One of America’s most powerful livestock groups is expected to debate this week what position it should take on imports of beef from Canadian cattle older than 30 months.
At issue is whether beef imports from older animals should be curtailed to parallel the United States rule that will allow imports of live cattle younger than 30 months to resume March 7.
The topic will be debated when the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association meets for its annual convention in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 2-5.
“The import of beef from cattle over 30 months has been identified as an issue of concern,” said Joe Schuele, the NCBA’s director of trade media.
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“We heard a lot about it from our members after the latest incident of BSE (in Canada). That’s one of a handful of issues our members are focused on.”
The association describes itself as the marketing and trade organization for America’s one million cattle farmers and ranchers.
The chief veterinarian of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said last week that he had not been privy to any discussions with U.S. officials about changing the rules to restrict imports of beef from older Canadian cattle.
If there is a move in that direction, the Americans risk undermining public confidence in the current measures in North America to safeguard their health through things like the removal of specified risk materials from slaughtered cattle, Brian Evans said. Specified risk materials, such as the brain and spinal cord, are believed to be the source of BSE transmission in cattle.
“If people go down that road, then they’re undermining the science behind that rule and they’re undermining the reality that we in North America have tried very diligently to have people understand BSE in a rational and meaningful way,” Evans said.
The U.S. rule that allows imports of beef from Canada was founded in science, he said. Restricting beef imports to those of cattle younger than 30 months would suggest not only that the Americans lack confidence in the measures in place in Canada, but that they also lack confidence in the processes for SRM removal in the U.S., Evans said.
“I don’t believe that to be the case. I think the U.S. have confidence in the measures they have in place.”
James Robb, livestock economist with the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver, Colorado, said he also has heard rumblings in the U.S. in recent weeks that the rules should be changed to allow in beef only from younger animals.
During Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon, Robb said the momentum behind that sentiment could increase or subside, depending on what happens to U.S. cattle prices once Canadian cattle start moving south. Factors that could influence U.S. cattle prices are the ability of Canadian packers to process most of the Canadian cattle available, as well as the rise in the value of Canadian currency, which could make Canadian cattle less appealing to U.S. buyers than they were two years ago.
Also important, said Robb, is the rebuilding of markets outside Canada and the U.S., to siphon off beef supply so it does not reduce North American prices.
