Cargill Says It Won't Slaughter R-CALF Cattle
Calgary - One of the country's largest meat packers says it won't knowingly process cattle owned by members of an American lobby group fighting to keep Canadian beef out of the U.S., a move sought by Alberta ranchers. Cargill faced a blockade by ranchers and feedlot operators two weeks ago, when its trucks tried to haul away cattle that the protesters believed were owned by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA).
Cargill spokesman Rick Meijer says the company will rely on feedlot operators and ranchers to alert them to which cattle are owned by R-CALF.
In April, R-CALF successfully lobbied a Montana judge to block additional beef exports into the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the wider scope of acceptable beef shipments.
R-CALF also opposes reopening the border to live cattle, arguing Canadian beef is unsafe. Many in the local industry don't believe the group's members should be allowed to profit from selling Alberta cattle whose prices are driven down by the mad cow crisis when they are actively working to keep the border closed.
Feedlot operator Rick Pascal, who helped organize the small blockade of Cargill in mid-July, believes R-CALF members own as many as 50,000 cattle in the province. He says they're now going to greater lengths to disguise who owns the animals, including selling to two or three surrogate owners and rebranding them.
"There's what I call some unscrupulous people in this business that are trying to bail these R-CALF guys out and buying these cattle cheap from the R-CALF guys and trying to sell them cheap to the Canadian packers," Pascal said. "I'm telling you we're going to do whatever we can to put some stress on these guys.
"If if it means some of their cows don't get slaughtered, well, I guess that's what it is."
In a statement, R-CALF said it can't control what individual members do, and maintained its position that the border should remain closed until Canada can ensure the safety of its cattle.
The U.S. and 33 other countries closed their borders to Canadian beef May 20, 2003, after a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in Alberta. While the United States began accepting some cuts of beef last August, they still won't allow shipments of live cattle.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of determining whether it should be reopened to live cattle.
Calgary - One of the country's largest meat packers says it won't knowingly process cattle owned by members of an American lobby group fighting to keep Canadian beef out of the U.S., a move sought by Alberta ranchers. Cargill faced a blockade by ranchers and feedlot operators two weeks ago, when its trucks tried to haul away cattle that the protesters believed were owned by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA).
Cargill spokesman Rick Meijer says the company will rely on feedlot operators and ranchers to alert them to which cattle are owned by R-CALF.
In April, R-CALF successfully lobbied a Montana judge to block additional beef exports into the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the wider scope of acceptable beef shipments.
R-CALF also opposes reopening the border to live cattle, arguing Canadian beef is unsafe. Many in the local industry don't believe the group's members should be allowed to profit from selling Alberta cattle whose prices are driven down by the mad cow crisis when they are actively working to keep the border closed.
Feedlot operator Rick Pascal, who helped organize the small blockade of Cargill in mid-July, believes R-CALF members own as many as 50,000 cattle in the province. He says they're now going to greater lengths to disguise who owns the animals, including selling to two or three surrogate owners and rebranding them.
"There's what I call some unscrupulous people in this business that are trying to bail these R-CALF guys out and buying these cattle cheap from the R-CALF guys and trying to sell them cheap to the Canadian packers," Pascal said. "I'm telling you we're going to do whatever we can to put some stress on these guys.
"If if it means some of their cows don't get slaughtered, well, I guess that's what it is."
In a statement, R-CALF said it can't control what individual members do, and maintained its position that the border should remain closed until Canada can ensure the safety of its cattle.
The U.S. and 33 other countries closed their borders to Canadian beef May 20, 2003, after a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in Alberta. While the United States began accepting some cuts of beef last August, they still won't allow shipments of live cattle.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of determining whether it should be reopened to live cattle.