CFIA?

[cowman]

In the last issue of the Cattleman, Greg Winslow had an editorial about the CFIA and how they were becoming very powerful and could dictate how you operate. Now maybe that isn't a bad thing? The problem I have is this: Give somebody extra power and in all likelyhood they will abuse it, eventually?
Further in the magazine they stated the new head of CFIA is Francois Guimont. He has spent his career with Environment Canada and has no connection to agriculture! Now why do I find that less than reassuring? We have a Frenchman, a greenie, a city slicker...running our main food agency?
Well I sure hope he isn't crooked too, or we could be in big trouble!

[kato]

On the topic of the CFIA, and it's ever expanding powers, I have a serious worry. I don't know if everyone here is aware of the policies of the CFIA regarding vets inspecting cattle for export.

At the moment, if a veterinarian inspects a load of cattle, and for instance, there is a pregnant heifer in the load, that vet loses the right to inspect any species of animal for export. Not just cattle. Pigs and horses too.

The criteria for being pregnant has so far included heifers that were carrying fetuses smaller than your thumb. Very hard to find, and they have resulted in the new rules for segregation of heifers for 50 days before export.

Vets are becoming very hard to find who are willing to inspect heifers. The fact that they lose accreditation is bad enough, but the real truth is that there is NO policy for gettting it back. The way it stands right now it is permanent. No appeal, no second chance. Does the CFIA really think a vet would intentionally send a preganant heifer? If I was a vet, I'd be insulted.

These new rules are beginning to have some serious consequences we should all be aware of as well. This policy is slowly and surely removing any opportunity for heifers to be exported. For half of our young slaughter animals, the border will effectively become closed again. Then next we will see feedlots refusing to take heifers. One in our neighbourhood is considering it now. I'm sure some will specialize in heifers, but we all know that will be because they can buy them cheap.

So we will have two markets. One for steers, and one for heifers. Guess what the price of heifers will be?

Time to let our MP's know that the problems are not over in the beef business. We've been put on the back burner. Cattle are going south, so we are no longer a concern in Ottawa.

The U.S. has written a rule that is functioning very well as a non-tarrif trade barrier, and I'm afraid they will delay changing it for as long as they can. Why change it when it's doing such a good job for them?