are we or aren't we?

[eric]

LIVESTOCK

Injunction will keep Canadian border closed to live cattle for now

Federal District Court Judge Richard Cebull Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction that will bar imports of live Canadian cattle into the US. Resumption of live cattle trade was expected to begin as soon as Monday, March 7, for cattle younger than 30 months, under the USDA's "minimal risk rule." The injunction was sought by R-CALF USA, based on arguments that Canada's BSE risk status should not be considered "minimal." The US border has been shut to all imports of live Canadian cattle since May 2003, when Canada found its first domestic case of mad cow disease. The preliminary injunction will keep the US border shut to Canadian cattle until R-CALF USA's lawsuit can be considered in Federal court. What does the decision mean to US cattle producers? "Essentially take how long you believe a trial will take and add a few weeks to that. For the next two months (at least) we would expect the border to remain closed," says Rich Nelson, market analyst with Allendale, Inc.

HREF="http://email.agriculture.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/amfy0Hfv8P0TM0GTcH0AE">agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/agNews_050302crCEBULL.xml&catref=ag1001

More from Rich Nelson:
agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/050302allendale.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/ag/category/data/agmarketscommentary.xml&page=2

 

[cowspider]

Is the risk really that High with cattle 30 months and younger?? I do not know so just asking, not starting a fight with our friends up north. I mean I eat canadian bacon. ;-) ;-) :cboy:

 

[eric]

Hey, I see this story already made it on the other R_CALF forum or whatever its called board. Before I could delete it, there was already a response. I dont ever read the other forum, or for that matter the horsey or the show forum either. :cboy:

 

[Medic24]

maybe I am wrong but this is just my opinion, if we are going to open, lets just get it over with and take the pain.

 

[Wewild]

Doesn't look like it's opening.

FINANCIAL POST


U.S. senate votes to strike down resolution to open border to beef
Bush threatens veto

Sheldon Alberts, Joe Paraskevas, with files from MikeBlanchfield
Canwest News Service


Friday, March 04, 2005







WASHINGTON AND OTTAWA - The U.S. Senate yesterday delivered Canada's cattle industry its second major setback in two days by voting to kill the Bush administration's plans to reopen the American border to Canadian live cattle shipments.

By a 52-46 margin, senators approved a bipartisan resolution to strike down a U.S. Department of Agriculture's regulation lifting a 22-month-old trade ban that has cost Canada's beef industry $7-billion.

The move created the possibility of legislative showdown with President George W. Bush, who immediately threatened to veto the resolution if it is also approved by the House of Representatives.

In a sharply-worded policy statement, the White House said any decision "which would prevent the reopening of our Canadian border would cause continued serious economic disruption of the U.S. beef and cattle industry."

Senators who oppose reopening the border would need a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto.

Mike Johanns, Mr. Bush's agriculture secretary, said he was "very disappointed" with the Senate decision because it "undermines the U.S. efforts to promote science-based regulations."

The Senate vote came one day after a Montana judge granted an injunction, at the request of R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America, to block plans to allow Canada to resume exports of live cattle under 30 months of age on March 7.

"We will not dislocate economies in the lower 48 states for the benefit of economic gain in Canada," said Idaho Senator Tim Craig, who voted to keep the border closed.

Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, dismissed suggestions that opposition to Canadian beef was tied to Ottawa's decision to reject participation in Mr. Bush's missile defence system.

Neither the U.S. nor Canada is "going to shoot themselves in the foot" over the beef ban, he said.

"We think it's not only in the interests of the Canadian cattle farmers, but it's in the interests of the meat packers in the United States to open that border," Mr. Cellucci said. "So we're going to expend political capital to get the border open."

In Ottawa, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale said the federal government would be ready to deliver additional farm aid to Canadian cattle producers if the U.S. border remains closed and existing programs prove insufficient.

The United States closed its border to live cattle from Canada in May, 2003, following the discovery of an Alberta cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. A BSE-infected cow found in Washington state in late 2003 had been born in Canada.

The USDA announced in January that Canada was being recognized as a minimal-risk country for BSE and said exports of young cattle could resume this spring.

But the discovery of two news cases of BSE in January triggered a new round of opposition.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Cebull, in his written decision, said the discovery of multiple mad-cow cases "is inconsistent with the USDA's assertion that the BSE incidence rate in Canada is 'very low' or 'minimal.' "

Judge Cebull ruled U.S. beef would be hit with a "stigma" of BSE infection if Canadian animals are allowed to mix with the American herd. A delay in re-opening the border would be "prudent and largely harmless," he continued.

The Bush administration has not yet outlined how it plans to appeal the Montana court ruling.

Canada was denied amicus curiae status at the court proceedings in Montana, a role that would have allowed Canadian lawyers to inform the court about measures this country has taken to combat mad cow disease.

© National Post 2005