Livestock Industry Voices Support for APHIS Mad Cow Imports Rule
Several industry associations voiced their support for the proposed rule on the importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease), published by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on March 16. The California Cattlemen’s Association, National Milk Producers Association, and Montana Stockgrowers Association all submitted favorable comments on June 14 to APHIS on the rule, which would provide for new risk-based conditions by establishing a system for classifying regions as to BSE risk that is largely consistent with the system employed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
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The California Cattlemen’s Association strongly supports “the creation and implementation of a scientifically sound policy that evidences the dedication of producers and U.S. government to a safe beef supply,” it said in its comments. The National Milk Producers Association said that “by adopting the OIE guidelines, USDA-APHIS is amending import regulations related to BSE in a scientifically sound manner to suitably protect the U.S. from the introduction of BSE.”
The milk producers association also said that “by making regulations consistent with internationally accepted standards, a finalized rule could have many benefits for U.S. trade. In terms of trade, the USDA-APHIS proposal will provide a level playing field by allowing more countries to export product into the United States and opening up more markets to U.S. exports.”
(See ITT's Online Archives 12031313 for summary of the proposed rule.)