05/02/05 Cattle feeders hear from Canadian

American Rancher May 2, 2005 Cattle slaughter capacity is being added in Canada that could lead to the closure of U.S. processing plants. That's what members of the Washington Cattle Feeders Association heard when they met last week with John Masswohl, the director of international relations for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association. Masswohl said Canadian cattlemen are tired of waiting for the U.S. border to reopen to live cattle and they would like not to have to rely anymore on U.S. slaughterhouses. In a recent interview Masswohl talked about the increasing slaughter capacity in Canada. Masswohl: "I don't know if you have been to the Tyson plant in Brooks, Alberta, or the Cargill plant in Highriver. They are already some of the world's most efficient facilities. They are adding on to them. They are going to be more efficient." Masswohl pointed to the recent temporary shut down of some U.S. plants and he expects there will be more closures as long as the border remains closed. And Masswohl says that is what is confounding to Canadian producers about the opposition of some U.S. cattle groups to reopening the border, regardless of what you think about packers. Masswohl: "It will get worse if there are fewer of them. And that really is the road the cattle industry is on in the U.S. If the border stays closed there will be fewer packers. There will be more concentration and in the long run it will be worse for U.S. cattle producer." The Canadian Cattlemen's Association has filed a friend of the court brief in USDA's appeal of the temporary injunction that is keeping live Canadian cattle out of the U.S. I'm Bob Hoff.