overall minimal risk estimation.

It is important to note that BSE transmission is prevented in bovines by
a series of safeguards, including; slaughter controls and dead animal
disposal, rendering inactivation, feed manufacturing and use controls,
and biologic limitations to susceptibility. These layers of protection
work together to prevent spread of the disease.

In the United States, human health is protected by a system of
interlocking safeguards that ensure the safety of U.S. beef. The most
important of these safeguards is the ban on specified risk materials
from the food supply and the Food and Drug Administration's
ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban. Canada has similar safeguards in place.

The risk assessment concluded that for all the commodities considered
under the current proposal, the risk of BSE infectivity is minimal and
the disease will not become established in the United States. The
proposed rule will be published in the Jan. 9, 2007 Federal Register and
is available on our Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov .

APHIS invites comments on this proposed rule. Consideration will be
given to comments received on or before March 12, 2007. Send an original
and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to
Docket No. APHIS-2006-0041, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md.
20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the Internet, go to
the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov , select
"Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" from the agency drop-down
menu; then click on "Submit." In the Docket ID column, select
APHIS-2006-0041 to submit or view public comments and to view the
proposal and the supporting and related materials available
electronically.

Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and may also be
viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence
Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment
reading room, please call (202) 690-2817.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Bill said:
Hey OLDTIMER tell the folks at the R-Klan temple you want the USDA corrections sent to you as well!


Please see the revised press release from the USDA.
CORRECTION: This version contains corrected information related to meat
and meat products.



Release No. 0001.07
Contact:
Karen Eggert (301) 734-7280
Keith Williams (202) 720-4623

USDA PROPOSES TO ALLOW ADDITIONAL IMPORTS FROM BSE MINIMAL-RISK
COUNTRIES

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2007-The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service today announced a proposal to expand the
list of allowable imports from countries recognized as presenting a
minimal risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into
the United States. Currently, Canada is the only minimal-risk country
designated by the United States.


"This proposal would continue to protect against BSE in the United
States while taking the next step forward in our efforts to implement
science-based trade relations with countries that have appropriate
safeguards in place to prevent BSE," said Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns. "We previously recognized Canada's comprehensive set of
safeguards and we have now completed a risk assessment confirming that
additional animals and products can be safely traded. Our approach is
consistent with science-based international guidelines."

The proposal expands upon a rule published by APHIS in January 2005 that
allowed the importation of certain live ruminants and ruminant products,
including cattle under 30 months of age for delivery to a slaughterhouse
or feedlot, from countries recognized as minimal-risk. In the rule
announced today, APHIS is proposing to allow the importation of:

-Live cattle and other bovines for any use born on or after, March 1,
1999, the date determined by APHIS to be the date of effective
enforcement of the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban in Canada;

-Blood and blood products derived from bovines, collected under certain
conditions; and

-Casings and part of the small intestine derived from bovines.

Meat and meat products from animals of any age, with specified risk
materials removed, were addressed in the January 2005 final rule. In
March 2005, APHIS published a notice of a delay of applicability of
certain provisions of that rule. This delay affected only meat and meat
products from animals 30 months of age or older. If the proposed rule
announced today is made final, it would be consistent to lift the delay
and also allow the importation of these products.


As part of the proposal, APHIS conducted a thorough risk assessment
following guidelines put forth by the World Organization for Animal
Health, or OIE,
and found that the risk associated with these
commodities is minimal. This assessment evaluated the entire risk
pathway, including mitigations in place both in Canada and the United
States. The assessment included evaluating the likelihood of
introduction of BSE via imports, the likelihood of animal exposure if
this were to occur and the subsequent consequences. All of these were
combined to give the overall minimal risk estimation.

It is important to note that BSE transmission is prevented in bovines by
a series of safeguards, including; slaughter controls and dead animal
disposal, rendering inactivation, feed manufacturing and use controls,
and biologic limitations to susceptibility. These layers of protection
work together to prevent spread of the disease.

In the United States, human health is protected by a system of
interlocking safeguards that ensure the safety of U.S. beef. The most
important of these safeguards is the ban on specified risk materials
from the food supply and the Food and Drug Administration's
ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban. Canada has similar safeguards in place.

The risk assessment concluded that for all the commodities considered
under the current proposal, the risk of BSE infectivity is minimal and
the disease will not become established in the United States. The
proposed rule will be published in the Jan. 9, 2007 Federal Register and
is available on our Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov .

APHIS invites comments on this proposed rule. Consideration will be
given to comments received on or before March 12, 2007. Send an original
and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to
Docket No. APHIS-2006-0041, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md.
20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the Internet, go to
the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov , select
"Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" from the agency drop-down
menu; then click on "Submit." In the Docket ID column, select
APHIS-2006-0041 to submit or view public comments and to view the
proposal and the supporting and related materials available
electronically.

Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and may also be
viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence
Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment
reading room, please call (202) 690-2817.

Oh I got that e-mail from USDA a short time ago-- just hadn't got around to posting it yet....

