USA animal ID

[countryguy]

I just came from the Cattle Today website.They had a poll there asking how many producers would support manditory electronic individual animal identification.A whopping 28% supported it.That should go a long way in demonstrating to the world how serious the USA is about food safety!

[rsomer]

Actually, that doesn't surprise me. The American producers see how ID is being used to peg the blame on our industry. They don't want the same to happen to them. Yes we have ID but is the U.S. or the world thinking our food safety or quality is better as a result. No, they think we have BSE and they are restricting imports of our product.

[bombay_43]

If the USA is really serious about food safety, then why have the remaining cows from the herd where this animal was found, not been tested for BSE? Let's wait and see if we can link this infected animal to Canada, and it will solve our entire problem!??!!

Do you realize what the ramifications would be, if even one other animal from this herd tested positive to BSE? The first report that I heard stated that it was highly unlikely that this cow came from Canada. What happened since the first reports came out?

As a consumer, I don't care where the infected animal came from, I want to be assured that the integrity of the food safety is maintained! Prove to me that the remaining cattle associated with this cow are not BSE infected! Canadian linked or not.

You can be certain, when and if, this cow is linked to Canada, that herd of origin will be dealt with swiftly, to confirm that no other animals have been infected.

Perhaps 28% are feeling the same way about the situation that Canadian farmers have felt for some time. However, "farmerfudd" sent us to a website where you can read for yourself what actual producers in USA are saying, and I have not found any compassion for the Canadian farmer as yet! Check it out! www.agweb.com

[grassfarmer]

I checked out the website you mentioned last night and came away quite depressed - I find it hard to believe that a country with the global importance and clout of the USA is populated by such a percentage of idiots. The ignorance and arrogance of the contributers to the site with regard to BSE, agriculture and global marketing is truly breathtaking. I hope a foreigner stumbling onto Agri-ville doesn't find it quite so appalling.

[cowman]

Well here I am defending the Americans again!!! Usually I'm toasting them!
When the Canadian ID system was being proposed I was against it. Not so much that it didn't make some sense but because I didn't believe I should be paying the whole shot for every Tom, Dick or Harry! I still believe that to this day! The government should be picking up the price of the tag because food safety is their job and they are paid very well for it!
I wonder what the percentage would have been for an ID tag system in Canada in 2000?...probably about 28%?
We need to be gentle and understanding with our American neighbors. They are about to ride the tiger and get a taste of what we've been going through. Hopefully they will respond in that positive manner that only Americans can do and pull us all out of this mess!

[ALICIA]

Is that right they US have not done away with any of the herd mates to this cow for testing. Well if that is the case then Canada beter not even think about doing away with any from here, but then I hear that dairy farmer from Alberta sold his dairy herd all to the States. So what Animals are they thinking of testing in Canada for this DNA test that they are going to do tommarow.

[rsomer]

I agree with your comments that the government should have picked up the price of the tag and that food safety is ultimately the governments job although as producers we have a role to play. The USDA announced yesterday that "While many cattle in the United States can be identified through a variety of systems, the Secretary also announced that USDA will begin immediate implementation of a verifiable system of national animal identification."
The USDA also announced other measures such as removing SRMs from all animals over 30 months of age. It is obvious that the U.S. and Canada are moving to harmonize their respective countries protection systems against BSE.
Even so, while I notice in the last few days Canadian government web sites are using the term "BSE in North America" I have never heard a U.S. government official use that term. They want this to be a Canadian problem. And I am not so sure I can blame them as the presently the international response to BSE unfairly punishes a country such as Canada and the United States which find an isolated positive.
I am not so sure that the Americans have any intention at all of having a taste of what we’ve been going through. I would think they intend to avoid such a fate at all costs. The United States appears worried that if they get painted with the same brush as Canada that the international community will treat the United States in the same manner as the U.S. treated Canada. Pay back is hell. Because of this I see that in the future the U.S. will use Canada as an example of how they wish to be treated by the international community and they will move more quickly to resume trade with Canada in the future than they have in the past.
This said it is still not clear what the immediate American response will be if it is determined that the Holstein cow came from Canada. The NCBA is calling for a halt to the rule making process which was to be concluded January 5, 2004.
Should we be gentle and understanding with our American neighbours? I don’t know, maybe we have no choice. I do see that the U.S. discriminates against our Canadian product, whether it is over zealous inspections at the border or the proposed COOL requirements. It is entirely possible that the USDA selectively targets cows believed to of Canadian origin for BSE testing while choosing not to test American cows. That kind of sentiment does exist in the U.S. While on one level governments are working to harmonize the Canadian and U.S. beef industries, there is still an us against them mentality demonstrated by the U.S. response to our May 20 positive test. This mentality will probably always be there.

