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Herseth-Sandlin still opposed to older Canadian cattle
January 18, 2008 | Peter Shinn, Brownfield Network

R-CALF USA on Thursday announced the group has raised more than $200,000 to fund its legal fight against the USDA rule that allows virtually all Canadian cattle born after March of 1999 into the U.S. That rule, known by USDA as Minimal Risk II and by its opponents as the Over-Thirty-Month rule, took effect November 19th.

Members of Congress from Northern Plains states introduced resolutions in both chambers condemning the rule, but efforts to block it through legislation weren't successful. Still, South Dakota Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who introduced the resolution against the USDA rule in the House of Representatives, told Brownfield Thursday she still believes USDA moved too quickly in re-opening the U.S. border to older Canadian cattle.

"USDA was premature and wrong-headed to open up that border to animals older than 30 months," Herseth-Sandlin said.

Herseth Sandlin pointed out several cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have turned up in Canadian cattle born after March of 1999. And she said not all the questions raised by that fact have been answered. For that reason, Herseth Sandlin vowed to keep fighting on behalf of R-CALF USA to overturn the USDA rule allowing older Canadian cattle into America.

"I agree wholeheartedly with R-CALF's position and will continue to support their efforts in avenues available to me in the House and with our oversight of USDA for greater accountability in these decisions," declared Herseth Sandlin.

But how that support will translate into concrete action remains unclear. The resolutions condemning the USDA rule allowing older Canadian cattle across the border are essentially dead. And while there's been no flood of older Canadian cattle since the rule took effect, literally thousands have entered the U.S. since November 19th. Last month, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight estimated the total at about 9,000.

In the meantime, R-CALF USA's lawsuit against USDA on the Canadian border issue continues to wind its way through the courts. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard said in a press release Thursday that total legal costs for the case are expected to top $500,000.

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