But it does have to make you wonder-- Here is a government agency that can't even issue a complete and factual press release on first try- but they want you and consumers of the US to believe all their studies and assessments on the safety of BSE imports :???:

Same agency that raises those Santa G-E-R-T-R-U-B-I-S cattle :roll: :wink: :lol:
 

Manitoba_Rancher

Well-known member
Oldtimer,

You better send R-calf another sack of cash because I think they will burn lots of your $$ trying to stop this rule.......... The lawyers will be buying out banks after they make a killin off of this case.... :roll:
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Manitoba_Rancher said:
Oldtimer,

You better send R-calf another sack of cash because I think they will burn lots of your $$ trying to stop this rule.......... The lawyers will be buying out banks after they make a killin off of this case.... :roll:

As assinine as the USDA's reasoning is for this, I'm not sure if its going to need much for lawyers-- Congress might just do it...The new leadership is looking for some reasons to knock USDA down a peg or two anyway- and this might just be the club they needed.......
 

Tam

Well-known member
I seem to remember you R-CALFers saying once Veneman was gone and your man Johann took over the USDA, things would change. What happen? and are you willing to risk predicting what is going to happen now?

One thing you guys seem to forget is that the US has BSE, Phyllis proved that, and the US wants to export beef. Standing on a no import stage and telling everyone the dangers of beef coming from a BSE positive country that just happens to have stronger firewalls in place may not be the smartest move you can make. Especially when your BSE testing and investigations have prove only one thing to the rest of the world and that is even though you have BSE, you are doing LITTLE TO NOTHING TO FIND IT OR CLEAN IT UP. All other countries stepped up testing and implemented stronger firewalls after finding BSE in their native herds. But what did the US do, cut back testing to a fraction of any other positive country and implemented a fraction of the new rules. :roll: Way to find out what kind of epidemic is hiding in the US isn't it. :roll:
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
Tam said:
I seem to remember you R-CALFers saying once Veneman was gone and your man Johann took over the USDA, things would change. What happen? and are you willing to risk predicting what is going to happen now?

One thing you guys seem to forget is that the US has BSE, Phyllis proved that, and the US wants to export beef. Standing on a no import stage and telling everyone the dangers of beef coming from a BSE positive country that just happens to have stronger firewalls in place may not be the smartest move you can make. Especially when your BSE testing and investigations have prove only one thing to the rest of the world and that is even though you have BSE, you are doing LITTLE TO NOTHING TO FIND IT OR CLEAN IT UP. All other countries stepped up testing and implemented stronger firewalls after finding BSE in their native herds. But what did the US do, cut back testing to a fraction of any other positive country and implemented a fraction of the new rules. :roll: Way to find out what kind of epidemic is hiding in the US isn't it. :roll:

POST BAN POSITIVES, TAM. How can we clean it up when we import from a country with post ban positives?
 

Tam

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
Tam said:
I seem to remember you R-CALFers saying once Veneman was gone and your man Johann took over the USDA, things would change. What happen? and are you willing to risk predicting what is going to happen now?

One thing you guys seem to forget is that the US has BSE, Phyllis proved that, and the US wants to export beef. Standing on a no import stage and telling everyone the dangers of beef coming from a BSE positive country that just happens to have stronger firewalls in place may not be the smartest move you can make. Especially when your BSE testing and investigations have prove only one thing to the rest of the world and that is even though you have BSE, you are doing LITTLE TO NOTHING TO FIND IT OR CLEAN IT UP. All other countries stepped up testing and implemented stronger firewalls after finding BSE in their native herds. But what did the US do, cut back testing to a fraction of any other positive country and implemented a fraction of the new rules. :roll: Way to find out what kind of epidemic is hiding in the US isn't it. :roll:

POST BAN POSITIVES, TAM. How can we clean it up when we import from a country with post ban positives?

BUT BUT LEO said you had these firewalls in place for YEARS!!! :wink:
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
Tam said:
Sandhusker said:
Tam said:
I seem to remember you R-CALFers saying once Veneman was gone and your man Johann took over the USDA, things would change. What happen? and are you willing to risk predicting what is going to happen now?

One thing you guys seem to forget is that the US has BSE, Phyllis proved that, and the US wants to export beef. Standing on a no import stage and telling everyone the dangers of beef coming from a BSE positive country that just happens to have stronger firewalls in place may not be the smartest move you can make. Especially when your BSE testing and investigations have prove only one thing to the rest of the world and that is even though you have BSE, you are doing LITTLE TO NOTHING TO FIND IT OR CLEAN IT UP. All other countries stepped up testing and implemented stronger firewalls after finding BSE in their native herds. But what did the US do, cut back testing to a fraction of any other positive country and implemented a fraction of the new rules. :roll: Way to find out what kind of epidemic is hiding in the US isn't it. :roll:

POST BAN POSITIVES, TAM. How can we clean it up when we import from a country with post ban positives?

BUT BUT LEO said you had these firewalls in place for YEARS!!! :wink:

No he didn't Tam, not in the context you're inventing.
 

Tam

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
Tam said:
Sandhusker said:
POST BAN POSITIVES, TAM. How can we clean it up when we import from a country with post ban positives?

BUT BUT LEO said you had these firewalls in place for YEARS!!! :wink:

No he didn't Tam, not in the context you're inventing.

His own words: So if for some reason we did find a case we can stand and look our consumers right in the eye and say, don’t worry we have had these firewalls in place for years, the only country prior to having a case of BSE to have these firewalls in place for so many years. And we did it to make sure if a case was ever found it was a non-issue. If we look them right in the eye and say that I will guarantee they will keep eating beef”.

Yes he did and you just can't admit it. :roll:
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
You know dang good and well that the firewalls he was talking about were the ones he and R-CALF PROPOSED be created.

Let me remind you of your tag-line, "The meaning of TRUTH: the quality of being in accordance with experience, facts or reality"

And you call Leo a liar.......
 
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