Bill Freding

I think it is great news," said Bill Freding, owner of Southern Plus Feedlots.We are cautiously optimistic - it will certainly open things up."Freding - who says he's lost more than $1 million since May 2003 when the border closed to live imports following the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in Alberta - plans to send live cattle across the border next week. As soon as we can get some permits, we expect to be sending some across," he said.
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Freding does not think that upcoming court hearing will have much impact. A ruling that favours R-CALF would be appealed right away and eventually over-turned in the long run, said Freding. Thursday's ruling came as a surprise, said Freding.I thought they (the judges) would take several days to mull it over, but they seem quite definite (about) their decision and they sent a clear message that R-CALF didn't have the legal background to do what they did."Freding said he is not sure when his industry will recover.I'm not sure what recovery means," he said.

"If it goes through, it is certainly going to be a big benefit," said Bill Freding, owner of Southern Plus Feedlots in Oliver.But Freding said he would only believe it if he sees cattle actually crossing the border after U.S. lobby groups forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture to scuttle an earlier proposal to lift restrictions. The department - which banned Canadian beef imports 19 months ago after Alberta health officials discovered a single case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow disease - lifted the restriction this time because of the measures Canada took to prevent the spread of disease, it stated in a release. The measure means Canadian ranchers can resume shipping live cattle less than 30 months old to the United States under strict guidelines.Sealed containers will carry the animals across the border.Once animals reach the U.S., they will not move between feed lots and must be slaughtered before they turn 30 months old.The ban on animals over 30 months lot remains and Freding predicts it will do so for several more years. He is nonetheless pleased to see the ban on live exports lifted. It will help the industry recover from the estimated $6 billion loss suffered during the ban, said Freding, who estimates his business lost $1 million due to low beef price.Freding says he hopes to see measures that would prevent a repeat of the BSE crisis.They would include an agreement with the United States to prevent border closures in the future and some form of insurance that would kick in case another foreign disease such as hoof-and-mouth disease hits the industry. He would also like to see the Canadian cattle ranch industry became less dependent on foreign-based packing houses that process animals. More Canadian beef could have hit local grocery stores during the crisis if they had been more domestic packing houses, said Freding.

"I don't see it make any difference to our export potential," said Bill Freding, owner of Southern Plus Feedlot near Oliver.
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The financial fallout from the current BSE case may be smaller than the one caused by the first case, said Freding. "It may not be a lot, but if the American market goes down because they cannot export, then our market will go down, but not nearly as bad as the first time." Freding said he does not believe the U.S. will impose additional restrictions, because it wants to keep Canada as an export market after several countries banned U.S. beef. "Canada is their only export market right now," he said."I don't expect Japan and South Korea will let American cattle in right away either." Canada imposed some restrictions on U.S. beef - a move Freding says is tied to this month's review of U.S. sanctions on Canadian beef. "They (the federal government) don't want to have strict rules, because the U.S. then will impose the same strict rules on Canada."Canadian beef is safe as all animal parts that host the disease are removed, said Freding.He expects consumers to continue buying beef."I don't really don't think it is a big issue with Canadians," he said."If we were getting several (cases), it would be more of a concern," he said.

"I think that is a step in the right direction," said Bill Freding, owner-operator of Southern Plus Feedlots in Oliver.

"We're still requesting it because we're the only ones who didn't get any," said Bill Freding, owner of Southern Plus Feedlots near Oliver.Federal and provincial officials this June agreed to a $460-million compensation package for the industry that has lost millions of dollars a day since May 20, when a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy - mad cow disease - found in Alberta shut down exports to 34 countries, including the U.S., the largest consumer of Canadian beef. The federal-provincial program compensates farmers for cattle on feed prior to May 20, sold for slaughter by Aug. 31. Farmers must assume 10 per cent of price drops while the feds and provinces cover the difference on a 60/40 split.All other western provinces and Ontario offer separate compensation to farmers. B.C.'s farmers are still waiting for a deal, said Freding.That puts them at a disadvantage, he said."Between the market place and the compensation package, they're able to get probably 95 per cent value of their animals, where as we are probably restricted to about 75 per cent," said Freding.
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But the industry cannot recover fully until the U.S. allows live cattle imports - something that may not happen until next summer as officials develop new import rules, said Freding.

