06/03/05 Diverse group wants border rule rejected

Washington Ag June 3, 2005 Some 67 organizations representing everyone from cattle producers to consumers, yesterday moved to file a friend of the court brief with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking rejection of USDA's rule to reopen the nation's border to live Canadian cattle. The group was put together by the Cattlemen's Competitive Market Project or CCMP, which is supported by among others the Cattle Producers of Washington. David Domina, attorney for the CCMP says the brief states that the incidence rate of BSE in Canada and the level of cattle imports expected into the United States leads to a near perfect statistical likelihood that BSE will be vectored into the U.S. within a year if the border is reopened. Domina: "We've told the court that if BSE is vectored into this nation thousands of cattle producers, millions of cattle, tens of millions of people, and billions of dollars will be put at risk. And we have noted that there is no counterveiling reward for this risk expressed in the rule and no counterveiling reward has every been expressed by USDA." The appellate court must decide if will accept the groups' brief but a hearing on USDA's appeal of the temporary injunction against its rule is set for July 13th in Seattle. I'm Bob Hoff.