U.S. Senate Supports Ban on Canadian Cattle

WASHINGTON - Mar 3/05 - SNS -- The U.S. Senate voted 52 to 46 in favor of continuing to ban live cattle imports from Canada and forcing the USDA to cease efforts to reverse a preliminary injunction granted in Montana against restarted trade March 7.

White House officials say President George Bush will veto the resolution if it reaches his desk. At the same time, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Joann and the U.S.-based American Meat Institute (AMI) expressed disappointment with the Senate vote.

Joann said, "I am very disappointed in today's vote by the United States Senate to disapprove the rule submitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish minimal risk regions and resume trade in Canadian beef and cattle under 30 months of age.

"Today's action undermines the U.S. efforts to promote science-based regulations, complicates U.S. negotiations to reopen foreign markets to U.S. beef and would perpetuate the economic disruption of the beef and cattle industry," he said.

"I will now work with the U.S. House of Representatives to prevent passage of this resolution, which is strongly opposed by the Bush Administration, and continue our aggressive efforts to reopen international markets to U.S. beef."

Subscribers can read the full text of the article by Clicking here