08/04/08 National dairy group wants border closed to Canadian breeding cattle

Washington Ag August 4, 2008 A recent internal USDA report suggested the department has problems tracking and ensuring the health of cattle imported from Canada. That report and the continuing problem Canada has with BSE has led the National Milk Producers Federation to ask the USDA to close the border to Canadian animals to be used for breeding or herd replacement purposes until the tracking and health of these cattle can be ensured. National Milk Producers Federation spokesman Chris Galen explains the organization's concerns. Galen: "Our concern is really is the tracking of animals. Do we have a system in place to follow them for years, if necessary. As a reminder, the first case of mad cow disease discovered in this country was in a Canadian born dairy animal. It was discovered back in 2003. They had a lot of difficulty tracking it back to its herd of origin back in Canada. In fact I don't think they ever quite got a hold of all the animals that were raised along with it before it came to the U.S. So, that is the kind of thing that gives us pause for thought." The Federation says the enforcement of Canada's feed ban does not appear to be effective in preventing the spread of BSE. According to the USDA approximately 45-thousand dairy animals have been sent to the U.S. since the Canadian border was reopened in November of 2007. I'm Bob Hoff.