More than 100 agricultural groups, sale barns sign joint letter opposing USDA’s OTM Rule
Mar 15, 2007 10:02 AM
Monday, more than 100 agricultural organizations and livestock auction yards from around the country sent a letter to U.S. Senate leaders to seek help to prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing its proposed rule to allow Canadian cattle over 30 months (OTM) of age into the United States.
“Canada’s ongoing struggle with its bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic continues to disrupt international beef trade and continues to create hardships for the U.S. cattle industry when Canadian cattle and beef are mixed with U.S. cattle and beef,” the letter states in part. “USDA’s proposal is premature and will cause additional and potentially severe consequences for U.S. independent cattle producers…The following reasons justify congressional action against USDA’s proposed rule and demonstrate that Congress should intercede to protect the health and safety of the U.S. cattle herd, the safety of the U.S. beef supply, and the viability of the U.S. cattle industry:
1. Allowing older Canadian cattle into the United States will further harm the United States’ ability to fully restore lost export markets.
2. The full magnitude of Canada’s BSE epidemic is still unfolding, but it is already much greater than what USDA has asserted and assumed.
3. Cattle over 30 months of age that originate in a BSE-affected country have an inherently higher risk for transmitting BSE.
4. As previously recognized by the Food and Drug Administration, and as recognized by international BSE experts, current BSE mitigation measures, principally the U.S. and Canadian feed bans, are inadequate to address the increased risk associated with older Canadian cattle.
5. Allowing older Canadian cattle into the United States will immediately harm the United States’ international disease risk profile.
6. The financial losses to U.S. cattle producers will likely be severe if the United States allows higher-risk Canadian cattle into the U.S. market.
Given the importance of the U.S. cattle industry to the economic well-being of Rural America, we trust that you will consider our request favorably,” the letter concludes. “Please contact any of the undersigned organizations should you have any questions regarding our position. We look forward to working with you on this important issue.”
A copy of the letter was submitted yesterday into the official record for USDA’s rulemaking proceeding on the OTM rule. The public comment period for those proceedings ended yesterday. The R-CALF USA CEO will hand-deliver the joint letter to U.S. Senate leaders while in Washington, D.C., this week.
Signatories include:
Albany County Stockgrowers Association – Wyoming
American Grassfed Association
Arkansas Animal Producer's Association
Belmont Fresh Meats – Wisconsin
The Butcher Shop – Wisconsin
Buckeye Quality Beef Association – Ohio
Calaveras County Cattlemen’s Association – California
Cass County Farmers Union – Minnesota
Cattle Producers of Washington
Cattlemen’s Weighing Association – North Dakota
Central Colorado Cattlemen’s Association
Colorado Independent Cattlemen’s Association
Converse County Stockgrowers – Wyoming
Crowley-Kiowa-Lincoln Cattlemen’s Association – Colorado
Dakota Resource Council
Eagle County Cattlemen’s Association – Colorado
Glacial Ridge Cattlemen of Minnesota
Grant County Cattleman’s – Washington
Harding County Stockgrowers – South Dakota
Idaho County Farm Bureau – Idaho
Independent Beef Association of North Dakota
Independent Cattlemen of Iowa
Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska
Kansas Cattlemen’s Association
Kit Carson County Cattlemen’s Association – Colorado
Madera County Cattlemen’s Association – California
McPherson County Farmers Union – Kansas
Merced Mariposa Cattlemen’s Association – California
Mesa County Cattlemen’s Association – Colorado
Mid Oregon Beef Co-Op
Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association
Minnesota Farmers Union
Mississippi Livestock Markets Association
Missouri's Best Beef
Missouri Bison Association
Modoc County Cattlemen’s Association – California
Modoc County Cattlewomen’s Association – California
Montana Cattlemen’s Association
Morrow County Livestock Growers Association – Oregon
Navajo County Cattlemen’s Association – Arizona
Nevada Live Stock Association
New Mexico Cattle Growers Association
North Washoe Unit, Nevada Cattlemen's Association – Nevada and California
Northwest Stockmen of Minnesota
New York Beef Producers Association Southern Tier Region
Okanogan County Cattlemen’s Association – Washington
Oregon Livestock Producer Association
Organization for Competitive Markets
Perkins County Livestock Improvement Association – South Dakota
Powder River Basin Resource Council – Wyoming
Producers Livestock – Nebraska
R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America
South Dakota CattleWomen
South Dakota Farmers Union
South Dakota Livestock Auction Markets Association
South Dakota Stockgrowers Association
Southern Colorado Livestock Association
Southwestern Colorado Livestock Association
Spokane County Cattlemen’s Association – Washington
Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association – Washington
TenStar Technologies – Montana
Washington County Stockmen’s Association – Colorado
Washington Cattlemen’s Association
Weiser River Cattle Association – Idaho
West Carroll Cattlemen’s Association – Louisiana
Wisconsin Independent Livestock Dealers and Auction Markets
Wyoming Stock Growers Association
Livestock Auction Yards:
Aberdeen Livestock Sales Co. – South Dakota
Anderson Livestock Auction – Utah
Atkinson Livestock Market – Nebraska
Bassett Livestock Auction – Nebraska
Belle Fourche Livestock Exchange – South Dakota
Bloomington Livestock Exchange – Wisconsin
Buffalo Livestock Auction – Wyoming
Cortez Livestock Auction – Colorado
Crawford Livestock Market – Nebraska
Creston Livestock Auction – Iowa
Cuero Livestock Market – Texas
Decorah Sales Commission – Iowa
Delhi Livestock Auction – Louisiana
Dunlap Livestock Auction – Iowa
Faith Livestock Commission – South Dakota
Fort Pierre Livestock Auction – South Dakota
Galesburg Livestock Sales – Illinois
Gordon Livestock Market – Nebraska
Herreid Livestock Market – South Dakota
Idabel Stockyards – Oklahoma
Imperial Auction Market – Nebraska
Lemmon Livestock – South Dakota
Martin Livestock Auction – South Dakota
Mobridge Livestock Market – South Dakota
Modoc Auction Yard – California
Nampa Livestock Markets – Idaho
Neel Cattle dba Dothan Livestock Co. – Alabama
Philip Livestock Auction – South Dakota
Presho Livestock Auction – South Dakota
Producers Livestock Marketing Association – Oregon
Riverton Livestock Auction – Wyoming
Sebastopol Livestock – Mississippi
Shasta Livestock Auction – California
Sheridan Livestock Auction Co. – Nebraska
Smithfield Livestock Auction – Utah
Southeast Mississippi Livestock
St. Francis Livestock Auction – Kansas
St. Onge Livestock – South Dakota
Treasure Valley Livestock Auction – Idaho
Valentine Livestock Auction – Nebraska
Verdigre Livestock Market – Nebraska
Watertown Livestock Auction – South Dakota
West Point Stockyard – Mississippi
Winner Livestock Auction – South Dakota
Winter Livestock – Kansas
Note: To view the letter, visit the “BSE-Litigation” link at www.r-calfusa.com.
