01/08/07 Cattlemen urged to comment on BSE rule

American Rancher January 8, 2007 The USDA is publishing tomorrow in the Federal Register its new proposed rule on minimal risk for BSE. If enacted the rule would allow the importation from Canada to the U.S. of live cattle and meat products from them, for any use, provided they were born after March 1st of 1999. That's the date USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that Canada's ruminant to ruminant feed ban was being effectively enforced. Jack Field, Executive Vice President of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, says the proposed rule is much more expansive than he anticipated and it raises concerns. Field: "To me it raises a huge concern as you talk to a lot of cow-calf producers or ranchers in general, about what the potential impacts are going to be here on our butcher cow and the slaughter cow market. Some of the impacts and issues that haven't been adequately addressed from the original ruling being a lack of ability for the state Department of Agriculture to have any enforcement on these rules and actions." A sixty day comment period begins with the proposed rules publishing and Field urges cattlemen to participate. Field: "And I would like to see everybody participate in this as this is definitely an issue we need to have everybody involved and participating at the table as this is something that will have potential long term impacts on us all." I'm Bob Hoff. (APHIS invites comments on this proposed rule. Consideration will be given to comments received on or before March 12, 2007. Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0041, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the Internet, go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov , select "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" from the agency drop-down menu; then click on "Submit." In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0041 to submit or view public comments and to view the proposal and the supporting and related materials available electronically. )