April 27, 2004

 

 

Cattle Group Contests USDA Decision To Expand Canada Beef Imports
 

A federal judge granted a cattlemen group's request Monday for a court order preventing the Agriculture Department from expanding beef imports from Canada. The request was made over concerns about mad cow disease.

 

The group sought a temporary restraining order as part of its lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Billings last week.

 

R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America contends a USDA decision on April 19 permitting Canadian imports of "edible bovine meat products," (including ground beef) by citing the reason of that "increasing the risk to human health and creates an adverse effect on the cattle industry."

 

The lawsuit cited two recent cases of mad cow disease - one on a Canadian farm last May, and one from a cow in Washington state that had come from a Canadian farm in December.

 

When Canada reported its case of the brain-wasting disease in May, the United States responded by banning Canadian cattle and beef. It eased the bans later to allow imports which are considered at very low risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.

 

But after the Washington state case of mad cow, some bans remained intact. Live cattle from Canada are still banned.

 

The USDA's decision to expand Canadian beef product imports was to have taken effect immediately.

 

Bill Bullard, chief executive officer of R-CALF USA, said earlier that the group sued after learning of the April 19 memo from USDA. The memo had stated additional products, beyond boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age that had been permitted, could be allowed into the U.S. from Canada.

 

U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull granted the group's request for a court order.

 

Judge Cebull said if imported beef products contain the "BSE agent," USDA's recent action "may result in a fatal, non-curable disease in humans who consume those products."

 

"Since there are no requirements that imports of Canadian beef products be labelled to indicate the country of origin," he wrote, "once those products cross the border, they become virtually impossible to recover or segregate if additional cases of BSE are discovered in the Canadian herd."

 

Mr. Bullard called the order "a big win" for consumers and the U.S. cattle industry on Monday.

 

"It's the first of what will be a long and expensive process in order to ensure that we maintain the maximum level of safety with regards to imported products," he said.