PHOENIX, Ariz. – Live movement of Canadian cattle into the United States is on hold indefinitely. The market analysis firm Cattlefax said it does not expect live trade from Canada to resume until at least summer or fall. U.S. government officials attending the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention agreed. “It’s not going to be spring,” […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
U.S. aims at BSE, cattle ID
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The American government has pledged additional funds to expedite a national livestock identification system and broader BSE surveillance programs. Secretary of agriculture Ann Veneman said president George W. Bush has asked for $60 million US for BSE related activities in his 2005 budget. This includes $33 million to accelerate the development of […] Read more
Americans speed up cattle identification plan
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The American beef industry has been told to accelerate its livestock identification machine, but producers say it could take two more years to launch a program. “It can’t happen overnight regardless of what our congressional leaders think,” said Gary Wilson of the national identification steering committee. U.S. secretary of agriculture Ann Veneman […] Read more
BSE ends U.S. profit streak
PHOENIX, Ariz. – For 51 weeks in 2003, the United States beef industry enjoyed record profits in every sector. When a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in Washington state Dec. 23, prices plummeted for a short time. Although U.S. cattle prices have returned to pre-BSE levels, the market has become volatile, with […] Read more
U.S. wants reasonable rules on BSE
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Powerhouse nations need to adopt universal standards for BSE prevention and force other countries to be more reasonable in their response to the discovery of one or two cases, said speakers at a U.S. beef conference. The Americans argue new rules implemented in Canada and the United States must be applied evenly […] Read more
Post-BSE training too onerous, say American meat packers
PHOENIX, Ariz. – New BSE rules under the United States Meat Inspection Act carry serious penalties if processors do not comply. Getting up to speed in the 3,000 federally inspected plants in the U.S. is an ongoing challenge. Training is under way to teach meat workers how to determine cattle age by checking teeth, properly […] Read more
U.S. wants harmonization on bluetongue restrictions
PHOENIX, Ariz. – A proposal to stop further beef or cattle exports from Canada to the United States until the long debated bluetongue issue is resolved may go nowhere, but it might get some attention. John Swanz, president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said bluetongue and anaplasmosis regulations in Canada have held up free movement […] Read more
Pork industry debt better than in 1998
BANFF, Alta. – A financial shakedown in the hog industry has forced more producers to refinance and defer loan payments, said a Farm Credit Canada representative at the recent Banff pork seminar. “Many are on payment holidays because of the current conditions,” said Lori Lane of FCC’s Red Deer office. Nearly 10 percent of its […] Read more
Ruminant feed ban doing its job: CFIA
BANFF, Alta. – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is confident the ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants works following investigations of mills possibly associated with two cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Lead CFIA feed investigator Tom Spiller said in two separate audits, all mills were in compliance with feed production and distribution regulations implemented […] Read more
Rancher touts quality of Alta. branded beef
LETHBRIDGE – Will Balog’s fledgling Alberta Beef Co. went into a tailspin on May 20, but the Lethbridge entrepreneur was determined not to lose control of his dream. In 2001, he conceived the idea of a source-verified, high quality beef marketing machine. The plan was to work with ranchers, a feedlot and processor to sell […] Read more