[cowman]

I think it is important to realize that a lot of the things going on are really about politics. The American politician is walking a tightrope and they have to look good to the vocal loonies. After all this is an election year coming up and they wouldn't want to lose their place at the trough?
I will agree some(and only some)Americans are cement heads and just don't get it...maybe they've been brainwashed with to much patriotic crap all their lives? But I believe their top food safety guys and their National Cattle Association know how it is with our integrated business. So perhaps all the foolish "spin" is to appease the idiots while they go about their business of trying to solve this problem? I mean look at the changes they've announced? Just about after every change they make they say "as is done in Canada"?
The USDA knows what kind of system we have up here. They regularily inspect our plants(mostly American owned plants) and they give them a license to export to the US. We are one industry and have been for a long time, and the people in the USDA know that. And in the end I suspect they will be calling the shots?

[kato]

If, as they say, they are removing SRM's from over 30 month animals, does that mean our cows will be able to go south?

MMM....

[bombay_43]

Once again we are are playing a game using "Big Brothers" rules. Our farmers in Alberta, had no wait and see options given to them when BSE was announced. Entire herds were depopulated because as we in Canada have learned, there is no other way to test for BSE!

Cowman I have a great respect for you, and what you have to say is without a doubt worth listening to, however, I also remember some oldy but goodies, and "What's good for the goose, is good for the gander" comes to mind.

Most farmers in the US do not have a clue nor do they give a rats petooey about what took place with regards to BSE in Canada. The important thing is that they enjoyed a tremendous upswing in their beef income in 2003, and some don't even realize it is due to borders being closed to Canadian Beef!

A North American Problem? What a wonderful concept! However, if the USA politicians can punt this one right back in our back yard, do you really believe the US will make every attempt to resume regular trade? Do you think they will continue to explain to consumers in the States how low the risks are? If these risks are so low, why were the Americans not more inclined to resume regular beef trade prior to them finding a case?

The American politicians, unlike some of our Canadian ones, are primarily concerned with their own citizens and what is good for them. Exactly what did our federal government do for Albertas Cow/calf producer? We actually pay federal taxes here in Alberta, the BSE crisis affected our province more than any other, and continues to do so!

Opening the borders to "beef" again, is only politically correct, if the very insignificant bse is shown to have originated in the USA. However, if it is proven that those "filthy" Canadians have passed on this HIGHLY DISEASED BSE animal,...slamming the border shut to all beef from Canada, could also be politically correct! If we had the same concern shown by our elected officials, perhaps we would all be a little more patriotic as well!

Sorry! Although Santa really was good to me this year, those grinchy credit card bills have started coming in and tension is on the rise in my household.

Send me your bill for couseling!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

[cowman]

Well I have been pretty critical of the Americans in the past for sure. I believe I've been equally critical of our federal government and industry leaders? After all they could have had us out of all this garbage a long time ago if they'd brought in manditory, universal testing?
But whatever, that is water under the bridge. I am optomistic that the American response has been to overwhelmingly adopt the safety precautions that Canada implemented after May 20th. And has stepped right up with a national ID system. Now we need to take one more step and test everything? Both us and them but if they balk at it we need to go it alone. Sometimes we need to lead our brothers along the right path?
The Americans might try to put a Canadian spin on all this but it just won't wash in Japan and I believe the USDA knows it. They just need to come around to the right way of thinking(as do our own cattle associations)!

[cakadu]

Color me the devil's advocate on this one, but isn't it interesting how the Americans are saying that they are adopting the Canadian practices NOW. What was wrong with them before their case of BSE surfaced?!?!?!

I agree we should take the high road, but I am more than just a little sceptical/cynical and whatever else you might want to call it when it comes to them now saying that our science and our practices were good, when prior to December 23rd, they weren't or at least were questionable.

Were they making any moves to adopt practices in the last 6 months? Let's face it - part of this is to dodge bullets and to do whatever they can to protect THEIR markets. They aren't doing it to help us because as people have already pointed out - they were doing very well on our misfortune.

When I was in Chile a couple of years ago we asked about how Canadians were viewed on the global market and one of the agriculture people down in Chile said that "we weren't tough enough to make it". I have to believe that some of that is true because we are always willing to turn the other cheek and be conciliatory. Maybe it's time we start looking after ourselves and our interests.

[kato]

American farmers may not have realized yet what their government seems to have realized.

That is that it really doesn't matter where the cow came from...she was found in the States, therefore there is BSE in the States. Tracing it back to Canada, and blaming us won't help them a bit with their export dilemma. Logic and reason go out the window when those three magic letters show up (BSE).

[grassfarmer]

Well said Kato, spot on!