09/26/07 USDA's pet project

The USDA has just announced a program to allow Canadian cattle of any age to enter the United States. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back with some thoughts. The USDA has been working hard to reopen our northern border for Canadian cattle over 30 months of age to enter the United States, and pending approval by Congress the implementation date will be November 19th of this year. I know we need international trade, but this is a hard pill to swallow since it was a Canadian dairy cow imported into the United States that tested positive for BSE in late 2003 and caused the United States to loose beef export markets we have never fully recovered. According to an article in the Western Livestock Reporter, USDA's Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. John Clifford says the reopening is based on a scientific risk assessment and public comments. He says the assessment acknowledges there is BSE present in Canada and there will likely be more cases identified in the future. Dr. Clifford goes on to say there would be a negligible risk of the disease becoming established in the United States. Opening the border also follows World Organization for Animal Health guidelines for minimal risk of introducing BSE. Dr. Clifford expects U.S. trading partners to follow the same science when negotiating our export contracts. Well, our trading partners set even more restrictive guidelines so that logic goes out the window. I'll have more concerns to relate on this move by the USDA tomorrow. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Livestock Reporter 9/19/07