The Problem is Not Cattlemen
Where does the problem lie with opening up the markets across the sea to US Beef? With the Cattleman not ID tagging their animals or the big meat packers who keep shipping meat overseas that doesn't meet the standards for importation into other countries?
HK suspends beef imports from U.S. processing plant
Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced on Saturday that it would suspend immediately beef imports from Swift Beef Company, a processing plant in Colorado of the United States.
The decision was made following the discovery of beef imports with bones from that plant during last night's inspections by FEHD' s Airport Food Inspection Office, a department spokesman said.
"Beef imports from the United States was resumed on Dec. 29 last year. According to an agreed protocol, only boneless beef from cattle less than 30 months of age, with high risk materials such as brain and spinal cord removed during slaughtering, could be imported from designated plants approved by the United States.
"We will contact the relevant authorities for more information concerning the beef imports in question," he said.
We lose Japan as a market because a meat packer shipped banned items and now another market is at risk for the same reason. The USDA/meat packers need to fix their problem before it drives the whole cattle business under water.
So, how would the ear tag the USDA/meat packers want to mandate I use to help keep foreign markets open, prevent the meat packer from stupidly shipping meat with bone pieces in it to a foreign country that doesn't allow it? You got it, it doesn't. The meat packers need to step up sanitation and inspections in their plants if they want to maintain foreign markets, not drive the producers in this country out of business with this NAIS scheme.
Look to your own house first before you come into mine to fix your problem. I can't fix things you break.
An ear tag never stopped a disease, but the USDA/meat packers sure like to use it as an excuse for their problems.
