Taking A Stand

<a href="http://www.r-calfusa.com/News%20Releases/121106-animal.htm" >Animal Health Committee Asks <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> to Maintain Brucellosis Surveillance Program</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>Upon referral of a resolution from its Animal Health Committee – chaired by Missouri veterinarian Max Thornsberry – the R-CALF USA Board of Directors has adopted interim policy dealing with the continuance of the Brucellosis surveillance program. The organization also sent a formal letter to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns that outlines the organization’s position.<br />n<br />n“There is a significant problem with Brucellosis in elk and bison – particularly in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming – which is becoming a problem for independent cattle producers in those states, and potentially in adjacent states,” said Thornsberry, who also serves as R-CALF USA Vice President and Region VI Director.<br />n<br />nThe first part of the Animal Health Committee’s resolution states that R-CALF USA supports Brucellosis testing of bison in the Yellowstone Ecosystem in an effort to eradicate the disease, but Thornsberry emphasized brucellosis is not just an issue for Western states. On a recent trip to Central America, Thornsberry discovered that Brucellosis continues to be a problem for the cattle industry in those countries, as local veterinarians estimated the incidence of the disease to be above 10 percent of the population of breeding-age cattle in some areas.</blockquote><br />n<br />nI'm glad to see R-Calf taking a stand on this issue. There is a problem with Brucellosis in the elk and Bison population of Yellowstone Park and the Federal Government needs to get a handle on the issue. They require the States to control Brucellosis in their boundaries, it is only fair that the Feds control Brucellosis in their boundaries. Now lets all watch the Feds ignore the situation, they seem to be good at that.<br />n<br />n<strong>When you take a stand out of deep conviction, people know. They may not even agree, but they ask, 'Do I want someone who is willing to take a hard stand and someone I can trust to do that when the chips are down?' They want that. Barbara Boxer</strong>