There was a Canadian rancher at Agribition here in Regina last year that was quoted as saying "We can't blame the beef producers in the U.S. for pressuring their politicians to keep the border closed as long as they're getting high prices for their livestock, in the reverse situation, we'd probably do the same thing." It's all about money. I have to correct you about BSE being a Canadian problem, though. It's a North American problem, since cattle have long been sold back and forth both ways across the border. Recent news of a BSE cover-up in the states isn't that surprising, when you consider the sheer volume of animals raised and sold. The fact that any infected animals are detected at all is encouraging since we have to demonstrate that our testing procedures are effective according to international standards to access foreign markets. The plight of our cattle producers (only partially addressed by the recent government pay-outs) is likely to get worse before it gets better, and increasing our slaughter and packing facilities is only part of the answer. Even if we're able to do that we still have to have a market to sell it in, and where do you think we'll have to go to find it? We will have to undercut American beef producers and take their customers away to sell our beef, and that will constitute a trade war, as opposed to simple protectionism. We know it, they know it, but the cash in the hand keeps people (except for economists) from looking ahead. You can buy a beef here now for a rock bottom price just because the farmers can't afford to feed them anymore, but when all this is over, I think there will be new records set in the auction barn. And here's a heads up, if we get rain like we did last year, be prepared to pay $5 for a loaf of bread!
