An Open Letter to American Cattle Producers The following letter was written in response to a letter titled �An Open Letter to Canadian Cattle Producers� that was distributed through a U.S. beef-related internet distribution system. This letter is being sent back through the same system. Mr. Gilles Stockton, Grass Range , Mt January 14, 2005 Open Letter to American Cattle Producers Dear Mr Stockton: Your open letter to Canadian cattle producers dated January 4, 2005 prompts this reply. Canadian cattlemen are taking advantage of no-one, least of all our fellow producers in the USA . It is true that we do have a Free Trade Agreement, which we expect both nations to honour. Our markets have been highly integrated for decades and the fact that Canada detected and reported three cases of BSE reflects a very thorough surveillance program that has been acknowledged by the United States Department of Agriculture and by experts around the world. Contrary to your allegations, we have not violated a single international standard. Under OIE Guidelines, trade should have been suspended only until the completion of the international review by a team of international experts. We agree that the border should have been closed in June of 2003 pending the completion of this investigation. The discovery of BSE in Canada in May of 2003 has dealt a devastating blow to Canadian beef farmers, and in fact, the entire rural economy. Across Canada , cattle producers have lost more than $5 billion. In Ontario , the 21,000 beef producers that I represent have lost almost $500 million � think of the effect this type of devastation would have on cattlemen in your own country if another case is found in the U.S. Canada was the first export-dependent country to experience a confirmed case of home-grown BSE. As a direct result of industry and government transparency, Canada was also the first country with a confirmed case of BSE to witness an increase in domestic consumption. Our dependence on the American packing industry has caused the greatest hardship. As foreign markets continue to reopen to Canadian beef, we are still tied by insufficient packing capacity to meet the requirements of these expanding markets. The safeguards implemented by Canada to prevent BSE directly mirror those of the United States . The fact that we have discovered three cows with the disease, none of which entered the human food chain, clearly shows that Canada �s BSE surveillance program is working. The Harvard risk assessment and testing on both sides of the border leads us to believe that Canada � and the U.S. �has a low and declining incidence of BSE. After all, it is impossible to believe that with such an integrated market, the incidence is not the same on both sides of the border. Further, the removal of Specified Risk Materials at slaughter removes any human food safety risk that may exist. Three years ago, the mandatory Canadian Cattle Identification program was also introduced to improve the traceability of our national cattle herd and it�s a system we�re proud of. The program requires all cattle to wear unique bar-coded ear tags to improve trace back efficiency. We welcome the news that the United States is in the early stages of creating its own such system. This system has proved invaluable during recent investigations. The marketing of cattle in both the US and Canada is a system that has developed over many years. Large and influential packers exist in other commodities as well. It is simply a result of amalgamation and the perception that only the large enterprises will survive. We will not dispute your claim that packers should have to bid competitively for cattle. We feel exactly the same way. The discovery of BSE in Canada has revealed several weaknesses in our industry. The efforts to deal with the immediate impacts of falling prices, insufficient packing capacity, regaining export markets, producer viability, and communications have certainly taken precedence over concerns over how live cattle exports to the US may impact your market. Discussions can and should take place once we are in a position to focus our energies on something other than crisis management. We�ve always valued the relationship we�ve had with our cattlemen counterparts south of the border and soon, we hope that relationship is back on solid ground. Sincerely, Ron Wooddisse, President Ontario Cattlemen�s Association
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