AP: U.S. seeks more Canadian beef imports

[Eugene]

Thursday, January 4, 2007 · Last updated 1:18 p.m. PT

U.S. seeks more Canadian beef imports

By LIBBy QUAID
AP FOOD AND FARM WRITER

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration said Thursday it will seek to increase
cattle and beef imports from Canada despite questions about Canadian safeguards
against mad cow disease.

Canada discovered five new cases of the disease last year. One in particular was
disturbing because the cow was born years after Canada adopted safeguards to
keep the disease from spreading.

-snip-

Still, beef and cattle imports have been restricted to animals younger than 30
months because older animals carry a higher risk of having mad cow disease,
which is known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.

The Agriculture Department is proposing to allow imports of beef and cattle from
Canadian cattle 30 months and older. Live animals that are imported for breeding
and slaughter in the U.S. must be born on or after March 1, 1999.

-snip-

Full article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1151AP_Mad_Cow_Canada.html

[RC]

1. I would think Canada would have a better record culling out sick cows

Our producers and slaughter plants have a proven record of processing which should be downer cattle. That plus the bu$h administration through the USDA worked real hard to keep honest producers and processing plants from checking for BSE.
I'll trust Canadain beef over anything we have here.

[Nihil]

3. Yep, that's the reason ...

> I'll trust Canadian beef over anything we have here.

US beef is so unreliable (and downright dangerous) that there is
a need to import safe food ... for the "more exclusive" restaurants
of course, not the eateries for the common people ...

[anotherdrew]

2. WTF how can bush SEEK this? if buyers want it, place larger orders! how does bush have any say?

it makes no sense to me, how can bush have any control over how much is imported? I thought we had Free Trade with Canada? :sarcasm:

[Bassic]

4. Well maybe they shouldn't have closed the border for so long.

dammit.