CICA Salutes Senator Ken Salazar

The Colorado Independent CattleGrowers Association salutes Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) for signing on a recent letter that expressed concern with the proposed rule to increase meat imports from Argentina.

Senator Salazar was joined by Senate colleagues, Max Baucus (D-MT), Ben Nelson (D-NE), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) on a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Ed Schafer and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jim Nussle.

"We are writing to express our concern regarding USDA's proposed rule to declare the southern Patagonia region of Argentina free of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Rinderpest, and to allow meat imports from this region," the Senators wrote. "FMD is highly contagious, and an outbreak of this disease in the United States would be economically devastating for U.S. cattle and sheep producers. Any decision to allow regional access to U.S. markets in countries with a history of FMD must be carefully scrutinized. We urge you not to issue the final rule for southern Patagonia until the rule has been reviewed by OMB."

CICA President John Reid stated, "Cattlemen across Colorado and the U.S. appreciate these Senators standing up for cattle producers. CICA has pegged preventing the USDA's proposed rule to increase meat imports as a target issue, and its members are working hard to make this happen. Last fall CICA member and Immediate Past President, Doug Zalesky, and I traveled to Washington D.C. and met with House and Senate members urging them to take action and address Argentina's bad acts, notably the proposed rule to increase meat exports to the U.S. In mid-January CICA members Chuck and Roni Sylvester traveled to Washington D.C. and delivered a similar message."

CICA is also a member of the America Task Force Argentina, a coalition that is pressuring Argentina to repay the billions of dollars it owes U.S. businesses and taxpayers after the biggest loan default in history.

"CICA's work is paying off," commented Reid, "Now is no time to back off, and CICA calls upon the USDA to immediately withdraw this faulty rule. Rewarding a country that doesn't pay its bills and endangers the U.S. herd makes no sense."

Colorado Independent CattleGrowers Association (CICA) is a grassroots cattle producer organization, representing cattle growers on a state and national level. CICA's voting membership is comprised only of cattle producers. Membership dues are $50 annually. To join contact Kimmi Lewis at 719.384.4093 or email at mvrkim@rural-com.com

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