READER VIEW: USDA RIGHT TO LIMIT TESTING

THOMAS TOLL Lindsborg
Posted on Wed, Feb. 09, 2005

The Eagle editorial "Beef: Pols behind Creekstone?" (Jan. 24 Opinion) missed the mark on several counts. I am a beef producer and strongly support the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision not to allow private testing for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), often called mad cow disease.

Granting Creekstone permission to conduct private testing would not guarantee access for beef exports to Japan. International trade agreements are not negotiated by private companies. They are conducted between governments. We have no assurances from Japanese government officials that they would accept our product, even if it were tested. Because this trade dispute is more about politics than science, it seems likely that Japan would find another excuse for not accepting our beef.

I also believe that private BSE testing would result in blanket testing for both the export and domestic markets. Science indicates that testing cattle under 30 months of age does nothing to detect the disease or improve food safety. If tested product unnecessarily became the norm, the costs for this procedure would not be passed on to consumers. It would be another cost of doing business. This cost would not be paid by beef processors. It would be passed back through the system, with my calves being worth $20 less per head as the result.

Finally, The Eagle editorial board's criticism of Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., was off target. There is no greater champion of Kansas beef producers and the beef industry than Sen. Roberts. The editorial neglected to mention that the Kansas Livestock Association and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, representing mainstream beef producers, oppose private BSE testing.

As an independent cattle producer, I want nothing more than export access to Japan. I also want Creekstone to remain an active buyer of the cattle I produce. But private BSE testing is not the solution for either. Instead, we should work together to establish a world standard for beef trade based on science.