07/05/06 New Canadian Feed Ban Rules

Last week - the Canadian government announced new rules aimed at tightening that nation`s ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban. Scientists consider ruminant-to-ruminant feeding as the pathway for the spread of BSE. And Bill Bullard - CEO of R-CALF USA - says the new rules bring Canada into line with recommendations made years ago. BULLARD: When Canada identified its first case of BSE, it convened and international team of BSE experts. And back in June of 2003 these experts were emphatic that Canada needed to strengthen the feed bans and back then they recommended that Canada ban the use of SRM's in all animal feeds and so here we are in 2006 and Canada is now complying with the scientific recommendations. And Bullard says the Canada`s new feed restrictions will take even more years to become fully effective against the spread of BSE. BULLARD: Recognizing the BSE has a long incubation period, strengthening of the feed ban that occurs today will take several years before the results are known. So what Canada is doing is effectively preventing the continued spread of this disease within its cattle herd. We now know that BSE has gone through several generations up in Canada and this is finally going to take some additional steps to prevent that continued spread. According to Bullard - even though Canada`s move to tighten its feed ban is welcome - the Canadian government should now follow up with a more aggressive BSE testing program. BULLARD: It's good that Canada did this, we commend them for doing it and what Canada now need to do is increase its testing so it can effectively monitor the efficacy of this new step. And without increased testing they won't know whether this new improvement is going to be effective. Bullard says the U.S. should also take additional steps to protect the health of the U.S. cattle herd and the safety of U.S. consumers. BULLARD: Scientists have also recommended that the United States likewise bolster its feed back so as to protect itself from the additional exposure that results from trading with a country where we know the disease has been circulating at least as recently as the year 2000. So the United States now needs to follow suit. We need to continue monitoring for this disease and we need to wait until we are certain that the new improvements have been effective before we do any further relaxation of our border and certainly we need to begin differentiating foreign beef from U.S. beef so consumers can make the choice at the grocery store as to what country they want their beef produced under. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.