The Dec,29, 04 announcement that the USDA would open our borders up to Canadian beef would cause US cattle farmers to lose billion of dollars and the USDA even said it was acceptable to the World Organization for Animal Health for Canada to have 11 cases of BSE (Mad Cow Disease). Since when do we, "THE USA", get our economic or health and welfare polices from the World Organization for Animal Health? The only sane thing to do is extend the ban 30 months from the date of every positive BSE test. We lost 5% of our demand when Japan banned US beef back in Dec. 03 and now with Japan agreed to start back purchasing US beef we are jeopardizing this agreement by sending a message to the World, we will allow our Beef Supply to be Compromised. The USA has a Certified BSE FREE Heard so why should we compromise our position like this even if there was a risk of only One Positive BSE case. Please understand quarantine and eradication will protect us economically and healthwise.
Ron DeHaven,head of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, made some interesting statements today concerning the health risks.
"USDA remains confident that the animal and public health measures that Canada has in place ... combined with existing U.S. domestic safeguards and the additional safeguards announced" on Dec. 29 as part of re-opening the border to Canadian cattle "provide the utmost protections to U.S. consumers and livestock," Ron DeHaven, head of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said in a statement.
One U.S. senator, Democrat Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, called on USDA to pull back its move toward expanded trade with Canada.
"In light of the fact there has now been another confirmed case of BSE in Canada, it is clear the responsibility of the USDA should be to immediately suspend efforts to open that border," Dorgan wrote in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman.
DeHaven said USDA took into account the possibility of additional Canadian cases when it wrote the rule on resuming cattle trade.
Under guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health, a country can be classed as presenting minimal risk of mad cow disease if it has less than two cases per million head of cattle over 24 months of age in each of the previous four years.
Since Canada has roughly 5.5 million cattle in that age group, "they could detect up to 11 cases of (mad cow disease) in this population and still be considered a minimal risk country, as long as their risk mitigation measures and other preventive measures were effective," DeHaven said.
Even Democrat Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, got this one correct.
Please work to extend the USDA's Ban on Canadian Cattle until such time Canada has had a 30 month period of BSE Free testing
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