09/18/07 Cattlemen react to Minimal Risk Rule on BSE

Washington Ag September 18, 2007 The Washington Cattlemen's Association is extremely disappointed with the USDA's final Minimal Risk Rule on BSE. The rule, which will take effect on November 19th will allow any cattle from Canada born after March 1st of 1999 to be imported into the United States. That's the date USDA has determined to be the date of effective enforcement of Canada's ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban. WCA executive vice president Jack Field says the state's cattlemen continue to question the effectiveness of Canada's feed ban. Also the effective date of the new rule, November 19th, is about when many producers will be fall pregnancy testing their cows. Field: "So there's going to be a lot of cattle that are going to be worked and a big marketing time for cull cattle with ranchers trying to unload dry cows with the high feed costs. So there could be some large marketing implications for a number of producers." Field says cattlemen also wonder how the new Minimal Risk Rule will impact efforts by the U.S. to fully reopen its export markets. At the national level the National Cattlemen's Beef Association supports USDA's rule. R-CALF USA opposes it and will try and get Congress to derail it. The U.S. Cattlemen's Association says only Canadian cattle born after January 1st of 2003 should allowed to be imported. I'm Bob Hoff.