Riverdale, Md.
R-CALF USA participated in last week's Animal
Health Emergency Preparedness Meeting sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA's) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) at
APHIS' headquarters here. APHIS sponsored the meeting to clarify the agency's
strategy for responding to animal health emergencies and to obtain industry input
regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the strategy, along with suggestions for
improving its current preparedness strategy. Opening the meeting were USDA
Under Secretary Edward Avalos and
APHIS Administrator Cindy Smith.
R-CALF USA expressed concern that APHIS has
been systematically de-emphasizing the prevention
of the introduction of foreign animal diseases (FADs) by relaxing long-standing
import standards and now is emphasizing disease control and management
instead of prevention. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
said this strategy is a mistake and threatens the U.S.
cattle industry's goal of maintaining the healthiest cattle herd in the world,
which is the most important factor in maintaining a viable U.S. cattle
industry.
Bullard pointed out the federal
government is sending mixed signals to cattle producers and to beef consumers,
both here and abroad, regarding animal diseases. Citing the U.S. Center for
Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) recommendation that consumers can
lower their risk for the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
in countries affected by the disease by avoiding eating ground beef, he said
that is not at all what APHIS is telling the cattle industry or beef export
markets. He indicated that CDC's different position on BSE, particularly
because of the CDC's strong reputation for protecting human health, lowers the
public's confidence and raises serious questions regarding APHIS' more relaxed import
policies.
Bullard also encouraged APHIS to
not adopt a one-size-fits-all disease preparedness strategy, given the unique
characteristics of the U.S.
cattle industry. He said the cattle industry's marketing situation and its
industry structure are substantially different when compared to either the
dairy or hog industries. For example, he said, while 20 percent of the
concentrated hog industry's production is dependent on export markets abroad,
the U.S. cattle industry does not, and has not for over 40 years, produced
enough beef to satisfy domestic beef consumption.
Therefore, he said, the cattle
industry is not dependent on export markets as is the hog industry, and APHIS'
primary objective following a disease outbreak in cattle should be the
restoration and maintenance of the domestic market, leaving the export market as
a secondary consideration. Further, Bullard continued, there are about five
times more cattle herds with herd sizes over 100-head than there are hog or
dairy herds with 100-head herds, indicating there are many more independent
cattle producers who depend on their cattle for their livelihoods and business
success than there are producers of other livestock, meaning there are more
cattle producers than other livestock producers dependent on effective disease
prevention and control, and they are more widely distributed across the United
States.
Bullard also explained that
because cattle have the longest biological cycle of any farmed animal, emergency
planning must include early disease detection that takes into account fed
cattle do not go to slaughter until they are about 15 months of age or older,
and breeding stock could take 10 years to 14 years before entering a slaughtering
plant. Therefore, he said, APHIS' earlier proposal to abandon first-point
disease surveillance at auction yards and other initial gathering points and to,
instead, focus its disease surveillance efforts at slaughtering plants is not
adequate for the cattle industry. He suggested that APHIS reconsider its policy
of pulling first-point surveillance away from local auction yards, and APHIS
indicated it was in general agreement with the suggestion.
APHIS explained it is considering
a number of options regarding how it would respond to an outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which included the options of depopulation and
vaccination, as well as possible combinations of the two, along with a
commitment to immediately order vaccine upon the detection of an outbreak to
keep the vaccination options open. Further, APHIS indicated it would take
economic factors into consideration when deciding whether to focus primarily on
vaccination or depopulation as its principle eradication tool.
Bullard, however, expressed
concern that if APHIS decides to alleviate the costs associated with
depopulation for a concentrated hog operation with tens of thousands of hogs by
using vaccination, then the agency must also give the same consideration to the
numerous cattle owners who could be affected should an outbreak of FMD be
detected on rangeland. In other words, Bullard said, APHIS cannot give
preferential treatment to concentrated livestock operations under a
too-big-to-fail theory while forcing the depopulation of many smaller herds
owned by many different producers. This, he said, could force many independent
cattle producers out of business and destroy several generations of improved
herd genetics.
"We are pleased that Under
Secretary Avalos and Administrator Smith called this important meeting of the
livestock industries, and I am not aware that APHIS ever did this during the
past 10 years," Bullard said. "This may well be the first meeting with APHIS
where the unique characteristics of the U.S. cattle industry were able to be
considered in the context of formulating an effective animal health emergency preparedness
plan, and we look forward to working with APHIS to refine that plan so as to
minimize the impacts an animal health emergency would have on U.S. cattle producers."
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R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALF USA represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on trade and marketing issues. Members are located across 47 states and are primarily cow/calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and/or feedlot owners. R-CALF USA directors and committee chairs are extremely active unpaid volunteers. R-CALF USA has dozens of affiliate organizations and various main-street businesses are associate members. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.
