Nelson Hails USDA Decision to Delay Importation of Boxed Canadian Beef 30 Months and Older

NELSON HAILS USDA DECISION TO DELAY IMPORTATION OF BOXED CANADIAN BEEF 30 MONTHS AND OLDER
Nebraska's Senator has Supported Legislation (Senate Bill 294) Seeking Same Delay

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will delay a portion of its final rule that would have allowed the importation of Canadian beef products from cattle 30 months of age and over. This is the same delay sought in legislation cosponsored last week by Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson.

At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on February 3, Nelson pressed USDA Secretary Mike Johanns on the rationality of USDA's policy to treat the import of live animals differently than beef or beef products derived from those same animals.

"Prohibiting live cattle over 30 months old from importation while allowing processed products from the same animals is confusing and inconsistent," said Senator Nelson. "The announced delay is good news for American consumers and cattle producers."

At the time, the Secretary defended USDA's justification for the rule and left no doubt that the rule would be implemented on March 7. Following the hearing, Nelson and a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill to eliminate the rule-created incentive to process live cattle - older than 30 months - in Canada. The legislation is aimed at helping U.S. and Nebraska packing plants that process older cattle stay competitive with Canadian plants, to keep jobs at home, and to add value to U.S. Agriculture Industry. "This recent development is an excellent illustration of a process that works," said Nelson. "I heard from cattle producers, beef processors, food safety experts, and consumers who knew the rule fell short of the expectations we have for USDA. These concerns were communicated openly and amiably and an appropriate solution is what we can all now come to expect."

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