Poll: Is the Border Going to Open on Wednesday

[farmers_son]

While I may be not objective because I have pens full of fat calves ready for market and a border opening would mean some serious extra coin in my jeans, I see the border opening on Wednesday, July 13. What other opinions are there.

[ivbinconned]

My guess would be that nothing happens until after the 27th.

[pandiana]

I am cautiously optimistic. No question it should open. However, R-calf are not fools. Unless USDA has all their ducks in a row this time I have no doubt that they will have a fight on their hands. As you have pointed out in the previous thread, USDA's lack of responsibilty in testing leaves all of their policies suspect and open to criticism. If the judges do not take into consideration the whole picture, we could have to wait for countersuits.

[pandiana]

July 11, 2005 Phone: 406-672-8969; e-mail: sdodson@r-calfusa.com

USDA and HHS Urged to Strengthen BSE Protections

(Billings, Mont.) – R-CALF USA today sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt urging the agency leaders to immediately strengthen U.S. protection measures against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The letter stated if USDA, HHS, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are correct that the most likely routes of introducing BSE into the United States are through the importation of infected live cattle already incubating the disease that are then rendered into feed and mistakenly fed to cattle, or, the importation of contaminated meat-and-bone meal (MBM), then the discovery of BSE in a 12-year-old domestic cow demonstrates the basic BSE protection measures adopted by the United States more than 15 years ago failed to prevent BSE, a foreign animal disease, from entering the domestic cattle herd.

“Present evidence proves that our import restrictions – our first line of defense against BSE – were, and may continue to be, inadequate,” wrote R-CALF USA President Leo McDonnell.

McDonnell noted that U.S. cattle producers already have suffered more than $3 billion in lost export markets as a result of finding a Canadian-origin cow with BSE within the borders of the United States in 2003. McDonnell also wrote that U.S. cattle producers have additionally incurred significant economic costs in attempting to protect the domestic cattle herd and U.S. food supply from BSE, and the industry is now prepared to accept even more costs to do even more.

“There will never be a better time to decisively and effectively contain this disease than right now,” he wrote.

The letter stated the following five improvements to the United States’ current BSE protection measures “are critically important in safeguarding our nation’s cattle and the U.S. food supply:”

1. Prohibit the importation of ruminants and ruminant products from any country with BSE, or from any country that has inadequate import restrictions to ensure BSE is not introduced into those herds; or countries that do not conduct BSE surveillance testing at a level that would allow the detection of BSE at the rate of less than one case per million head of adult cattle, and also seek upward harmonization of standards and practices to a reasonable standard of safety to ensure the U.S. does not become a dumping ground for products banned in other countries.

2. Allow private firms to voluntarily test cattle of any age for BSE to meet international and domestic demand as well as expand the BSE testing program for the identification of BSE, and the elimination of any animals so infected from the food supply, and to accurately monitor any evolution of the disease.

3. Track, identify, and test all cattle previously imported into the national herd; permanently mark all imported cattle entering the national herd; and implement country-of-origin labeling so consumers can choose to purchase beef and beef products from the country or countries of their choice.

4. Strengthen the feed ban to exclude all animal protein and animal by-products from all livestock and poultry feed, including blood, poultry litter, plate waste, tallow, and Specified Risk Materials (SRMs); and, ban the use of ruminant blood meal, bone meal, and ruminant tallow in milk replacer and colostrums.

5. Prohibit Automated Meat Recovery (AMR) systems on cattle over 12 months of age.

The letter also states the discovery of a domestic case means the United States must now pursue a two-part goal: “ . . . prevent any further introduction of BSE into the United States and ensure that any BSE found in the United States is fully contained and eliminated from the food chain.”

In addition to making specific recommendations for strengthening BSE protections, the letter cautioned the agency leaders from attempting to represent an animal identification system as a BSE protection measure while simultaneously refusing to test anything except cattle considered a high-risk for BSE. This action, R-CALF USA’s letter stated, “is creating a false sense of security. Having the ability to track a disease without simultaneously utilizing existing technologies (BSE testing) to identify all possible BSE cases is of little value to an effective BSE prevention program.”

R-CALF USA also expressed concern that Canada’s BSE risk is inherently greater than that of the United States. Included among the many factors listed by R-CALF USA to demonstrate Canada’s heightened risk for BSE are that current testing data show Canada’s BSE prevalence is higher; Canada is known to have a cluster of BSE cases located in a single province (Alberta); Canada had a BSE-positive animal born after implementation of its feed ban; and, Canada lagged well behind the United States in implementing its basic BSE monitoring and protection measures, including its import restrictions imposed on countries where BSE was known to exist.

R-CALF USA urged the Secretaries to act decisively to implement the five recommended improvements to current BSE protections in the United States.



When the Secretaries take these actions, those efforts “will demonstrate to U.S. export customers and U.S. consumers alike that their safety is of paramount importance to the U.S. cattle industry . . . (and) . . . will help maintain the highest level of consumer confidence in the safety of U.S. beef, regardless of future BSE-related events, here or abroad,” wrote McDonnell.



Note: To view R-CALF USA’s letter to USDA and HHS in its entirety, log on to:

www.r-calfusa.com and click “BSE-Litigation.”

[grassfarmer]

Not as informed as you guys on procedures but gut instinct tells me it won't "open" on either court date. If the decision is favourable they will announce a date to work towards - they have got paperwork to do and procedures to set in place before they can allow the cattle through. More likely August sometime IF the outccome is positive.
I am by no means confident that it will be - we could still be at this crap two years from now.

[kato]

Is it my imagination, or are those R-Calf boys sounding a little like they are grasping at straws? They seem to have an edge of desperation in their tone. Handwriting is on the wall ....

I think it's going to open. How fast is the big question in my mind. Do these trials not take a while? Or is this the type of hearing where most of the leg work is done beforehand, and the day of the trial is the day of the decision?

Any lawyers here??????

[15444]

Most reports have said that the judges will hear the case and make their decision tomorrow....that's why CBC wants a full day of coverage. I predict the border will be open and flowing on Thursday.

[Cattleman]

Even if it is a decision in our favour I think there will be a few issues that will be ironed out regarding the protocal for exporting animals for feeding and direct to slaughter. Things are not going to start moving at the speed of light for us at this time.

[grassfarmer]

A few order buyers seem to be trigger happy today if that tells you anything. A large pen of 910lb fat angus heifers out of a feedlot made 98.5c/lb in Rimbey this morning.

[cakadu]

How long did it take for the boxed beef to start flowing, once the ban was lifted? It seems to me it took 2 to 3 weeks but maybe my recollection is off just a little.

If the judges are prepared to give their ruling tomorrow, then they have looked at the briefs filed (they are in a briefing book) and will essentially hear the verbal arguments from those for and against and any who have been granted intervenor status.

Each person or organization that has been granted the opportunity to speak will be given so much time to make their arguments. There is a set of 3 lights - red, yellow and green - and each of those are cues. Green means you start speaking, yellow is the 1 or 2 minute warning and once the red light goes off - you're done.

Here's hoping reason prevails.