OTTAWA – Year-round movement of American feeder cattle from northern
U.S. states might reduce the chances that a country-of-origin meat
labelling law will be applied to Canadian meat, suggests a former
president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Speaking at a meeting on cattle diseases June 21, Lynn Cornwell said
changes to Canadian animal health regulations that restrict cattle
movement to October through March could have an effect on U.S. Senate
elections.
That might mean changes to the pro-American labelling that is scheduled
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to be implemented in 2004 as part of the United States farm bill.
“If (Canada) changes the bluetongue rules, all the (American) seed
stock producers will perceive that progress is being made, that they
can export cattle,” said Cornwell.
“I think we’ll have company-of-origin before we’ll have
country-of-origin. I think we have an opportunity here to fix a problem
… that involves not only animal health issues but that could blow up
into some trade problems. This opportunity that is knocking is a way to
heal a lot of distrust.”
Canada allows the import of American cattle from northern states only
in winter months when the weather is too cold for survival of insects
that can transmit bluetongue and anaplasmosis. Canada is officially
free of both diseases.
A proposal was put forward last year to allow summer imports of U.S.
feeder cattle, but it was rejected this spring by the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency.
Since then, the CCA has said country-of-origin labelling was passed in
retaliation for the perceived trade inequity that sees unrestricted
flow of cattle from Canada to the U.S. while American imports are
blocked at certain times of year.
The association wants regulatory changes that will allow feeders to be
imported from the U.S. year-round, without the need for extra testing.
“This has become a trade issue, not an animal health issue,” said
Cornwell.
