AMERICAN MEAT INSTITUTE CALLS 9TH CIRCUIT DECISION A VICTORY FOR INDUSTRY AND CONSUMERS

(Attribute Statement to AMI President J. Patrick Boyle)


“Today’s decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is a victory for the beef industry and for consumers. We’ve waited two years for the border to open and we are grateful that the court has ruled on the side of science.

The court’s expeditious ruling is a vindication of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s thoughtful, science-based rulemaking process that would have lifted the embargo in March had a lower court not granted a preliminary injunction against the rule.

U.S. and Canadian beef are safe. U.S. and Canadian cattle are healthy. The North American beef industry should be permitted to trade in cattle and beef, unimpeded by the selfish efforts of protectionistic groups like R-CALF, who aim to block imports of cattle and beef so they can maintain high profits.

The protracted embargo on Canadian cattle and beef has cost the industry nearly 8,000 jobs, has set in motion a fundamental restructuring of the North American beef industry and has driven beef prices paid by consumers to the highest levels since 1979.

The legal stonewalling that R-CALF has engaged in has done real harm, but today’s ruling will help the industry rebuild. It’s a great – and long overdue -- day for the beef industry and for consumers.”