While politicians debate how the latest case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy could have been prevented, Canada’s minister of agriculture says “farm families shouldn’t be forgotten… and neither should their markets.”
Bob Speller said he has been telling “his folks” to remember there are “farm families with livelihoods and lives involved here too.”
Speller said his department will be “continuing to monitor how current compensation programs such as the cull cow plan are working” and whether or not “there is something else to be done.”
While the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization Program will soften the impact of additional damage to the cattle industry due to the American finding of BSE, Speller said Jan. 5 that it was too early to tell what effect it would have on Canadian farmers.
Read Also
Government, industry seek canola tariff resolution
Governments and industry continue to discuss how best to deal with Chinese tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, particularly canola.
“Right now I’m telling my (people) to find ways of getting those dollars that are available right now out there and in farmer’s hands as soon as possible.”
Speller said his officials would be focusing on improving the international markets’ understandings of “how low the risk (of BSE incidence) is in Canada and in North America as a whole.
“We need our experts in those countries showing them how safe our beef is. This needs to be science based and consumer based, but frankly it has to be done at a political level as well …. That will take more direct contact on my part on the parts of our representatives in those counties.”
Speller said the BSE issue is a North American one.
“It doesn’t matter whether the cow came from Canada or not. We have sent a million and half cows to the United States. We need to find a North American solution.”
As Speller outlined this position on foreign trade, United States agriculture secretary Ann Veneman named a high level delegation to be sent to Mexico in hopes of re-establishing U.S. trade with that country. Japan is sending a scientific delegation to the U.S. to monitor containment efforts.
Speller said he speaks with Veneman on a daily basis, “as well as the prime minister, who is in constant contact with Washington about this.”
Veneman told reporters last week that, “our two countries have an integrated cattle industry and this is something we will need to work on together.”
Speller expects the Americans to open the border to Canadian live cattle after reviewing the now-closed comment period’s submissions about Canadian cattle.
“And we’ll be following suit (opening the Canadian border to American live animals not destined for immediate slaughter). We are certainly not going to be doing anything less than the Americans do,” Speller said.
