March 30, 2005

Canada reassesses cattle industry's standards

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association has approved a set of priority actions to help ensure the survival and maintenance of the Canadian cattle and beef industry.

The new rules of how crops are grown, how food are labelled, how drugs are approved and how industrial projects are assessed for environmental impact would undergo a massive overhaul in the next three to five years. 

Some critics say the plan would lead to a loss of sovereignty by such widespread adoption of US standards for food, drug and environmental safety

Lorne Hepworth, the President of CropLife Canada disagrees. He said that it is a good step towards getting crop protection and biotechnology innovations into the hands of farmers faster, while maintaining Canada's high standards of health and safety protection, which is essential for Canadian farmers to be competitive.