Double Standards and The Press

[farmers_son]

There can be no doubt that the North American and world press have displayed a double standard when it came to reporting BSE positives in North America. The lack of any substantial mention in the press of the United States' first admitted BSE positive is nothing less than remarkable. It was never front page news, more like page 8 news. And one week later it is not news at all.

While this is well and good for the industry, someone should be asking why all the coverage of Canada’s two cows last January? That was no big deal either but it certainly got lots of press here and in the U.S.

Certainly the USDA handled the announcement of a BSE positive very well. No doubt lessons were learned from Canada’s experience. And no doubt American interests saw an advantage to play up Canada’s BSE announcements in their press but play down what was in fact a huge announcement of the first recognized case of BSE in the United States.

I can only hope when the Appeals Court overturns Judge Cebull’s injunction on July 13 that the announcement gets as little press as the announcement of the Texas Brahma did.

The press has not been even handed and neutral in their coverage of BSE in North America.

[kato]

Remember the hoopla when it was discovered that the May 2003 cow was a downer that had been hauled off the farm, now it seems that the US cow was shipped to the auction, considered to be a downer, then was hauled off to the pet food plant with a lot of other cows, and was DOA. Sounds as though their texas cattleman wasn't anymore compassionate to critters than our Wanham farmer.

[kato]

Remember how much criticism we took because our first cow wasn't tested immediately, even though she was condemned for pneumonia? At least some action was taken on ours when she came up positive. This Texas cow wasn't retested for many months after having conflicting results! Talk about ignoring a red flag.

We were in Minnesota last week when the announcement came over the radio. We heard it mentioned that time, and then again heard one person comment during a news show on TV a couple of days later. Thats it. Thats the extent of it. It is not a story down there. I bet our cow got more coverage in the States than theirs did, no contest. Selective reporting at it's finest.

In the long run, though, it will be good for us too that the US didn't go crazy with this story, because anything that protects consumer confidence is a benefit.

That said, it's still aggravating that we were hung out to dry so aggressively when it happened to us. This whole debacle has been an exercise in unfairness from the very beginning.

[grassfarmer]

Very well put Kato, I think we'd all like to see some poetic justice here but it's better for us all if there isn't a huge media circus. I think the Japanese et al know the score and hopefully we can resume trade with them before the Americans do.

[JD4ME]

I had that thought too , If the US is now a country with the same "minimal risk" status as the US should we not be able to make a sale to a US feedlot or packer load up the trucks do the paperwork as before and ship. The need for the USDA to even have a rule is now moot.

[grassfarmer]

Unfortunately the damn bureaucrats and politicians don't think like that - it would take them six months to think, ruminate and rule that it was worth reconsidering the status quo.

I maybe told it before but I'm reminded of a situation we had in Europe a few years back when they were reforming the sheepmeat part of the CAP. The countries had various unsuccessful meetings over an 18 month period and were unable to make progress. Meanwhile sheep producers were in limbo with no sense of what direction their operations should head. A delegation of European farm leaders turned up in the Highlands of Scotland for a photo op on the huge hill farms of the former NFU Scotland chairman John Cameron, who is also the biggest sheep farmer in Europe. As their convoy of SUVs wended their way up a steep hillside on a cold, wet March day John halted the group, pulled out a bunch of deck chairs and set them in a circle and told the guests to sit down and decide the policy reforms. He was trying to convey the frustration producers feel far from the ivory towers where the politicians operate. Of course they didn't stay in the rain for long and they didn't decide anything that day but it was worth seeing apparently, especially when at least one politician lost his patent leather shoe in the Perthshire mud!

[wd40]

RETORIC - RETORIC - You're wasting yer breath. Stick to the facts. We all know it's never been about health risks or science but all about trade.

So shut of the gas.

[cowman]

Now I'm not sure if it was a big deal in the States or not when Canada got their BSE cases? I know it was here, with the good old CBC doing there best to question the safety of the Canadian beef herd? But I truly don't know if Americans really gave a rip, other than the vested interests like R-CALF?
Maybe I'm ill read or something but I thought the media up here sort of treated the 3rd and fourth case as sort of a ho-hum thing?
I believe the best thing that could happen, in regards to the American case, is a definite Ho-hum situation?
This thing is going to come to an end. Not a pretty end for everyone but things will return to a more normal situation?

