To: BSE-L@LISTSERV.KALIV.UNI-KARLSRUHE.DE
##################### Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy #####################
No Need to Delay Canada Beef Trade - USDA Nominee
REUTERS
Canada's latest case of mad cow disease is not expected to cause the
United States to rescind its plans to resume imports of Canadian live
cattle. A cow that was separated from the herd walks down a road west of
Cochrane, May 21, 2003. Photo by Reuters
Thursday, January 06, 2005 12:53:06 PM ET
By Charles Abbott
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mike Johanns, the Bush administration's nominee
for U.S. agriculture secretary, said on Thursday he would not delay a
March resumption of cattle trade with Canada despite the recent
discovery of Canada's second domestic case of mad cow disease.
"As a nominee, I would not indicate any sort of decision to postpone"
the March 7 opening of the U.S. border to imports of younger Canadian
cattle, Johanns told the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Johanns, now governor of Nebraska, testified before the panel as one of
the first steps in the process of confirming his nomination. The
committee is expected to vote at a later date to approve his nomination
and send it to the Senate.
Last week, the U.S. Agriculture Department announced it would reopen the
border to more Canadian cattle.
The United States traditionally was the largest export market for
Canadian beef and cattle. But bilateral beef trade between the two
nations was interrupted in May 2003 when Canada discovered its first
domestic case of the deadly, brain-wasting disease. Just a few days
after the USDA announcement, Ottawa said it confirmed a second case.
One farm group, R-CALF USA, is considering filing a lawsuit to stop the
border from reopening, citing a threat to American consumers and cattle
herds.
The new chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of
Georgia, announced his panel would hold a hearing soon on the Canadian
border reopening.
"It is an important issue. I'll make sure I'm ready to go" with
testimony at that hearing, Johanns said.
The USDA has said that even with Canada's new case of the disease,
adequate safeguards are in place on both sides of the border to stop the
spread of mad cow disease. Humans can contract the disease by eating
infected meat.
Johanns also told the senators that as agriculture secretary, he would
aggressively work to ensure Japan accepts imports of American beef,
interrupted for the past year due to the first U.S. case of mad cow disease.
"It is my intention to make sure there is no slow down, no let-up,"
Johann said referring to the implementation of a U.S.-Japan agreement
reached a few weeks ago to allow some American beef shipments to resume.
Johanns responded to questions from senators who said they feared Japan
was trying to slow down the beef trade agreement because of the change
in leadership at USDA.
"Let me be as emphatic as I can: There will be no let up in our drive to
open Japan to our products," he said.
Japan was the single largest buyer of American beef before the USDA
confirmed the first U.S. case of mad cow disease in a Washington state
dairy cow one year ago.
Johanns, 54, has a record as an anti-tax and pro-growth governor who
promoted ethanol -- a fuel additive made from corn -- and larger U.S.
farm exports.
http://www.metronews.ca/reuters_national.asp?id=49434
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=389875
> Johanns promised the panel he would adhere to the values he learned
> growing up on an Iowa dairy farm. "I will always be a farmer's son
http://www.ellinghuysen.com/news/articles/10821.shtml
THE deck is so stacked the consumer does not have a snow
balls chance in hell... while the agent continues to spread and
kill $$$
> Johanns also told the senators that as agriculture secretary, he would
> aggressively work to ensure Japan accepts imports of American beef,
> "Let me be as emphatic as I can: There will be no let up in our drive
> to open Japan to our products," he said.
>
JAPAN is not that stupid and cannot be _forced_ to take
any North American beef. I would not hold my breath for
any exporting of North American beef to Japan anytime
soon...
TSS
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