[Mb-civic] CBC News - U.S. FARM GROUP JOINS BATTLE AGAINST BSE INJUNCTION

Mon Apr 25 16:51:05 PDT 2005

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U.S. FARM GROUP JOINS BATTLE AGAINST BSE INJUNCTION
WebPosted Mon Apr 25 15:34:36 2005

Regina---The largest American farm organization has joined the legal
fight to reopen the U.S. border to Canadian cattle.

The American Farm Bureau says the judge in Montana who granted a
temporary injunction keeping the border closed was wrong in his decision.
The organization has prepared a brief in support of the the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's appeal of the injunction.

"We probably spent more time on the Canadian border-BSE issue than any
other issue at this year's annual meeting," Mary Kay Thatcher, director
of policy with the bureau, said. "Our voting delegates said
overwhelmingly we must make sure we maintain our credibility as a leader
in agricultural trade.

"And we must make sure the decision on opening the border is based on
sound science."

In March, U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull granted the Ranchers-
Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) a temporary injunction to keep
cattle out, just days before the USDA had planned to allow shipments to
begin again.

                         FROM MAR. 2, 2005: U.S.
                      court blocks Canadian cattle

This is the first time the American Farm Bureau has taken such a public
stance on the BSE issue.

No date has been set for the appeal court to hear the case. In July,
Judge Cebull will hear arguments to determine whether the border
reopens, remains closed or expands the temporary injunction to other
Canadian beef products.

The U.S. closed its border to Canadian beef and cattle in May 2003,
after the first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a Canadian-
born animal was confirmed. It resumed the shipment of some cuts of beef
that August.

At the end of December, the USDA announced that it would begin allowing
live cattle under the age of 30 months across the border beginning March
7. The USDA said it recognized Canada as a "minimal-risk region" for
   BSE, in part because of measures taken to prevent the spread of
   the disease.

After the announcement, two more cases of BSE were confirmed in Alberta
animals, but the USDA said it had expected to see other cases and they
fell within the minimal-risk definition.