Group seen as protectionist, pro-safety

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)--Two years ago, R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America was a tiny cattlemen's group, written off in some quarters as fringe and radical, focused on what many in the industry considered a nonissue--Canadian beef imports.

But three cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Canada have propelled the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund from bit player to ringleader in an ongoing trade dispute that some see as the biggest and most divisive issue to confront the cattle industry in recent memory.

R-CALF, a ranchers' group based at a Billings auction yard, has led the fight to keep Canadian beef and cattle out of this country in the name of protecting consumer health and cattlemen's herds. It's a cause that R-CALF's leaders say has struck a nerve, attracting thousands of new members and giving the group newfound respect.

"The influence we are having is reshaping the direction of the U.S. cattle industry itself," chief executive officer Bill Bullard said.

But some in the industry see R-CALF as protectionist and anti-trade--more of a disruptive force than a major player. Packing interests and even some cattlemen's groups wonder whether the group's argument against fuller trade with Canada has been undercut by the recent discovery of BSE in Texas.

"They're kind of in a box with their argument," said Andy Gottschalk of the agribusiness research company HedgersEdge.com.

Still, some packer and industry groups admit that R-CALF cannot be ignored. "We do not underestimate what the R-CALF people can accomplish," said Stan Eby, president of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.

In the past year, R-CALF has scored two major legal victories. The first, in the spring of 2004, kept the federal government from expanding beef trade with Canada.

The second, in March, delayed the resumption of limited cattle shipments just days before the U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to let cattle trucks back into the country for the first time since May 2003, when Canada reported its first case of BSE.

But the ranchers' group was dealt a blow recently when a federal appeals court ruled that Canadian cattle can again be imported to the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will reopen the border within days to Canadian cattle.

Mark Dopp, senior vice president for regulatory affairs and general counsel with the American Meat Institute, a meatpackers' group, said the discovery of BSE in a U.S.-born cow in Texas makes R-CALF's argument for continuing to keep out Canadian cattle shaky, at best.

"The fact that we've, unfortunately, had a domestic case here just undercuts the credibility of their arguments of trying to identify cattle raised on this side of the border versus that side of the border," Dopp said.

Dennis McDonald, an R-CALF member and rancher near Melville, Mont., said the Texas case has raised too many as-yet unanswered questions and that conflicting test results also should raise concerns.

"For the life of me, I don't know how it follows that, because we've had one case, they should be allowed to import live cattle into this country," he said. "That logic escapes me."

The drawn-out dispute has caused deep divisions within the industry and even among cattle interest groups.

"I haven't seen an issue that's divided our industry bigger than this one," said Wade Moser, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association. When producers should be celebrating high prices, there is tension, he said--even hatred. "Neighbors hate their neighbors over this issue anymore."

R-CALF's leaders say they believe the group's membership and political stock will continue to rise. R-CALF says its membership has more than doubled in the past year alone, to more than 18,000.

And they say they don't regret getting involved in the dispute.

"We're keeping our focus on doing what's right," McDonald said. "If you're doing what right, it doesn't matter if you lose."

Date: 7/21/05