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Committee examines USDA Canadian beef
rule - Hears Testimony from Agriculture Secretary Johanns
(Note: No matter how much BSE is on the Canadian side of the border,
those purporting to speak for consumers and "food safety"
remain committed to globalization and the erasure of our sovereign
borders -- even when it promises certain risk from a herd that
continues to have infected cattle. No matter; the USDA is on-course to
globalize. Keep fighting, R-CALF and SDSGA -- keep fighting!)
March 1, 2005
News from the House Agriculture Committee
From: "AgPress" AgPress@mail.house.gov
To: "News Distribution" news@aglist.house.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Alise Kowalski 202-225-3329
Washington, D.C. - The House Committee on Agriculture today held a
hearing to review the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) rule
providing for Canadian beef and cattle imports.
The U.S. closed its border to Canadian beef and cattle imports after
the December 23, 2003, discovery of a single case of Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (BSE) in the U.S. in a cow of Canadian origin.
In December 2004, USDA published the final rule establishing
minimal-risk regions, which will become effective on March 7, 2005.
The Committee heard from Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, marking
his first testimony before the Committee.
Chairman Goodlatte noted that he looked forward to the Secretary's
testimony to gain a better understanding of the development of the
rule.
The U.S. remains committed to protecting the safety of the food supply
and domestic cattle population.
In June [2004], USDA implemented its enhanced BSE surveillance program
to determine the health of the U.S. beef population.
"The United States has in place an array of protective measures
including the feed ban, Specific Risk Material (SRM) removal and a
robust BSE surveillance system. These are designed to shield our herd
and consumers from current risks and
prevent the amplification of BSE if it was ever introduced
into our herd," Chairman Goodlatte said.
Chairman Goodlatte also emphasized the
U.S.' continued commitment to basing decisions on scientific
information rather than fear.
"I remain convinced that if we
abandon science as our guiding principle, we will harm the long term
health of our beef and cattle community. Cattle producers, the people
who work in our processing plants and retail establishments, and our
nation's consumers will benefit the most from a committed course based
on sound science," the Chairman said in opening statements.
In January 2005, the USDA dispatched a technical team to Canada to
investigate the efficacy of Canada's ruminant to ruminant feed ban
after Canada's second and third confirmed cases of domestic BSE and to
determine if there were any potential links between the positive
animals.
The results of the study were published last week.
The Honorable Mike Johanns, Secretary of
Agriculture, said in his testimony, "Based on a review of
inspection records and on-site observations, the team found that
Canada has a robust inspection program, that overall compliance with
the feed ban is good, and that the feed ban is reducing the risk of
transmission of BSE in the Canadian cattle population. Where isolated
issues were found to exist, they were related mostly to areas of
documentation and record-keeping."
The Chairman closed the hearing by
encouraging Members and the public to remain vigilant, alert, and
committed to sound science as the process continues.
"Going forward, my advice to my
colleagues and the constituents of this Committee would be to remain
rooted in science, with an eye towards the long-term structure and
economic health of the beef and cattle industry. The public policy
decisions being made now will have far-reaching implications for
producers, processors, retailers and consumers and we owe it to them
to remain both prudent and thoughtful," said Chairman Goodlatte.
The Committee will continue oversight of
the rule as it goes into effect and throughout its implementation.
WITNESS LIST
Panel I
The Honorable Mike Johanns, Secretary, United States Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Accompanied by:
Dr. Ron DeHaven, Administrator, Animal & Plant Health Inspection
Service,
United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Keith Collins, Chief Economist, United States Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Panel II
Mr. Chuck Kiker, Region 5 Director, R-CALF United Stockgrowers of
America, Beaumont, Texas
Mr. Jim McAdams, President, National
Cattlemen's Beef Association, Adkins, Texas
Mr. Ken Bull, Vice President for Cattle Procurement, Cargill
Meat Solutions, Wichita, Kansas
Mr. Carl Kuehne, President, American Foods Group, Green Bay, Wisconsin
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture web site http://agriculture.house.gov
has additional information on this and other subjects.
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