USDA Allows Risky Canadian Cattle into U.S. Food Supply

USDA Allows Risky Canadian Cattle into U.S. Food Supply

Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter

 
Today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that older Canadian cattle will soon be allowed into the United States is premature and shows once again that the USDA is more concerned about facilitating trade than protecting public health.
 
Since May 2003, when tests revealed the first case of mad cow disease in Canada, USDA regulations have prohibited the importation of various classes of cattle and beef products from Canada.  In July 2005, the United States’ border was reopened to importation of live cattle under the age of 30 months, but Canadian cattle that are pregnant and those over the age of 30 months (referred to as “OTM” animals and considered to be at higher risk for mad cow disease) are still prohibited.
 
The change announced today, which will go into effect on November 19, has several major flaws:

• Half of the cases of mad cow disease (5 out of 10) found in Canada were in animals born after Canada’s rules restricting feeding of ruminant tissue to ruminants were supposed prevent further spread of the disease. This calls into question USDA’s primary justification for allowing older cattle into the United States – their assertion that Canada’s “feed ban” is effective.
• The USDA’s Office of Inspector General is currently evaluating how well the agency has been enforcing the existing restrictions after revelations that over thirty month cattle have already been crossing the border and in some cases entering the human food supply.  Until that report is issued to show how the agency intends to improve its oversight over imports, it is premature for USDA to issue this rule.
• The system necessary to prevent the spread of mad cow disease is not fully in place in U.S. slaughterhouses, which makes it even more critical that high-risk animals not be imported.  The combination of Canada’s prevalence of mad cow disease, the inexcusably low rate of testing for mad cow disease at U.S. slaughterhouses, and documented problems in keeping risky nervous system materials out of the human food supply is one that puts consumers unnecessarily at risk. 
• Without mandatory country of origin labeling for meat, consumers have no way to know if they are purchasing meat from Canadian cattle. If they have concerns about Canadian cattle’s risk of mad cow disease, they have no information with which to act to protect themselves.

 
Older live Canadian cattle should not be allowed into the United States until Canada has a better handle on the scope of its mad cow disease problem and has achieved and documented full compliance with its feed rules. Additionally, before the rules are changed, U.S. safeguards must be strengthened and mandatory country of origin labeling for meat must be in effect.