SDSGA & Guy E. Ham Beef Industry Scholarships
Last updated:
08/13/2008
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God Bless America!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2004
For more information contact Carrie Longwood at:
605-342-0429 or carrie.sdsga@midconetwork.com
www.southdakotastockgrowers.org
SD Stockgrowers Support Suit to Keep Canadian Border Closed
The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association supports R-CALF USA who, with the backing of cattle organizations and consumer groups across the country, filed an injunction today to prohibit USDA from further opening the Canadian border to beef and live cattle.
"We found out just this weekend that USDA is forging ahead with their plans to further loosen restrictions on Canadian imports of meat," said Kenny Fox, Belvidere, S.D., South Dakota Stockgrowers Association Animal Health Committee Chairman. "Despite an outpouring of opposition from producers, feeders and consumers across the country to USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) proposal to allow live cattle and more processed beef from Canada, USDA confirmed on Monday that bone-in beef and hamburger will now be allowed across the border. This is in addition to massive quantities of boneless beef that have crossed the border since last summer, and continue to be consumed by Americans."
In their recent comments to the USDA APHIS, the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association clearly opposed USDA’s proposal to allow more Canadian meat, as well as live cattle, to enter the United States.
"Canada has produced two cows found to be infected with BSE in the last 12 months," said Fox. "The U.S. has never had BSE in our domestic herd and we do not want to invite BSE from Canada or any other country. In the interest of both human and animal welfare, we must protect the health of our domestic cattle herd. Allowing beef and live cattle from Canada at this point goes against the standards set by our world health organization, as well as the protocol that the U.S. has followed with all other BSE infected countries. To open our border further could set a precedent to allow the U.S. to become a dumping ground for beef from countries with BSE in their herds."
Fox is concerned that additional Canadian beef and/or live cattle in the U.S. marketplace will not only jeopardize the health of the U.S. cattle herd, but will also create marketing difficulties for American producers.
"Our export market is practically nonexistent at this point, because of the BSE infected cow found in Washington state, born in Alberta, Canada," Fox said. "Japan, one of our major beef customers, has asked for Country of Origin Labeling to ensure that they receive beef from cattle strictly born, raised and slaughtered right here in the U.S. Without mandatory Country of Origin Labeling to give the Japanese and our other export customers assurances that we can differentiate U.S. beef from foreign beef, it is illogical to add more foreign meat to our production lines."
South Dakota Stockgrowers Association President Ken Knuppe, Buffalo Gap, S.D., agrees, adding that additional cattle and beef from Canada will strain an already fragile and volatile U.S. cattle market. "Without our export markets, it is irresponsible to think that additional beef and cattle can be dropped into our market without harming our domestic price. U.S. producers will suffer many consequences of Canadian live cattle and additional Canadian beef - just one of those being an oversupply and resulting drop in price of our untainted domestic product."
The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association encourages all consumers and producers to send their financial support to R-CALF USA at P.O. Box 30715, Billings, MT 59107, to help fund the injunction.
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