02/11/05 Thirty and over out; E.S.A. partnership

02/11/05 Thirty and over out; E.S.A. partnership

It's not quite the announcement some livestock groups want to hear involving the proposed reopening of the U.S. border to Canadian beef. But for now, import of Canadian beef from cattle thirty months or older will be delayed. U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns says the reason for the announcement is inconsistency in the proposed final rule that would allow Canadian live cattle and beef back into our country next month. Until the delay, Canadian beef from cattle thirty months or older would have been allowed into the U.S., while Canadian live cattle in that same age range would not. Meanwhile, Johanns is urging U.S. officials to move forward in considering and developing a plan to allow import of both slaughter animals and beef from animals thirty months and older as the next step in resuming full trade. There needs to be a new cooperative effort between the House and Senate to improve and update the Endangered Species Act. So says Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Oregon Representative Greg Walden, who are among a group of Congressmen who revealed their plans during a press conference today. Walden says the idea is to determine the best approach in addressing burdensome E.S.A. regulations. WALDEN: That's what this is about is trying to find the coalition that can be brought together to solve some of the issues around the Endangered Species Act that work for the endangered species and work for the people. It's an all time high. The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record $617.7 billion dollars in 2004. So how big of a deficit is that. The Commerce Department reports it is over twenty-four per cent above the previous record, over $496 billion dollars set just two years ago. And yes, that included a deficit in farm goods as well. But note that "farm goods" are also defined to include specialty items like wines and cheeses. If there is a bright spot, it is that U.S. exports did climb to an all-time high last year. But it also came as a result of a weakened U.S. dollar overseas. U.S. Senator Mike Crapo could be on a limited schedule for the next few weeks, as he undergoes additional treatments for what may be a reoccurrence of prostate cancer. Crapo's prostate was removed five years ago as a result of cancer. CRAPO: I will undergo an eight week course. This radiation treatment is the cutting-edge newest kind as far as I know. It's designed to be very, very focused on the area where they want the treatment to occur. Crapo will receive treatments five times a week, mostly in the mornings as he travels from D.C. to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. This will allow the Senator to travel back to Idaho on weekends if he is able.
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