Commissioner Staples Announces Major Cattle Trading Agreement Between US and Mexico

From TSCRA Press Release

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced March 27, 2008, that a major trade agreement has been reached between the U.S. and Mexico.

“After more than four years of banned beef cattle exports to Mexico, I am pleased to report the stalemate is over. The U.S. and Mexican governments have come to an agreement on exporting breeding beef cattle to Mexico consistent with the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE),” Commissioner Staples said.

  On March 4, 2008, Commissioner Staples issued an order banning the movement of Canadian cattle through TDA export facilities along the Mexican border. This action came after Mexico signed an agreement with Canada that allowed for a more lucrative trade of Canadian cattle than what had been allowed with U.S. cattle producers. Officials in New Mexico, Arizona and California joined Commissioner Staples in this effort.

“After communicating with my fellow state agriculture directors in Arizona, New Mexico and California about this monumental progress, we are joining together to lift our ban on Canadian cattle that are shipped through our states.” Commissioner Staples said.

On March 7, Commissioner Staples received word Mexico had submitted an offer to re-establish cattle trade with the U.S. And now, less than four weeks after the March 4 action, U.S., Canadian and Mexican negotiators have announced an agreement establishing consistent trade relationships for breeding cattle.

“This agreement restores a market worth more than $80 million to Texas cattlemen. I commend Texas ranchers for their persistence in obtaining this long overdue deal to reestablish live cattle trade relations with Mexico,” Commissioner Staples said. “I personally thank U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer for the diligence both he and his staff at USDA have shown on this important issue.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the new protocol took effect Friday, March 28, 2008.

USDA Announces More Than $16 Million in Additional Funding to Eradicate Bovine Tuberculosis in Three States

From TAHC Press Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on April 2, 2008, the availability of $16.8 million in emergency funding to continue efforts to eradicate bovine tuberculosis in California, Michigan and Minnesota.

"Working cooperatively with state animal health agencies and U.S. livestock producers, we have made great strides towards eradicating tuberculosis from the nation's livestock population," said Bruce Knight, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs. "We are another step closer towards eradicating bovine tuberculosis from our Nation, and this should serve as a reminder why the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is so critical. By participating in NAIS, we protect our livestock and the future of American agriculture."

The emergency funding will be used to depopulate known tuberculosis-affected cattle herds, which is crucial to prevent the spread of the disease and to indemnify producers. The funding also will be used for enhanced surveillance not only to identify affected herds but also to determine the source of infection. This enhanced surveillance will include free ranging white-tailed deer in Minnesota and Michigan, a possible source of the disease.

While USDA and the States have robust surveillance and control measures in place for tuberculosis, outbreaks of the disease are costly to both producers and the government. Outbreaks also affect domestic animal movement and international trade. Programs such as USDA's voluntary National Animal Identification System – a modern animal disease response system that will enhance the country's animal disease tracing capabilities – provide an added opportunity to stop the spread of tuberculosis and minimize the impact of disease outbreaks on producers.

Bovine tuberculosis is a contagious and infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis. It affects cattle, bison, deer, elk, goats and other warm-blooded species and can be fatal. The disease can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected animals or consumption of raw milk. It is not transmitted through consumption of pasteurized milk.