But Bill Freding, co-owner/operator of Southern Plus Feedlots said the age didn't mesh with the facts-BSE is a slow developing disease and the animal was too sick to have been that young.
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In Freding's view the Americans are attempting to pin it on a Canadian cow, in an effort to win back their export markets, namely Japan.If it was someone else's problem that would supposedly leave the United States BSE-free.A trade team from the United States had been sent to Japan to persuade them to lift the ban, but the effort failed.Noted Freding, "The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is down there now working with them to make sure their stuff is in order."The CFIA notes on its website that investigations of this type need to be comprehensive and include all appropriate and available methodologies, especially DNA testing to identify the cow's origin-an approach used by Canada to identify the birth farm of the BSE-infected cow in May.The United States has agreed to conduct DNA testing, but Freding and others would like to have a sample of the DNA sent to a third party."One of the possible problems is getting the US to release a sample for an independent test.There is even talk about having a country like England do a test to see if it matches American findings."But it is really disheartening to hear the chief veterinarian in the US come out so positive in his estimation that the cow came from Canada, when it is still a very preliminary association."As for whether this new accusation will translate into more bans on Canadian beef, Freding says, "It doesn't look at this point that they are going to shut us off any more than they have done already, although there is a lobby in the US that wants to shut us off completely."He believes officials in that country are caught in a bind.They are trying to convince the rest of the world that muscle cuts from cattle under 30 months are safe to eat, so they can't turn back on Canada and say our cuts are not safe.The ban on Canadian beef that was put in place in May has been partially lifted by the US, primarily for cuts of boneless beef from animals less than 30 months old.Animals at this age are believed to be at low risk of contracting BSE.What Freding would like to see is an integrated North American market with harmonized health standards for the industry-a move that would end divisive bans for the sake of one animal.Freding hasn't been far from the phone since the news about the most recent case broke.He has been talking to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and all agree there is nothing they can do but wait for confirmation one way or the other.But he can't help but notice his empty holding pens when he's outside and this may be where it all shakes out in the end."It will depend on what happens," he said."If they get some indication that we'll be able to export cattle sometime in the new year then yeah, they will start to come in again."But he won't be seeing the ranchers from south of the border in 2004.
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"For those of us who can't sell our cattle, 85 per cent of zero is still zero," declared Bill Freding, co-owner of Southern Plus Feedlots.

But Bill Freding, co-owner/operator of Southern Plus Feedlots said the age didn't mesh with the facts-BSE is a slow developing disease and the animal was too sick to have been that young.
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In Freding's view the Americans are attempting to pin it on a Canadian cow, in an effort to win back their export markets, namely Japan.If it was someone else's problem that would supposedly leave the United States BSE-free.A trade team from the United States had been sent to Japan to persuade them to lift the ban, but the effort failed.Noted Freding, "The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is down there now working with them to make sure their stuff is in order."The CFIA notes on its website that investigations of this type need to be comprehensive and include all appropriate and available methodologies, especially DNA testing to identify the cow's origin-an approach used by Canada to identify the birth farm of the BSE-infected cow in May.The United States has agreed to conduct DNA testing, but Freding and others would like to have a sample of the DNA sent to a third party."One of the possible problems is getting the US to release a sample for an independent test.There is even talk about having a country like England do a test to see if it matches American findings."But it is really disheartening to hear the chief veterinarian in the US come out so positive in his estimation that the cow came from Canada, when it is still a very preliminary association."As for whether this new accusation will translate into more bans on Canadian beef, Freding says, "It doesn't look at this point that they are going to shut us off any more than they have done already, although there is a lobby in the US that wants to shut us off completely."He believes officials in that country are caught in a bind.They are trying to convince the rest of the world that muscle cuts from cattle under 30 months are safe to eat, so they can't turn back on Canada and say our cuts are not safe.The ban on Canadian beef that was put in place in May has been partially lifted by the US, primarily for cuts of boneless beef from animals less than 30 months old.Animals at this age are believed to be at low risk of contracting BSE.What Freding would like to see is an integrated North American market with harmonized health standards for the industry-a move that would end divisive bans for the sake of one animal.Freding hasn't been far from the phone since the news about the most recent case broke.He has been talking to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and all agree there is nothing they can do but wait for confirmation one way or the other.But he can't help but notice his empty holding pens when he's outside and this may be where it all shakes out in the end."It will depend on what happens," he said."If they get some indication that we'll be able to export cattle sometime in the new year then yeah, they will start to come in again."But he won't be seeing the ranchers from south of the border in 2004.
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"For those of us who can't sell our cattle, 85 per cent of zero is still zero," declared Bill Freding, co-owner of Southern Plus Feedlots.