|
|
|
|
|
By Mike Barnett
Editor
In one of his first addresses to a major farm group, newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns spoke at length during the American Farm Bureau Federation Leadership Conference in New Orleans, LA, about issues related to trade and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
"We talked a lot about BSE and how it relates to trade," Johanns said of a recent meeting with both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. "Protecting human and animal health is our top priority. But we can resume trade legally and in a mutually beneficial way."
With a March 7 deadline looming for opening the border for beef trade between the U.S. and Canada, Johanns explained his recent ruling that would delay resuming imports of beef from cattle 30 months and older.
"I believe it was the prudent thing to do, given that our investigation in Canada is not yet complete," Johanns said, referring to a USDA team investigating three BSE incidents in Canada. "And given the fact that on live animals over 30 months of age...animals on the hoof...we haven't done the risk assessment. So it wasn't consistent, in my judgment, to allow the meat in while we were still doing work on live animals over 30 months. I decided the best way to deal with this was to hold that part of the rule up."
He reminded the audience that Canada is the United States largest trading partner.
"A bunch of what you do finds a market in Canada," the ag secretary said. "I'm not talking about a few million dollars. That would define the trading relationship with some countries around the world. I'm talking about billions of dollars of trade moving back and forth between borders."
Johanns said instructions from both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, as well as the White House, have been clear: "Do everything you can to resume beef trade with Japan and other countries."
Although some 60 percent of beef trade has been restored to the rest of the world, two countries—Japan and South Korea—have continued to ban U.S. beef, and account for the majority of the 40 percent yet to be restored.
Johanns said he was pleased to learn the Japanese had accepted the U.S. grading system for determining the age of cattle—an important step for trade resumption.
He insisted that science must be the guide to resuming normal trade relationships worldwide.
"Science must provide the foundation of our policies and for regulations," he said. "Trade should not cut off our nose to spite our face. We must deal with our trading partners as we want them to treat us. Our actions will set precedents for years to come."
In other BSE-related news:
•Texas Farm Bureau's BSE Task Force was due to issue its report at press time to the TFB Board of Directors. The task force assignment was to study the impacts of opening the U.S. border to Canadian beef.
•Nine U.S. senators have formed a bipartisan coalition and introduced a "resolution of disagreement" with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's final rule designating Canada a minimal-risk region.
•U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed completely lifting a ban on imports of U.S. beef during recent talks with Japanese official Nobutaka Machimura.
According to a State Department official who attended the meeting, the Japanese said the "issue would be resolved."
The United States is still waiting to receive word on whether Japan will lift the ban on U.S. grade A40 beef.
