Alliance MPs lobby U.S. Congress to drop beef ban; reject idea of retaliation

Canadian Press

Thursday, July 10, 2003
 
CREDIT: (CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
 
Monte Solberg, shown in this file photo, is urging caution in dealing with the U.S. beef ban. (CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
 
(CP) - Alliance MPs lobbying U.S. senators and congressmen to drop the ban on Canadian beef said Thursday that now is not the time to be talking about retaliation.

Several Canadian politicians said this week that Canada should consider not buying U.S. beef if the ban imposed by Americans on May 20 isn't lifted. "I think we should be pretty cautious about that kind of talk," said Monte Solberg, MP for Medicine Hat, Alta..

"I'd rather see us continue to talk and get down here and work these personal relationships . . . and see if we can prevail upon them to do what they have do to now that the science is clear."

The U.S. and several other countries banned Canadian cattle and beef after a lone case of mad cow was discovered in Alberta. No new cases were found and an international panel has commended the steps Canada has taken to ensure a safe beef supply.

But some Asian countries that buy a lot of U.S. meat are worried about Canadian products and are demanding a new labelling system that separates goods from the two countries - a difficult and expensive proposition.

MP Rick Casson, from Lethbridge, Alta., said he told U.S. officials that Albertans are desperate and the industry can't survive much longer.

The two MPs said their lobbying effort was particularly important given turbulent relations between the two countries over the Iraq war.

U.S. Agriculture Minister Ann Veneman is scheduled to meet her Japanese counterpart Friday before he travels to Ottawa. U.S. industry leaders are pinning a lot of hopes on those talks.