I’ll tell you one thing I don’t want to do on AgWired and that’s get into the whole beef industry issue war. I say “Can’t we all just get along?”
I wonder if this roundtable today will resolve any issues and bring groups closer together?
AMI SAYS BEEF IS SAFE, FULL CATTLE AND BEEF TRADE WITH CANADA SHOULD BE RESTORED
Institute Calls Isolationists’ Efforts to Keep Border Closed ‘Economic Suicide’
St. Paul, Minn., June 9, 2005 – The American Meat Institute (AMI) today told USDA’s BSE Roundtable that full trade in cattle and beef with Canada is warranted by science and essential to the survival of beef companies nationwide.
According to AMI, both the U.S. and Canada were proactive in striving to prevent BSE and aggressive in responding to the one case detected in the U.S. and the three cases detected in Canada. Both nations also have taken extensive steps to protect both animal health and the public health, and those measures have been successful.
According to AMI, the fact that over the last 12 months, the 380,000 cattle most likely to test positive for BSE all tested negative sends a resounding message that U.S. policies are working. And because Canada’s BSE prevention strategies and regulations are virtually identical, AMI argued that Canada is a near mirror image of the U.S. and that full trade should be resumed.
“There are those here today who will attempt to advance many conspiracy theories…they’ll try to alarm the public with publicity stunts and false claims of imminent danger,” said AMI Foundation President James H. Hodges. “But we cannot let this animal disease become an emotional disorder. We must allow science – not hysteria — to chart our course.”
For more information contact JANET RILEY, 202/587-4245 or DAVID RAY, 202/587-4243.