R-Calf shining light on the truth!!

[WilIow-Kreek]

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has completed its review of USDA’s proposal to allow over 30-month (OTM) cattle and beef into the U.S. from Canada. The proposed rule has been returned to USDA and the agency is now free to publish it . Allowing older Canadian cattle and beef from older Canadian cattle into the United States will further harm the United States’ ability to fully restore lost export markets.

The full magnitude of Canada’s BSE epidemic is still unfolding, but it is already much greater than what USDA has asserted and assumed.

Cattle over 30 months of age that originate in a BSE-affected country have an inherently higher risk for transmitting BSE.

As previously recognized by the Food and Drug Administration, and as recognized by international BSE experts, current BSE mitigation measures are inadequate to address the increased risk associated with older Canadian cattle, and beef from older Canadian cattle.

Allowing older Canadian cattle and beef from older Canadian cattle into the United States will immediately harm the United States’ international disease risk profile.

The financial losses to U.S. cattle producers will likely be severe if the United States allows higher-risk Canadian cattle and beef into the U.S. market.

[farmers_son]

The expert sub committee that investigated the United States first confirmed case of BSE clearly determined that BSE was a North American problem.

To quote: “Having examined the information provided on trade in live cattle and livestock feed ingredients within the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the subcommittee firmly believes that the first case of BSE in the United States can not be considered in isolation from the whole cattle production system in North America. The significance of this BSE case cannot be dismissed by considering it “an imported case”. The first BSE case detected in the USA, and the first, “indigenous case” reported in Canada in 2003, must be recognized as both being BSE cases indigenous to North America. For this reason, close collaboration between all appropriate agencies in NAFTA is essential for the proper management of North America’s BSE problem.

[DiamondSCattleCo]

We've been through this before OT. Using R-Calf's own numbers, the incidence of BSE within the US is obviously higher than in Canada. Just because the USDA insists on testing healthy 18 month old cattle instead of high risk cattle doesn't mean the US has less BSE.

[Willowcreek]

DiamondSCattleCo posted Jan 19, 2007 7:58
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We've been through this before OT.

Rod- That ain't me--altho he is pretty correct on his facts...

I think this new finding of illegal Canadian cattle in the US will kill the Rule 2--unless USDA comes up with good answers and fast...Had a chance yesterday to talk with some folks that are well connected with both the dept of Livestock and the NCBA- and they consider the current program a test program for the old cows-- and apparently they are finding too many flaws in it....

[cattleman2]

Just a question to you boys in the US. Do you not know how to look at a brand on livestock? If they were imported properly, there would have to be a nice big-ass brand on those calves hips identifying them as CDN cattle.
If they didn't have a brand, and properly imported, that means they are ILLEGAL... Which means that a US PRODUCER imported/got them accross the border for HIS financial gain. Maybe there should be theft charges laid against the US PRODUCER that sold those cattle in the US system. Maybe the producer was running his herd along the border and just happened to gather the wrong calves up when he gathered his herd (Don't have that wall like you want to build between Mexico and yourselves so quite easy to get cattle through a fence).
Point of the matter is that you can't be blaming the CDN system, and/or USDA and/or Rule "1 and 2" for this senario? Someone did an illegal act and there are no rules in the world to stop them all or there would be no criminals in the world.
To me it lends support to a totally open border. The US PRODUCER that fed those calves, shipped them right with his US calves, so they must have been just as good and preformed just as well or he would have noticed those terrible diseased CDN cattle long before they were killed.
ALSO can anyone down there tell me why this information is only coming out now in January when the cattle were killed in November? Did someone nicely manage the information from the R-Calf side so rather than telling the facts, at the time it occurs, manipulate and spin it around and make it the fault of the USDA and CDN's, after Rule 2 comes out.

[Willowcreek]

Was there brands?- or did a Canadian inspector overlook the lack of them...The story coming out down here is that the USDA has been extremely lax in its receiving inspections...I would think Canada would be wanting to look into it from their side too...

Point of the matter is their are apparently flaws and loopholes in the system--on one side of the border or the other- or both-- which US cattlemen are now questioning USDA's ability or effort to identify and keep track of incoming US cattle- which was the main concern with both R-CALF and NCBA before....Especially right now when they have proposed to greatly expand the rule and bring in long term higher risk cattle to the US herd.....

USDA's failure to be open and transparent like they promised and trying to keep this secret for over a month is also raising questions about USDA's true committment and credibility....The way things are going it may take another Congressional investigation to get USDA to be honest with the folks they are supposed to be working for.....

[cowman]

Sounds like a "tempest in a teapot" to me? Either someone screwed up...or someone was involved in a criminal activity? Both very plausible?
I sure hope it wasn't some R-CALFER breaking the law to prove a point! I sure hope they haven't sunk to that level?
The law says they have to be branded and they have to have an RFID eartag. I truly doubt there is a vet in Canada that was stupid enough to pass some steers without a brand? If that is the case he is going to be history....real quick!
To spin this into some kind of big international incident...is truly lame? Lets get on with trying to get along and forget all this little bit of foolishness.

