Foot dragging again

[rusty1]

Current Update: November 26, 2003
Daily Update for Wednesday November 26
November 26, 2003
Canadian Cattlemen's Association

This is the Daily Update for Wednesday November 26 brought to you by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and DuPont Canada.

There have been no major developments on the BSE issue since yesterday. For information on income support programs available in your province contact your provincial agriculture department.

Yesterday the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced a review of current requirements for the importation of feeder cattle from the United States into Canadian feedlots. Historically U.S. feeder cattle imported into Canada during the summer months must be tested for the livestock diseases anaplasmosis and bluetongue, with the exception of terminal feedlots participating in a pilot project. U.S. cattle producers view these testing requirements as an artificial trade barrier not based on science. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has strongly supported changing the testing requirements for many years. Removing non-scientific barriers to trade leading to greater harmonization of the North American beef industry is part of a shared commitment between the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the U.S. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

[wilagro]

Don't give in to the Americans on this one. Do we want to compound our present BSE problem with even more problems down the road. There were valid reasons for the testing in the past and they are still valid. If we depend on veterinarians to CONTROL or MANAGE the possible outbreaks of "NEW to US" diseases we are being entirely shortsighted and dangerously stupid.

[cowman]

I get this feeling that the "fix" is in on this one! Someone cut a deal in a backroom! Consider that even some American states won't allow cattle from other states in without a test!
If the deal is we'll take your live cattle if you'll take our bluetongue cattle then I guess they have us! We are caught between a rock and a hard place on this one!

[rsomer]

Cowman, you are right. The fix is in on this on. The CCA claims the requirement to ask for a blood test on diseased US feeders coming into Canada during the summer months is a non-scientific barrier to trade. What the science really is saying if these animals are allowed to enter Canada our herd will become infected as well. Our beef organizations are listening to the feedlots on this issue, not the cow calf operators. They are taking your checkoff dollars at the same time as they are promoting initiatives which will reduce the health status of the Canadian cow herd.

If producers have concerns about their herd becoming infected with bluetongue and/or anaplasmosis they need to contact their federal member of parliament right away and make sure their MP is aware of the problem and understands the issue.

You can find contact information for your local MP based on your postal code at http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?lang=E

[kato]

Testing is not a "barrier" to trade. It's an inconvenience to the big guys.

We have been testing for years, and never considered it a barrier. It's just plain common sense. Remember the old days when we were working on brucellosis, and TB? We didn't complain, we just did it. In Manitoba, we're still doing it.

Don't worry, if we had the bluetongue here, and it wasn't in the States, the story would be a little different.

[wilagro]

Bluetongue and anaplasmosis are still REPORTABLE diseases in Canada.
Do an internet search on these diseases and be informed. We do not want these diseases in Canada. If VanClief allows US cattle imports during the summer months we will live to regret his decision.

We have enough problems already.

Phone/fax or write to your MP and protest. There are enough canadian cattle for the feeders to feed and profit from. Leave things as they are.

My opinion.

[topper]

Good point Wilagro, the exact same argument that the Americans are using. They don't have BSE and they don't want it, they don't need our cattle. So what would you suggest, maybe we should keep on using health issues to block their feeders and they should keep on using health issues to block ours. I don't thing anybody in the cattle industry wants that.

[rsomer]

topper: The Americans don't have BSE (or at lease so they say) but they won't get it from our feeders going south. The studies done to date confirm that we will get bluetongue and anaplasmosis if American calves come north in the summer, so that is not exactly fair is it?

Remember we never ever blocked US cattle coming into Canada, all that was ever required was a simple blood test and if the calves and cows tested negative the American cattle were welcome in our country any time of year. Compare this to the American position on BSE where our cows are blocked, period, that’s final, they ain't coming into the States. No test, no protocol, not even beef from an animal over 30 months is going to darken their border.

The Americans are blocking our cows going south and will be blocking our cows going south for years to come, so why are we so willing to infect our herd with these very serious diseases like this? Why would we do this? It doesn't make sense. The Americans have not done us any favours.

The real reason the rules on bluetongue and anaplasmosis are being reviewed is because the big Canadian feedlots want access to those American feeder calves so they won't have to bid up on our Canadian calves.

Remember BSE is considered a less serious list B disease where the OIE has classified bluetongue as the most serious list A disease along with other list A diseases such as rinderpest.

If we are going to trade health status, lets wait until at least the Americans are accepting our cows

[topper]

Rsomer: do you have links to these studies you talk about, I would like to read the science on this issue. I am still having problems with a mosquito transmitted disease stopping at the American-Canadian border. Is this perhaps more about losing our disease free status or on actually getting the disease. I know a lot of countries use health issues to block trade instead of using tariffs. I hope you can convince me that this is not the case with blue tongue and anaplasmosis.

[wilagro]

For more information on anaplasmosis go to http://cattletoday.info/diseases/anaplasmosis.htm

A very persistant disease...once an animal gets it and even after treatment remains a carrier for life.