[farmers_son]

The U.S. Senators thought it was a big thing when Canada got BSE #2 and 3 and both Democrats and Republicans voted 52-46 to disapprove the USDA rule to allow live calves into the U.S. even though the rule had been already been altered to remove imports of cow beef. The vote to disapprove the rule was sponsored by Montana Senator Conrad who was quoted as saying that reopening the border with Canada was too risky. He said the discovery of two cows in Canada with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow" disease) in January is an example of Canada's failure to enforce measures to control mad cow disease. That was the spin then, now the spin is different. If it had been Canada that had been exposed doctoring the BSE tests instead of the USDA the border would have slammed shut for good and they would have thrown away the key.

Absolutely BSE should be a ho hum thing. It is really a non event. But just watch... Canada will get another BSE sooner or later and there will be trade implications and delays in restoring normal trade. There is one spin when the U.S. gets BSE and there is another spin when it is Canada's turn. One thing that never got much press this time around was the fact that when the U.S. gets BSE there is absolutely no trade implications with either Canada or Mexico. It was not that way when it was our turn.

[farmers_son]

How about these facts. Once the USDA rule is in effect, we still do not have an open border. Look at the restrictions that are in place:

1. Feeders must be shipped to a U.S. feedlot in a sealed truck and then shipped to a packing plant in a sealed truck. The calves can only be in one feedlot. They must be branded CAN before leaving Canada.
2. The animals must be accompanied by a certificate verifying their farm of origin and the destination feedlot as well as all the responsible parties for the animal.
3. Animals must be under 30 months of age or the entire shipment could be returned to Canada if one animal is toothed OTM.
4. All movement of Canadian live cattle within the United States would need to take place in sealed trucks.
5. The procedure for U.S. plants slaughtering their domestic animals and Canadian live animals at the same time or using the same lines was not defined in the USDA rule.
6. No cow beef or live cows would enter the U.S.

While that may have been the hoops we had to jump through before the Texas Brahma, why are we still in court trying to defend what amounts to a non tariff barrier on Canadian livestock entering the United States. These rules are yesterdays news. That was how it was in the old days before the U.S. had BSE too. We do not have to put up with this protectionism any more. Canada and Mexico have not put similar rules in place to protect their consumers from the dangers of eating imported U.S. product.

How long is it going to take the U.S. to come around and open the borders to our live cattle without restriction. No one can blame Taiwan and others for closing their borders to U.S. beef when they see how the U.S treats Canadian product like it has the plague.

[kato]

You are absolutely right.

I think they are not sure what to do, so they will sit back and let the judges decide. It's easer. American style democracy is so cumbersome that to actually GET something done is a huge accomplishment.

It's easier to do nothing, and let the judges run the country than it is for the government to actually implement change.

[intr3est]

Kato, that's a dangerous option! I wonder what the consumers will think if RCALF wins and the case is splattered all over the tube! They should nip it in the bud now, for all our sakes!

[Cathy]

CTV.CA
Has a story. Ralph Klien is saying the case will be in the courts for another 2 yrs. And by mid 2006 we will be able to handle our beef at home. Now to find someone to buy it. As R Calf is trying to ban box beef.

[Cathy]

I haven't heard any of our commodity associations echo Ralph's view, so maybe he is just MUSING !!

[grassfarmer]

I couldn't find the story you mentioned online Cathy but I got this great quote from the US side.
"Officials announced last week that a 12-year-old beef cow from Texas tested positive for mad cow disease but they don't expect to find another case."
My, they seem awfully confident of that - are they reverting to the triple S policy again?

Emrald1, I think Ralph is as likely to know what is going on as the commodity groups (I take it you mean ABP /CCA). Let's face it, based on results to date the average producer is as likely to correctly predict the outcome as ABP/CCA.