[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 3, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION TO DISAPPROVE USDA RULE ON CANADIAN CATTLE 
                              IMPORTATION

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                     HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN

                            of south dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 3, 2007

  Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN. Madam Speaker, on September 18, USDA Issued a 
final rule that will permit the importation of live Canadian cattle 
into the U.S. provided they are born after a date determined by the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to be the date of effective 
enforcement of a ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban in Canada. Expanding 
imports of Canadian livestock and beef is likely to have serious 
repercussions for the American cattle industry and I, along with my 
colleague Dennis Rehberg, are introducing this resolution to disapprove 
that rule.
  Over the past several years, Canada has discovered no fewer than 11 
cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE, including many that 
have occurred in cattle born after that country was purported to have 
implemented a ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban. Given this fact, it is 
clear that Canada has not taken the necessary steps to protect its herd 
from the spread of BSE and that a feed-ban date should not be the 
trigger for allowing Canadian beef into the U.S. Increasing U.S. 
imports of Canadian cattle and beef at this critical time would have 
significant negative impact on the economic well-being of American 
cattle producers, and could seriously disrupt our efforts to expand 
U.S. beef exports overseas.
  Expanding Canadian cattle imports increases the possibility that a 
future case of BSE in a Canadian animal may be found in the United 
States. Five of Canada's BSE cases occurred in cattle born after March 
1, 1999, the date that appeared in the proposed rule as an appropriate 
age trigger for importation eligibility. There is a very real 
possibility that USDA's proposal would lead to the importation of 
additional BSE-infected animals from Canada, which would destroy years 
of hard work by the American cattle industry, the administration, and 
Congress to restore the confidence of our trading partners in the 
safety of American beef.
  Given the uncertainty still surrounding the health of the Canadian 
cattle herd and the drastic negative repercussions that could befall 
U.S. cattle producers if this increased trade fosters an occurrence of 
increased BSE outbreaks in this country, I introduce this resolution 
today and urge my colleagues to support its prompt passage.

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