Labeling, Increased Scrutiny Would Help Beef Markets, Enzi Says

Labeling, Increased Scrutiny Would Help Beef Markets, Enzi Says

U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., commented recently on the country's agriculture policies regarding cattle imports and exports following the recent closure of Japan's borders to American beef and a Canadian cow that tested positive for BSE.

"The recent discovery of an additional cow with BSE in Canada should raise all of our alert levels regarding any imports of Canadian cattle or beef products from cattle over 30 months of age. The discovery also raises concerns about the effectiveness of the feed ban in Canada as the cow was reportedly born after Canada's feed ban was implemented.

"I was not supportive of opening the border to Canadian cattle following the first discovery of a BSE case in Canada. In fact, I introduced a bill that would have required country of origin labeling to be implemented before opening the Canadian border. Time has passed and now both beef products from cattle under 30 months of age and live cattle under 30 months of age are crossing the Canadian border into the U.S., but my conviction regarding the need for country of origin is unchanged. Consumers should be able to make informed decisions regarding the country of origin of their meat.

"In addition to labeling our meat, we need to stabilize and expand our export markets, by making sure that what we import into our own supply system is safe and that we honor the details of our own trade agreements. American producers and consumers were just beginning to see the fruit of renewed exports to Japan when someone didn't do their job. That has put American cattle producers on the hook for potentially millions of dollars in lost revenue. I am glad to see that the United States Department of Agriculture has responded with an added intensity and scrutiny by ramping up inspections. There is too much at stake to say ‘whoops' and shrug it off."

http://enzi.senate.gov/beeflabel.htm