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“DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DECISION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S1591 on Feb. 17, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DECISION
Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I rise today to join some of my friends on both sides of the aisle to talk about and to do something about taking action regarding the Department of Agriculture's decision to open the border to Canadian beef on March 7.
I have been vocal about this for some time. We have been negotiating with the powers that be in trying to improve this controversial regulation.
First, I congratulate and appreciate Secretary Johanns of the Department of Agriculture for his candid responses on this issue and for his timely decision to limit beef to cattle slaughtered at under 30 months. That action took care of most of the concerns I had with reopening the border since the outbreak of BSE in May of 2003.
We have all been trying to find answers to this situation, but my producers still have some serious concerns about Canada's compliance with the feed ban and the firewalls that have been put in place up there. There has been a team representing the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Canada looking at this situation. The feed ban compliance appears to be the best way to reduce outbreaks of BSE, so it is a critical component of our negotiations and it is a critical component of what actions we take from here on.
Compliance with that feed ban must be consistent, but they also must be long term. Because BSE, or mad cow, can lay dormant in a cow for such a long period of time, feed ban violations from years ago can still be a problem today. Thus, the 30-month rule. Products from animals or live animals older than 30 months was taken from the rule. We had to work very hard to do that, and I know it took great leadership on the part of the Secretary of Agriculture to change that part of the rule.
Now the technical team we had in Canada is back in the United States. Unfortunately, we will not get their report for another week. Congress will be on break. So very few of us will be able to get hold of that report, analyze it, and make a judgment on how we should handle a rule that goes into effect on March 7. It leaves us very little time. Thus, the resolution that will come before this Congress puts a hold on the rule and gives Congress some time to operate. We just cannot afford to allow this situation to move any further with the information that we have now. If the USDA will not delay the implementation of this rule and allow Congress to consider its findings, then I am left with no other choice but to support the disapproval resolution.
Again, I thank the Secretary for doing what he did. That took care of a lot of the concerns about the rule. The decision is critical for our cattlemen, and the Secretary showed tremendous leadership in taking that action so quickly.
It is also important to the entire cattle industry and it is important to consumers to have confidence in one of the safest products they find in their grocery store. We know the border will be open at some point, but what we do and the steps we take are very important, both to our friends in Canada and to our consumers and producers in the United States.
If this rule should go into effect and we have another situation, I am afraid of the erosion that could take place in my industry. So I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, not as a means of cutting off trade with Canada indefinitely but as a way of ensuring that Congress has the time and takes the time, all the time it needs, to consider the provisions of this rule. It is important for producer and consumer alike for this industry we call the great beef industry.
I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The majority leader is recognized.
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