NYT: Plan to Allow Canadian Cattle Into U.S. Worries Ranchers

[DeepModem Mom]

Plan to Allow Canadian Cattle Into U.S. Worries Ranchers
By JIM ROBBINS
Published: January 19, 2005


....The Bush administration is moving ahead with plans to reopen the border with Canada to the importing of live cattle and beef on March 7, despite two new cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly called mad cow disease, in Canada. Both cases were found in Alberta, the province just north of here.

The decision has ignited anger and concern among cattlemen across the West, who say reopening the northern border could endanger an industry that is prospering for the first time in many years. One cattle producers group has asked a federal court to keep the cattle and beef from coming into the United States.

The administration announced on Dec. 29 that it would allow the importing of cows under the age of 30 months as well as an expanded variety of beef; the new cases were confirmed since then....

***

What most troubles American ranchers is that the most recent case of mad cow found in Canada, announced Jan. 11, was found in an animal born after the 1998 ban on feeding cattle the waste from slaughtered livestock....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/19/national/19cattle.html

[madrchsod]

1. they voted for the cowboy

now that got their payback.the ranchers forgot-money talks and bullshit..the drug companies have more money.

[Kagemusha]

2. Before this latest mad cow case, no sympathy from me at all.

Because pretending the border was closed in the first place was huge fantasy.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a bigger problem here. Even if the size is relatively small, it's still bigger than assumed.

That said, to think this has much to do with disease is probably assuming too much also. It's money: US ranchers will get it, Canadian ranchers won't. But as Judge Judy would say, you have to come in with clean hands.

[Vidar]

3. We only honor NAFTA when it's convenient, like most treaties.

[daleo]

4. In principle, I don't blame the U.S. for closing the border

Both countries need to clean up their acts, when it comes to mad cow. But the U.S. border closure seems to be about offsetting lost exports to Asia by eliminating imports from Canada, rather than any concern over public health. They don't even try to hide this fact anymore.

I can't believe the Canadian herd is any different from the American herd when it comes to prevalence of BSE - Canada is now looking for it a little harder, though.