Ron DeHaven Says BSE North American Issue

[rsomer]

I take this recent comment by Dr. Ron Dehaven as a very positive sign of the Bush administration's new approach to BSE in that the U.S. is now recognizing BSE is a North American problem. This is consistent with the International Review Panel's recommendation which also pointedly suggested the U.S. should show leadership by opening the border between Canada and the U.S. to live cattle. The North American approach to our beef industry is most likely to get the border open rather than Canada going out on its own, for instance unilaterally imposing 100% testing. The U.S. cannot keep the border closed to Canadian cattle much longer while recognizing we are really in a North American market. Dr. DeHaven's comment is most encouraging from a Canadian producer's standpoint, or should I say a North American beef producer's standpoint.

"DR. DEHAVEN: "We've had two North American native-born cases. Both were born and presumably infected in Canada. So from a technical standpoint and by international standards, we have not had an indigenous case in the United States.

"Having said that, I would be the first to say that given the integration of our cattle industries and beef markets in North America, that in fact one would argue that we really shouldn't be talking in the context of Canada or the U.S. but rather be talking in the context of North America. And clearly we now have had two North American indigenous cases that have been identified."

[Joe-2]

I don't know about anyone else but I'm getting just a little tired of that "border will open soon" carrot being dangled in front of my nose.We've all spent the last year waiting to get a bite of it.Meanwhile the bills just keep rolling in.When is everyone's debt going to be high enough and their equity low enough that they finally stop chasing that damned carrot???
Exactly when will it be time for a new srategy????

[grassfarmer]

rsomer, "This is consistent with the International Review Panel's recommendation which also pointedly suggested the U.S. should show leadership by opening the border between Canada and the U.S. to live cattle." - since when has the USA listened to international opinion on anything?
I'm sorry for being negative but like Joe-2 i'm frustrated.
One important lesson I learned with BSE in the UK is that as farmers we could do nothing to resolve the (mainly political)issues behind the BSE disaster. The way to survive is to concentrate on managing your business as best you can and don't waste years of your life going round in circles debating what should happen in a BSE crisis.

[grassfarmer]

"For instance, unilaterally imposing 100% testing".

Somebody is hearing something.

Keep up the heat, I beleive we can make this a political issue, even without the backing of our fearless leaders. ABP, CCA, Liberal, Conservative etc. etc. Someday one of these chickenshit groups will listen to the grassroots, common sense approach.

Mandatory BSE testing of all Canadian Beef!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[grassfarmer]

Ah shoot. The qote I referred to was just good old rsomer sounding like a Cheif Veterinary inspector.

Oh well the rest is true.

[Willowcreek]

I'm not sure how effective Ms. Vennaman and Dr. Dehaven will be. It looks like they may be just battling to keep their jobs. There is quite an upswell amongst producers to replace them because of all their screw-ups. And their is an election coming up. Most Senators don't want to get elected out just because of an incompetent Secretary of Agriculture.

[kato]

That's why they've called on Harvard to review the comments. The border opening based on comments has to have a third party's blessing to avoid political fallout.

I see it as a good sign, but I sure hope those guys can read fast!

[cowman]

I suspect Willowcreek is pretty close to right on this one? Lets face it both Anne Venneaman and Ron Dehaven look like a pair of incompetents?
I doubt Bush will be able to protect this pair of losers forever?

[grassfarmer]

Incompetents? why Cowman? they have had cases of BSE on US soil yet their beef markets are flying high - their control management looks very good. Look how sucessfully they concealed the recent Texan case.

[jensend]

dehaven's statement is part of the strategy with venneman saying today the us will find more bse. now we're all in this together!!!! isn't it great to have friends??

[Willowcreek]

Vennaman came out today and said more cases of BSE will be found in the US. (The first truthful thing she has said in months) Then she still says that we should not allow testing by Creekstone or any others. That the Japanese are using trade barriars against us. Between USDA abd NCBA their will be no beef market left.

[rsomer]

There is no doubt that more cases of BSE will be found in the U.S. The U.S. is facing a very significant problem in that protectionists in the U.S. like R-Calf are saying keep Canadian beef out because it is not safe yet the U.S. is going need to keep consumer confidence when they find their indigenous BSE case.

I think Veneman and the USDA is right when they say no to Creekstone. Let me explain. Talks are ongoing right now between Japan and the U.S. on BSE and how trade will resume. Some form of testing is sure to be part of this and the U.S. and Canada are already committed to ramping up testing in the coming years. And if more cases of BSE are found the rate of surveillance testing will increase even faster. But these rules are being made by government not by business who do not make the rules of trade but work within the guidelines set out by government.

Look at it this way. A business sees an opportunity to sell product to a customer in another province. The customer wants the product and the business sees a way to gain an advantage over competitors and make a very good profit by meeting the customers needs. There is only one problem. To ship the product requires oversize loads. The government says they won’t issue a permit. Should business be allowed to do whatever it wants in order to make a profit?

Should we ask government to give up its rule making responsibility that governs trade to business? Be careful what you ask for. Business in this economy is not responsible. That is not to say businessmen are irresponsible but business is not responsible to the people as a whole like government is. When we don’t like the government we can collectively kick them out. Not so with business. Businesses are much like pirates who sail the high seas looking for bounty and opportunity. Businesses are not rule makers and we would not want to live in a society that allowed business to make the rules.

There is no doubt Japan’s actions are trade related. And there is also no doubt that beef under 30 months of age, lets make that 24 months to be sure, are free from BSE and no test will ever detect BSE in these animals. So why is Japan keeping out American beef and before that Canadian beef under the guise of demanding BSE tests. It is to protect their domestic producers hard hit by their own BSE crisis and the resulting loss of consumer confidence after it was realized that Japan did not block the feeding of animal protein when North American did. Japan cannot be allowed to unilaterally make the rules on trade by hiding behind the curtain of consumerism. Everyone reading these threads knows that testing young cattle will never detect BSE so what can be the reason for demanding such a thing. The reason is protectionism pure and simple.

[pandiana]

rsomer, I don't think anyone on this forum would disagree that the border closures and trade barriers are purely protectionist. However, many of us are of the mind set that we must do whatever we can to sell beef. As you have pointed out, we don't have the power to change policy so must work around them any way we can. Japan and US have isolated us as an industry. It seems to me we have no choice but to think out of the so-called box and develope and industry that is Canadian made and administered,...whatever it takes. Time is running out!

By the way, your analogy about business and rule making is a very good one and certainly makes the point.

[cakadu]

Theoretically we can kick the government out. We don't necessarily like the one that is in there now, but we don't have much chance of kicking them out entirely. The way the numbers are stacking up, the Liberals may be in for their toughest fight yet - again theoretically because people can change their minds between now and election day.

What I find most interesting in DeHaven's statement is "...Both were born and presumably infected in Canada." The second case they cannot definitively prove was infected in Canada, yet they are still singing that tune. What about the Texas cow? We will never know for sure what it had or didn't have, because thanks to the so-called SNAFU, it was destroyed.


Good way to explain about the testing issue. I like that alot.

[cakadu]

Good points about the Japanese rsomer, however, if it is totally a protectionist issue, why have they ramped up imports of Australian beef so much? I think they still want the beef but are scared, as a government, to drop a protocal that almost changed the government when they had their first BSE cases.