Border open? Fun while it lasted: Judge blocks live cattle and older beef exports

摘要

Canadian cattle producers, who'd waited patiently for more than a year and a half for relief from BSE-bashing, looked forward to March 7. That was to be the big day when the U.S. border would open to importation of Canadian cattle under 30 months andbeef from older cattle by ruling of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Still waiting. The first good news to fall off the cart was beef from older cattle. "Suspended." Then, March 2, R-CALFUSA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America), the people behind Country-Of-Origin labeling, were successful in getting an injunction blocking the ruling from District Federal Judge Richard Cebull in Montana. Cebull warned of a "stigma" to all U.S. meat unless consumers can distinguish between products from the two countries," and speculated that allowing Canadian beef "to intermingle with U.S. meats (would) open a flood of speculation," causing "irreparable injury" to the U.S. cattle industry.