WASHINGTON - Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus today said the U.S. Department of Agriculture needs to 'step up to the plate' and improve the inspection process of livestock crossing the Canadian and Mexican borders.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report Tuesday stating live animals have entered the United States from Canada without proper inspection by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
APHIS plays a key role in keeping cattle and other livestock in the United States disease free. Several other safeguards, including slaughter and meat inspections are also in place to guarantee the safety of American meat.
"It's not an accident that American - especially Montana beef is the safest, highest quality in the world," Baucus said. "We work hard to keep it that way. This report shows that border operations are unacceptable. As one of our first lines of defense, APHIS needs to make live animal inspections one of its top priorities, immediately."
As chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over international trade, and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture committee, Baucus is in a position to hold the USDA and the APHIS system accountable.
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APHIS is working on a new import-tracking system, but it is not scheduled to go into use until September.
