02/28/05 Canadian beef report, and in court

A U.S.D.A. technical team recently spent time in Canada studying that nation's ruminant to ruminant feed ban in lieu of both recent cases of b.s.e. in Canada and the upcoming reopening of the U.S. border to Canadian live cattle thirty months of age or younger, and some currently banned beef products. And it has released the findings of its investigation. The inspection team's report states that overall compliance of the feed ban by Canadian feed mills and rendering facilities is good, and that the ban is reducing the risk of b.s.e. in Canada's cattle population. U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Ron DeHaven said the assessment affirmed what he called the science based decision to begin lifting the ban on certain Canadian live cattle and beef products that pose virtually no risk to human or animal health. The battle over whether or not to let some Canadian live cattle and beef back into the U.S. will soon be waged in the courts. March Second is now the date set for a federal judge to hear R-CALF U.S.A.'s injunction request to block such products from Canada. The hearing in Billings Montana comes just five days before U.S.D.A. is set to implement its final rule on reopening the border. Meanwhile, Canadian cattlemen have filed a $325 million dollar lawsuit against the U.S. for losses suffered when the U.S. border was shut down in May 2003 after Canada announced it found b.s.e. in an Alberta cow. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: If you have ever ridden horseback or hiked through a forest that has been mismanaged or burned, it is nearly impossible, for the carnage. Well Oregon's Biscuit fire in 2002 left quite a mess in its aftermath and the conclusion any logical person would make is that cleaning up the burned timber would benefit wildlife, recreation and the ranching. Timber companies want to log 370 million board feet of dead timber in an area of over 19,000 acres, equating to less than five percent of the area burned by the fire. Sounds like a good deal, clear up some of the mess and provide some income for loggers. Throwing all logic to the wind environmental groups are now contesting logging burned trees saying among other things that dead trees are better for fish and wildlife. Come one aren't these the same guys that carry on about recycling and renewable resources, in fact I found some on-line eco- sites that they sell wood recovered from river bottoms, obviously they weren't worried about the fish when they want to make a buck. I'm Susan Allen, and this is "Food Forethought".