Emergency
Debate on Mad Cow Disease in Alberta
Speech
by the Hon. David Kilgour, Member of
Parliament (Edmonton Southeast) and
Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific)
House
of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario
May
26, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I Love Alberta Beef.
Tonight we are talking about an economic
issue, not a health issue.
Canadians have every reason to
have continued confidence in the safety
of our food and all of us must continue
to eat beef without concern or worry.
It is important to stress to
Albertans, Canadians and the international
community that so far we are still looking
at the infection of a single cow, from
a single farm.
In
2002, Canadian cattle and beef exports
were valued at $ 4 billion. In Alberta, beef
and cattle production provides $3.8
billion in farm cash receipts yearly,
which translates into 51% of farm production
income.
The cattle industry contributes
$15 billion to the national economy.
Annual exports, including both
inter-provincial and international,
total approximately $1.7 billion dollars
(2002).
There has been excellent co-operation
between the federal and provincial governments,
industry and our trading partners in
finding a resolution to this situation.
Les événements de la semaine dernière ont montré
que l’Agence canadienne d’inspection
des aliments collabore étroitement avec
ses homologues provinciaux, les acteurs
de la filière et les agences
internationales.
L’agence
est intervenue en temps utile, sous
le signe de la transparence, en informant
les citoyens à chacune des étapes.
The identification of this cow at slaughter and its subsequent removal
from the human food chain is evidence
that Canadian meat inspection and food
safety systems are working effectively.
Canada’s procedures to detect BSE are among the most rigorous in the world.
Since 1993, we have tested 10,000
animals on a random basis – twice the
internationally recommended level of
testing.
Although there is no question
as to the safety of our food system,
there should be a full review of our
livestock inspection practices to ensure
its accuracy and expediency.
The CFIA has now placed a total
of 17 cattle herds under quarantine
in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British
Columbia as part of its investigation.
The increasing number of herds
under quarantine is a normal occurrence
in an investigation of this type. It
demonstrates the thoroughness of the
effort. It does not indicate that the
situation is getting worse.
The investigation is progressing
as quickly as possible and the CFIA
remains committed to keeping the public
informed as new information becomes
available.
Yesterday the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
issued the following statement:
The
negative BSE rapid test results
for the cattle in the index herd
are what we anticipated.
We’re confident this situation is
confined to one cow. However we
must leave no stone unturned in
our efforts to reassure our markets
and trading partners that the situation
has been contained. Additional precautionary
slaughter and testing will be necessary.
The
sooner our borders can be re-opened
to exports, the sooner our industry
will recover. The best thing our Government
can do for beef producers right now
is to take all the necessary steps to
get the borders re-opened as quickly
as possible.
I agree wholeheartedly with the
Alberta Minister of Agriculture, Shirley
McClellan, when she said that government and industry must be prepared to do
whatever they must to restore public
confidence and re-open international
borders to Canadian beef.
But as she so rightly pointed
out, we should not euthanize herds without
scientific reasoning.
We must not unduly cause suffering
for our cattle producers.
It has been clear that those
who lose their stock will receive compensation
but last night on the news something
was made clear - there are losses that
we will never be able to compensate.
Alberta rancher Harvey Buckley told
CTV News, “The thing you can't replace
in your cow herd of course is your genetics
and your breeding over the years.”
By moving quickly to get the
answers and reassurances needed, it
is this kind of losses that will be
avoided.
Mr. Speaker, the impact on our
economy has not gone unnoticed.
Canadians on farms, in processing
plants, slaughterhouses, auction houses,
and trucking companies are already feeling
the affects.
As the long-term impact is not
yet known, we must move to assist them
in the short term.
Today in the House of Commons,
the Prime Minister asked the Minister
of Human Resources Development to “see
what she can do in order to be just
for these people like we have done for
the people of Toronto.”
The
events have the past week extend far
beyond the confines of a single city;
it reaches all parts of the country.
It is our entire border that
has been closed to beef exports and
the investigation must continue to move
quickly to have the borders re-opened.
First and foremost, the steps
we are taking to control the BSE situation
in Canada is critical to restoring our
market access. In this regard, we are
being very pro-active in keeping our
trading partners informed of the actions
we are taking. Secondly, we are
reviewing the trade measures being imposed
to ensure they are science-based and
no more trade restrictive than necessary.
It is important to note that
the European Union has not closed its
borders to Canadian beef.
When asked
why Europe doesn't share the concerns
of the countries that are banning Canadian
beef imports, Beate Gminder, spokesperson
for the European Commission's Consumer
Protection and Health department said
Europe has more experience with bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the
brain-wasting illness commonly known
as mad cow disease. She further stated:
The problem is that the reaction is always very
emotional because people understand
very little about BSE.
But once you understand it, you
realize you can manage the disease."
Mr.
Speaker, we must proceed with a cautious
urgency.
Farms cannot remain under indefinite
quarantines, the border must be reopened.
Testing must proceed quickly
and definitively to reassure Canadians
and the international community that
Alberta and Canadian beef is the safest
in the world. Marty Carpenter, food service
team leader at the Beef Information
Centre stated:
It
was a safe product yesterday, it's a
safe product today and it will be a
safe product tomorrow. Essentially, what consumers need to understand is the A-grades
of beef they're buying in the grocery
store are under 22 months of age and
BSE doesn't manifest itself in animals
under 30 months of age.
So the risk of ingesting BSE-infected
beef is extremely remote, extremely
remote.
In
closing, I will quote the Alberta Cattle
Commission by saying, “If it Ain’t Alberta,
It Ain’t Beef!”
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