State cattle industry split on court decision

Some hope Canadian border stays closed, others fear long-term damage

COLUMBIA BASIN — The ruling of a federal judge that ordered the U.S. northern border to remain closed to Canadian cattle last week is a good thing for some in the U.S. cattle industry, and not so good for others.

U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull granted a temporary court order preventing the opening of the border last week, after a lawyer for a livestock group said it would be insane to resume imports with so many questions remaining about mad cow disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to open the border to fuller trade beginning today.

Cebull's decision drew mixed responses from those in the state's cattle industry.

Bill Sieverkropp has been raising cattle in Ephrata for over 20 years with his operation, Sieverkropp Farms.

"I'm kind of in the same position all the other cattlemen are," he said. "We all kind of feel that if the border opens up, it is going to affect our market. The market will be reflected by it, by most likely going down. By how much, nobody knows that at this point."

The last two years, area cattlemen have had good market, Sieverkropp said. If the border opens up, it's going to affect how much they make in comparison to how much input has to be put into the cows.

Sieverkropp said the last marketing year was the best that he'd ever seen, even in the face of mad cow disease.

"Maybe it's one of (those) things that the border's been closed for a little over a year, and in the last year our market's been the best it's ever been," he said.

If the border stays shut, Sieverkropp thinks cattle growers will continue on in the same vein that they are now.

"The market hopefully would stay in our favor, but there's going to be a point that the United States is going to pick up some of the slack, production-wise," he said. The market, like any market, runs in a cycle, and maybe it's just one of those peak times, he pondered. "Without the extra cows coming in from Canada, it's definitely helping our market."

Sieverkropp said he is expecting another good year. If the Canadian border does eventually open, which he thinks appears likely, it depends on how much cattle is imported into the U.S.

"There's a lot of variables out there," he said. "I'm sure hoping they can keep it closed and give us at least one more year, anyway."

With the border to Canada closed and Japan not accepting any U.S. exports, he said, the U.S. does not produce enough beef for its own consumption.

"We could be fairly self-sufficient, with cattle coming in from Mexico," he said. "We could survive without having Canadian cattle come in."

Jack Field, executive vice president of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, explained that Cebull's ruling means there will be a 10-day waiting period where both parties need to come together and set a time for a hearing. The USDA has the ability to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court, he said.

While noting that different segments of the industry have different opinions on the matter, Field said the WCA was happy with the ruling because they feel certain Canadian trade issues have not been resolved.

"There are several issues we feel have not been adequately addressed, as far as concerns that have been raised by our membership," he said.

For starters, the WCA would like to see international export markets reopened prior to accepting live cattle from Canada. Field noted that the U.S. is currently accepting boneless box product from Canada, and said it's only fair to membership and cattlemen to get export markets opened.

The organization also does not feel that the USDA has adequately revealed how the cattle will be identified and traced once they enter the U.S., Field said, adding that the WCA is working closely with the state's veterinary office and Department of Agriculture.

In addition, the WCA would like to see all heifers spayed, and to see a clarification on the quantity of Canadian cattle that is planned to be imported into the nation, allowing Washington cattlemen to be in a position in the market to protect themselves in the best way. Field said the desire is to see the state department of agriculture have the ability to designate its restricted feed lots and have more say in their location, as it will bear the responsibility in overseeing the situation.

"No trading should resume until live animal issues have finally been resolved," he said. "Producers have had to go through a lot of heartache and issues." Those issues that the WCA would like to see resolved for all grades of live cattle, in the event that breeding stock might be traded in the future, would be uniform regulations for diseases like blue tongue, anaplasmosis, tuberculosis and brucellosis in cattle moving north and south.

"We're not asking for a leg up or an advantage," Field said. "We want things even for both sides of the border … We're not opposed to the trade of live animals, if they will address our concerns."

On the other end of the spectrum, Keith Pearce, president of the Washington Cattle Feeders Association, said his organization doesn't feel like the closed border is a good thing.

The concern is what packers like Washington Beef and especially Tyson will do if the border remains closed to live and feeder cattle, not only in the state but the whole Pacific Northwest region, Pearce said.

"We're not saying we know what it's going to look like," he said. "The chances of it diminishing the industry are far greater without the border open."

Pearce said that the decision has not been about safety, adding that the firewalls and beef supply in both Canada and the U.S. is safe. The opposition is, in his opinion, linked to the economic concerns of other producers.

"They're looking at the short term economic gain," he said. "Cattle feeders are looking at the long term of what the industry is going to look like, and we don't see that in a positive light at all."

As an association, the WCFA is lobbying and talking to senators, Pearce said. While in fairly close contact with Sen. Maria Cantwell's office, Pearce said Sen. Patty Murray has chosen not to respond to any inquiries on the organization's behalf, and said he has no idea why.

"Sen. Murray understands that segments of the industry are hurting," said Alex Glass, spokesperson for Murray's office. "She's had wide ranging discussions with a number of representatives from Washington's cattle industry and researchers at Washington State University, even with the president-nominated FDA commissioner. She understands that this is a complicated issue and we have to be working towards reopening the border, but she says there is still a lot of work to be done."

The association has also met twice with Gov. Christine Gregoire, but there's not a lot that can be done on the state level, Pearce said, calling it a federal issue.

"That's one of the most frustrating things, that we don't have the means to fix this within ourselves," he said. "We're at the mercy of other people's decision. The key is the impact long term. (The opposition) is very shortsighted in their opinions. They just don't get it."