***Joint Letter in Opposition to Proposed Over 30-Month (OTM) Rule***
March 12, 2007
The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader Minority Leader
U.S. Senate U.S. Senate
528 Hart Senate Office Building 361A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Tom Harkin The Honorable Saxby Chambliss
Chairman Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee
328A Russell Senate Office Building 416 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader McConnell, Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Chambliss:
The U.S. agricultural organizations listed below are writing to express our strong concern for the health and safety of the U.S. cattle herd and strong opposition to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) proposed rule to allow Canadian cattle over 30 months of age into the United States. Canada’s ongoing struggle with its bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic continues to disrupt international beef trade and continues to create hardships for the U.S. cattle industry when Canadian cattle and beef are mixed with U.S. cattle and beef. The USDA’s proposal is premature and will cause additional and potentially severe consequences for U.S. independent cattle producers.
We are seeking your help to prevent the implementation of USDA’s proposed rule. The following reasons justify congressional action against USDA’s proposed rule and demonstrate that Congress should intercede to protect the health and safety of the U.S. cattle herd, the safety of the U.S. beef supply, and the viability of the U.S. cattle industry:
1. Allowing older Canadian cattle into the United States will further harm the United States’ ability to fully restore lost export markets.
2. The full magnitude of Canada’s BSE epidemic is still unfolding, but it is already much greater than what USDA has asserted and assumed.
3. Cattle over 30 months of age that originate in a BSE-affected country have an inherently higher risk for transmitting BSE.
4. As previously recognized by the Food and Drug Administration, and as recognized by international BSE experts, current BSE mitigation measures, principally the U.S. and Canadian feed bans, are inadequate to address the increased risk associated with older Canadian cattle.
5. Allowing older Canadian cattle into the United States will immediately harm the United States’ international disease risk profile.
6. The financial losses to U.S. cattle producers will likely be severe if the United States allows higher-risk Canadian cattle into the U.S. market.
Given the importance of the U.S. cattle industry to the economic well-being of Rural America, we trust that you will consider our request favorably. Please contact any of the undersigned organizations should you have any questions regarding our position. We look forward to working with you on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Albany County Stockgrowers Assn. from Wyoming
Arkansas Animal Producer's Association
Belmont Fresh Meats, Inc. (WI)
The Butcher Shop (WI)
Buckeye Quality Beef Association (OH)
Calaveras County Cattlemen’s Association (CA)
Cass County Farmers Union (MN)
Cattle Producers of Washington
Cattlemen’s Weighing Association (ND)
Central Colorado Cattlemen’s Association
Colorado Independent Cattlemen’s Association
Crowley-Kiowa-Lincoln Cattlemen’s Association (CO)
Dakota Resource Council
Glacial Ridge Cattlemen of Minnesota
Grant County Cattleman’s (WA)
Eagle County Cattlemen’s Association (CO)
Idaho County Farm Bureau (ID)
Independent Beef Association of North Dakota
Independent Cattlemen of Iowa
Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska
Kansas Cattlemen’s Association
Kit Carson County Cattlemen’s Association (CO)
Madera County Cattlemen’s Association (CA)
McPherson Co. Farmers Union (KS)
Merced Mariposa Cattlemen’s Association (CA)
Mesa County Cattlemen’s Association
Minnesota Farmers Union
Mississippi Livestock Markets Association
Missouri's Best Beef, Inc.
Modoc County Cattlewomens Association (CA)
Montana Cattlemen’s Association
Morrow County Livestock Growers Association (OR)
Navajo County Cattlemen’s Association
Nevada Live Stock Association
New Mexico Cattle Growers Association
North Washoe Unit, Nevada Cattlemen's Association (NV and CA)
New York Beef Producers Association Southern Tier Region
Okanogan County Cattlemen’s Association (WA)
Oregon Livestock Producer Association (OLPA)
Organization for Competitive Markets
Powder River Basin Resource Council (WY)
Producers Livestock
R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America
South Dakota Livestock Auction Markets Association
South Dakota Stockgrowers Association
Southern Colorado Livestock Association
Southwestern Colorado Livestock Association
Spokane County Cattlemen’s Association (WA)
Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association (WA)
TenStar Technologies (MT)
Washington County Stockmen’s Association (CO)
Washington Cattlemen’s Association
Wyoming Stock Growers Association
March 12, 2007
The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader Minority Leader
U.S. Senate U.S. Senate
528 Hart Senate Office Building 361A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Tom Harkin The Honorable Saxby Chambliss
Chairman Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee
328A Russell Senate Office Building 416 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader McConnell, Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Chambliss:
The U.S. agricultural organizations listed below are writing to express our strong concern for the health and safety of the U.S. cattle herd and strong opposition to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) proposed rule to allow Canadian cattle over 30 months of age into the United States. Canada’s ongoing struggle with its bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic continues to disrupt international beef trade and continues to create hardships for the U.S. cattle industry when Canadian cattle and beef are mixed with U.S. cattle and beef. The USDA’s proposal is premature and will cause additional and potentially severe consequences for U.S. independent cattle producers.
