| 12/30/2003 BSE Will Spur Congress Review COOL, Ban on Downer Cow Slaughter - 12/30 Successful Farming Grassley, a supporter of mandatory country of origin labeling, said he expects efforts to restore that part of the 2002 farm bill when Congress works on spending bills for the 2005 fiscal year. A 2004 spending bill that the Senate will vote on in January kills mandatory COOL for two years. Grassley says he doesn’t think the Senate will defeat that bill over COOL because doing so could shut down the federal government. But he expects COOL backers—who are a majority in the Senate—to work to restore the program, slated to take effect at the end of next September under the farm bill. That process would likely start next April. Grassley said the discovery that the infected cow in Washington state likely came from Canada will give more support for COOL. "I think it's going to be like a battleship. Once we get it turned around, it's going to be very difficult to stop." Grassley said he would also support efforts to establish a national animal identification program, but not before restoring COOL. He says he wants to be assured that an animal ID program isn't being used just to kill support for COOL. He also expects some members of Congress to revive an unsuccessful attempt this year to ban the slaughter of downer cows. Grassley said that he doesn't support banning the slaughter of all downer cows, since most are unable to walk because of injuries, not disease, and those animals are safe to eat. The bill, he said, was "promoted by the Humane Society and other anti-meat organizations." Grassley said he believes USDA officials are moving toward doing more testing of cattle for Mad Cow disease. He said he also supports increased testing. He's not certain, though, that the U.S. should follow the example of Japan , which tests all cattle for the disease, even young ones. Grassley said the USDA should continue "what we've been doing, but more of it." He also pledged his own "personal commitment ot continue to eat beef," announcing at the beginning of his weekly press conference with agricultural reporters that he'll consume a pound of beef a week. Related Link: http://www.agriculture.com |
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