[Willowcreek]

cowman quote "I truly doubt there is a vet in Canada that was stupid enough to pass some steers without a brand?"

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Kind of like the one that was stupid or incompetent enough to let a bunch of bred heifers across?....

I don't have much faith in government vets- after our USDA head vet couldn't even spell Santa Gertrudis..Probably a good thing no one asked him what they were!!! LOL

[Willowcreek]

Canadians are now confirming that USDA did put in a request for the eartag numbers- and Canada rejected it...
They are not accepting the US BSE import quarantine policy/program as a health issue...

Which now puts in question the whole workability of the USDA BSE import quarantine program- because it relied heavily on the Canadian tags as part of the system to identify and track diseased/disease quarantine violating cattle...

Rule 2 for the OTM cattle is dead as written...And a great shadow is being cast over whether Canada's refusal will upset the apple cart on the importing of any live animals......

USDA's continued silence speaks volumes- as they have "egg on the face" disease....

[cattleman2]

You say USDA has kept quiet for the past month...I would think that the R-CALF member that had sold these animals wopuld have been pissed enough to bring it out right away, investigation or not. I think that the information has been released just now by the R-Calg group to make this a bigger deal than it is.
- anyway you slice it these calves were imported ilegally - either with no brands or skirted accross the border without passing through a Port of Entry, or just plain stolen across the border. Issue is not how there were not able to be tracked by USDA.
Also I somewhat agree with the CDN officials on the tags...This is not an animal health issue, and that is what the tags are for. You would be saying the same thing R-calfer's once your NAIS program becomes manditory, you wouldn't want your information be released because someone wanted to trace where the cattle came from just because...

[WilIow-Kreek]

Some interesting points that you are trying to make but honestly they are hard to follow cattleman2.Perhaps we could offer to send Canada some English teachers in exchange for some of that oil.

[Willowcreek]

You are wrong cattleman2- This is a health issue...Its part of a continuing quarantine the US imposed on Canadian cattle started by the finding of 10 BSE positive cows...It is all one continuing disease outbreak...And if Canada doesn't want to hold up their end of the agreement- and assist in the investigation- fine...But that spells the death of Rule 2, if not also a strong court argument to end the import of all live cattle...
Then if a Canadian live animal is found in the US- we will know it was smuggled across the line....

Isn't it funny that this came to USDA's attention Nov. 29th- and they finally issue a press release!!! They are trying a cover-up, but it will backfire on them....

USDA investigating cattle sale

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating whether Canadian cattle were bought in a South Dakota sale barn and sold to a packer in Nebraska.

The USDA does not allow selling Canadian cattle on the open market, such as at a livestock sale barn.

Jim Rogers, a USDA spokesman in Washington, D.C., said Friday that the agency is looking into the situation but could not provide details.

According to a news release from the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, a South Dakota rancher purchased the cattle at an auction barn in South Dakota and sold them to a slaughter plant in Nebraska.

The packers would not pay him for seven head of cattle because, they said, the cattle were from Canada. Seven head of the 87 sold to the packer had Canadian ear tags.

The innards of all 43 head in the same semi, including the disputed seven, were condemned for an estimated loss of $11,000, according to officials with the Stockgrowers Association and the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund.

The USDA allows importing feeder cattle under 30 months of age, but only if they are in sealed trucks transported to an identified feedlot.

"They are then to remain in the identified feedlot until they are hauled to a slaughter plant in a sealed truck," Rick Fox, president of the Stockgrowers Association, said in a news release.

The rancher had purchased the cattle assuming that they were U.S. cattle, Fox said.

Rogers said the USDA wants to make sure no regulations were violated.

Sam Holland, South Dakota's state veterinarian, said Friday it appears the cattleman did nothing wrong but somehow wound up with Canadian cattle.

"Many of us are concerned about the way the investigation is being handled," Holland said.

[jensend]

it's looking like a canadian forced an american to smuggle canadian cattle across the border. the american govt. should run down this canadian scoundrel and deport him to syria so he can be tortured. the canadian govt. should be forced to compensate all american victims of this canadian crime.

[InAHurry]

willowcreek - bring the rule (that we are not honoring) that applies to this issue

[Willowcreek]

The border import rule/quarantine- and Canadas agreement to participate in it....

The US cattlemen were told that the cattle would have to be tagged with Canadian tags- US import tags- and hot iron branded as a triple safeguard to prevent them from going where they were not supposed to--This was all part of reduction in the quarantine the US put on Canada...Now Canada says it doesn't have to cooperate with the investigation when the US found a violation of the quarantine.....

The USDA asked the Canadians for eartag ID info about Canadian cattle violating the US quarantine/rule- and now Canada says we don't have to play with you...

I say fine- because thats what I'm telling my Congressman too- Canada doesn't want to play by the rules- so lets take the ball and go home...

We definitely can't go forward with Rule 2 because we have no guarantee or show of good faith they will cooperate 5 years down the line if we need help with some of those cattle...

Canadian cattlemen are crapping in their own nest...