RENO, Nev. — American beef grades are a source of national pride and will not be stamped on any meat outside the country, say industry representatives.
The U.S. refused a request from Canada that meat graders from the United States department of agriculture work in a Canadian packing plant to grade beef destined for the U.S. It was debated by three committees at the National Cattlemen’s Association (NCA) meeting here, and the Americans were adamant their grades can only be applied to beef in the United States.
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“We don’t want to send graders up and have our grades on your products and sell it as if it were our product,” said incoming NCA president Dan Koons.
Clay Daulton, who heads the NCA foreign trade committee, said producers don’t want to set a precedent, or Mexico or Australia could apply a grade to meat that is not American.
“If it were between U.S. and Canada it might be simpler,” said Daulton.
The countries are two separate entities and their grading systems should not be interchangeable in this way, said Daulton. If Canadian beef received an American grade in Canada and was then shipped to another country besides the U.S., trade disputes over the beef’s origins could arise.
The request came from Cargill Foods at High River, which slaughters and ships beef to the U.S., said Alan Sobba of the NCA Washington, D.C. office.
Cargill suggested that the idea could be tried as a pilot project. Currently, Canadian beef destined for the U.S. is graded in Canada and when it’s delivered, it’s graded again by the Americans.
Not a grading issue
“We felt as an industry that it was not really a grading issue. If it was a grading issue we would be talking about equivalency with the Canadian system,” said Sobba.
“The U.S. grading standard is a marketing tool around the world for U.S. beef and we thought it was wrong for graders to go on foreign soil.”
Ironically last year about 750,000 Canadian cattle were slaughtered in the U.S. last year and received American grades. Once they cross the border the animals are considered American beef, said Sobba.
