TWO years ago, news that Canadian cattle were once again being exported to the United States would have been greeted with unabashed glee.
But last week, when the first cattle exports in 26 months crossed the line, response was muted. Cattle producers greeted the news with the proverbial “cautious optimism” and pointed out potential pitfalls that would forestall the return to cattle trading of the pre-BSE era.
Even when a long-awaited July 27 court hearing into a Canadian cattle and beef ban was delayed, cattle producers were loath to celebrate. A recent increase in cattle prices must surely have brought a few smiles to the stands in the auction market but even that pleasure was tempered by thoughts of more stringent export regulations and a shortage of livestock carriers.
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In that respect, it’s fortunate that the movement of south-bound cattle has started out slowly and carefully, giving producers and shippers time to get acquainted with the requirements.
Caution and circumspection are understandable reactions, given the many hopes for reprieve that have been dashed in the months since May 2003.
By now, Canadian cattle producers know there will be no return to cattle trading as it used to be. And, in an attitude shift likely unimagined 26 months ago, that is no longer what many of them see as the optimum result.
No, what cattle producers want now are improvements to the way things used to be. They want to expand markets to reduce reliance on U.S. trade. They want to increase domestic slaughter capacity so more beef can be processed and shipped within Canada and beyond, creating jobs and other spinoffs in the process. They want a reliable cattle traceback system that will confirm animal age, ensure quality and protect the industry from illegal trade action.
Progress has been made on all these fronts in the past two years, much to the credit of the work ethic for which people in the cattle business are known.
As more than one cattle producer has opined, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The BSE crisis has indeed killed the operations of some producers and businesses in the cattle industry. It has cost an estimated $11 billion in expenses and losses. In the wake of that destruction, what is left must indeed become stronger.
Part of that strength must come in building processing facilities and markets for cull cattle, since there is no reason to expect that meat from these animals will be accepted by the U.S. in the near future.
Further strength might be found in the realization that the health of the industry and the solidity of trading relationships can never be taken for granted.
So while cattle producers are embracing cautious optimism, they must also continue the work undertaken over the past 26 months. To do otherwise is to waste the cruel lessons learned from the BSE crisis.
