Final Brief Filed in OTM Rule Case

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11 plaintiffs, including R-CALF USA, have filed their final reply brief in their request that a District Court in South Dakota issue a preliminary injunction to suspend USDA’s over-30-month Rule. The rule became affective last November and opened the Canadian border to imports of live cattle born after March 1, 1999, and beef products from Canadian cattle of any age. Attorneys for both sides have suggested the District Court hold a hearing on the preliminary injunction as soon as February 19th or 20th.

R-CALF says there is a risk of great harm if the OTM Rule is allowed to stand. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard says - there’s the risk the OTM Rule could cause billions of dollars of damage to the U.S. beef market, risk infection of the U.S. cattle herd, as well as risk to consumers. R-CALF says older Canadian cattle have been streaming into the U.S. at an annualized rate of between 150-thousand and 200-thousand head per year. But in September USDA had adjusted its figures to claim that only 75-thousand head of older Canadian cattle would be expected to enter the United States during the first year of the OTM Rule.

Bullard calls USDA’s speculation that allowing risky imports of older Canadian cattle and beef will help promote beef exports – silly, at best. He adds - any slight economic benefit USDA predicts from access to cheap Canadian OTM cattle and beef could, based on actual experience, be wiped out rapidly if another BSE-infected cow dies in the United States.