We are seeking your help to prevent the implementation of USDA’s proposed rule. The following reasons justify congressional action against USDA’s proposed rule and demonstrate that Congress should intercede to protect the health and safety of the U.S. cattle herd, the safety of the U.S. beef supply, and the viability of the U.S. cattle industry:
1. Allowing older Canadian cattle into the United States will further harm the United States’ ability to fully restore lost export markets.
2. The full magnitude of Canada’s BSE epidemic is still unfolding, but it is already much greater than what USDA has asserted and assumed.
3. Cattle over 30 months of age that originate in a BSE-affected country have an inherently higher risk for transmitting BSE.
4. As previously recognized by the Food and Drug Administration, and as recognized by international BSE experts, current BSE mitigation measures, principally the U.S. and Canadian feed bans, are inadequate to address the increased risk associated with older Canadian cattle.
5. Allowing older Canadian cattle into the United States will immediately harm the United States’ international disease risk profile.
6. The financial losses to U.S. cattle producers will likely be severe if the United States allows higher-risk Canadian cattle into the U.S. market.
Given the importance of the U.S. cattle industry to the economic well-being of Rural America, we trust that you will consider our request favorably. Please contact any of the undersigned organizations should you have any questions regarding our position. We look forward to working with you on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Albany County Stockgrowers Assn. from Wyoming
Arkansas Animal Producer's Association
Belmont Fresh Meats, Inc. (WI)
The Butcher Shop (WI)
Buckeye Quality Beef Association (OH)
Calaveras County Cattlemen’s Association (CA)
Cass County Farmers Union (MN)
Cattle Producers of Washington
Cattlemen’s Weighing Association (ND)
Central Colorado Cattlemen’s Association
Colorado Independent Cattlemen’s Association
Crowley-Kiowa-Lincoln Cattlemen’s Association (CO)
Dakota Resource Council
Glacial Ridge Cattlemen of Minnesota
Grant County Cattleman’s (WA)
Eagle County Cattlemen’s Association (CO)
Idaho County Farm Bureau (ID)
Independent Beef Association of North Dakota
Independent Cattlemen of Iowa
Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska
Kansas Cattlemen’s Association
Kit Carson County Cattlemen’s Association (CO)
Madera County Cattlemen’s Association (CA)
McPherson Co. Farmers Union (KS)
Merced Mariposa Cattlemen’s Association (CA)
Mesa County Cattlemen’s Association
Minnesota Farmers Union
Mississippi Livestock Markets Association
Missouri's Best Beef, Inc.
Modoc County Cattlewomens Association (CA)
Montana Cattlemen’s Association
Morrow County Livestock Growers Association (OR)
Navajo County Cattlemen’s Association
Nevada Live Stock Association
New Mexico Cattle Growers Association
North Washoe Unit, Nevada Cattlemen's Association (NV and CA)
New York Beef Producers Association Southern Tier Region
Okanogan County Cattlemen’s Association (WA)
Oregon Livestock Producer Association (OLPA)
Organization for Competitive Markets
Powder River Basin Resource Council (WY)
Producers Livestock
R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America
South Dakota Livestock Auction Markets Association
South Dakota Stockgrowers Association
Southern Colorado Livestock Association
Southwestern Colorado Livestock Association
Spokane County Cattlemen’s Association (WA)
Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association (WA)
TenStar Technologies (MT)
Washington County Stockmen’s Association (CO)
Washington Cattlemen’s Association
Wyoming Stock Growers Association
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