There are some snippets of good news on the BSE front this week, and we’ll take it wherever we can get it.
The Philippines ended its ban on Canadian beef from cattle younger than 30 months. Every border that opens is a step in the right direction, regardless of volume. It’s proof of other countries’ confidence in Canadian product.
Also last week, Japan’s food safety commission announced plans to discuss Canadian and U.S. beef imports. It is expected to study safety measures in both countries, and although this process could take several months, it is again a step in the right direction.
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In the United States, there seems to be a groundswell of support to reexamine the Canadian cattle trade issue.
Some American cattle producers –
R-CALF excepted, of course – are questioning the long-term wisdom of a closed border. As reported extensively in Producer news pages, American packers are feeling the pinch, ruminating on the future and making their views known.
Even the American government was more vocal last week in its opinions on the matter. Here is an excerpt from a speech by U.S. agriculture secretary Mike Johanns, which he prepared last week for the U.S. Meat Export Federation. It has content that the Canadian industry has been asserting for two years.
“… And science is on our side in this debate: American beef is safe.We are also working to reopen our own borders with our neighbours to the north.
“This is, I know, a somewhat controversial position. But the science is on our side here as well. The scientific approach we are taking with the Canadian minimal-risk rule is no different than what we should expect from markets for American beef exports.
“A USDA team has confirmed that Canada is in compliance with feed ban, which is equivalent to our own.
“And opening the border conforms to OIE guidelines.
“The fact is, Canadian beef is safe, too. And if our border remains closed, the implications for our own beef industry are severe.
“First, there are trade implications. Frankly, trade is not a one-way street. We cannot treat Japan one way and Canada another. If we demand an equal playing field, we also have to offer one.
“Second, as long as our border remains closed, our own processing industry will suffer…. The fact is, American producers and processors will be left out in the cold if the border is not reopened soon.”
Safe beef? Sound science? Feed ban compliance?
It definitely sounds familiar.
