BSE In Canada | Phil Seng Calls For U.S. And Canada To Develop BSE-Standards ...
BSE In Canada
Phil Seng Calls For U.S. And Canada To Develop
BSE-Standards Through OIE
“If the U.S. moves carelessly – that is if we don't explain the science to our trading partners and gain their acceptance – to reopen our borders to Canadian beef and cattle trade, we stand to lose at least two of our top three markets,” USMEF President & Chief Executive Officer Philip Seng told the International Beef Industry Congress in Calgary, Canada on July 11. “Or, if we move to reopen the borders but agree to segregate Canadian beef and cattle, we risk a U.S. consumer backlash that could be devastating to demand – at least in the short term – and that would hurt us both.
“The U.S. and Canada must play leading roles on this issue by developing and invoking sound, science-based and harmonized standards through the CODEX and OIE,” Seng added, “two stand-alone international bodies accredited by the WTO. In particular, the OIE, Office International des Epizooties, represents 164 nations and was formed to address all animal diseases, including foot and mouth, hog cholera and, of course, BSE.
“We should, therefore, look to and adopt the guidelines and recommendations of the OIE, rather than invent a new committee or commission to do this work. Won't we be more successful dealing with our trading partners on the basis of standards they have agreed to recognize, rather than convince them we have a new and better idea?”
Seng added that the U.S. and Canada “have worked to cooperatively construct and reinforce a system of firewalls to protect our beef industries from BSE.”
These firewalls are now being questioned in the wake of the single Canadian BSE case, and Seng told the audience that a science-based response to isolated BSE cases was needed for the future.
The full text of Seng's speech is available online at:
/TradeLibrary/Speech03_0711_Seng_InternationalBeefIndustryCongress.asp
BSE In Canada
Phil Seng Calls For U.S. And Canada To Develop
BSE-Standards Through OIE
“If the U.S. moves carelessly – that is if we don’t explain the science to our trading partners and gain their acceptance – to reopen our borders to Canadian beef and cattle trade, we stand to lose at least two of our top three markets,” USMEF President & Chief Executive Officer Philip Seng told the International Beef Industry Congress in Calgary, Canada on July 11. “Or, if we move to reopen the borders but agree to segregate Canadian beef and cattle, we risk a U.S. consumer backlash that could be devastating to demand – at least in the short term – and that would hurt us both.
“The U.S. and Canada must play leading roles on this issue by developing and invoking sound, science-based and harmonized standards through the CODEX and OIE,” Seng added, “two stand-alone international bodies accredited by the WTO. In particular, the OIE, Office International des Epizooties, represents 164 nations and was formed to address all animal diseases, including foot and mouth, hog cholera and, of course, BSE.
“We should, therefore, look to and adopt the guidelines and recommendations of the OIE, rather than invent a new committee or commission to do this work. Won’t we be more successful dealing with our trading partners on the basis of standards they have agreed to recognize, rather than convince them we have a new and better idea?”
Seng added that the U.S. and Canada “have worked to cooperatively construct and reinforce a system of firewalls to protect our beef industries from BSE.”
These firewalls are now being questioned in the wake of the single Canadian BSE case, and Seng told the audience that a science-based response to isolated BSE cases was needed for the future.
The full text of Seng’s speech is available online at:
/TradeLibrary/Speech03_0711_Seng_InternationalBeefIndustryCongress.asp