November 23,  2004

Border opening still months away says Mark

( Ottawa )  While reports of the US border opening to live cattle exports sound promising, Conservative M.P. Inky Mark says that it still could take as long as 5 months or more for the reports to become a reality.

“A change in trade regulations has been sent to the US Office of Management and Budget (the Bush administration’s budget office),” commented Mark.  “But…this change must still be reviewed and approved by the OMB and Congress before major regulatory changes can be implemented.”

The US Department of Agriculture says the review of regulations could take up to 90 days.  After the review period, the border would open about 2 months later if the US Congress does not vote to strike down the regulation.

“The closing of the Canadian border should have sent a signal to the industry and our government that we have to become self-sustaining,” said Mark.

“Both the federal and provincial governments have been negligent in letting our cattle industry suffer.  If nothing else, this crisis should have opened the government’s eyes to the essential need to have slaughter facilities available in Manitoba .  With slaughter facilities available, our farmers will never again have to be dependant on an open border for their survival,” Mark concluded.