PROVINCE DISCUSSING NEXT STEPS WITH BSE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Released on July 8, 2004

Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman will meet with the Saskatchewan BSE Industry Advisory Committee today in Regina to gather further input on how to deal with the ongoing U.S. border closure and its effect on the province's livestock industry.

"If the U.S. had followed a science–based approach to this issue, the border would be open today to Canadian live animals," Wartman said. "There is no scientific reason for the border to remain closed to live animals. It is clear that U.S. politics, not sound science or international rules, is the determining factor here, and that U.S. politics has become our greatest enemy."

Wartman says that it is time for the Canadian livestock industry to form a contingency plan to deal with the possibility of an extended U.S. border closure. Such discussions have already begun – for example, at a recent meeting of the National Beef Industry Roundtable in Calgary – and will be part of the BSE Industry Advisory Committee meeting today.

The government created the Saskatchewan BSE Industry Advisory Committee in 2003 after the May 20th announcement of Canada's first case of BSE. The committee includes representation from the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, the National Beef Industry Roundtable, Saskatchewan Meat Processors Association, Dairy Farmers of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, and from other key sectors that have been affected by the BSE crisis.

"The Government of Saskatchewan remains committed to the livestock industry," Wartman said. "We still have the opportunity to grow the industry in the future, but we clearly need to address the continuing impact of BSE and the border closures at this time."

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For More Information, Contact:

Trish Alcorn Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization Regina Phone: (306) 787-5389