Kent Conrad: “I hope my colleagues will give careful consideration to this vote. This vote would disapprove the ruling from the USDA…”

“I hope my colleagues will give careful consideration to this vote. This vote would disapprove the ruling from the USDA that the border with Canada should be opened on March 7. I say respectfully that this runs a risk which we should not take. It is very clear from all of the evidence that Canada is not enforcing the regulations upon which USDA relied in recommending that the border be opened. The consequences to our country could be serious and dramatic. Let me close by reminding my colleagues that when mad cow disease got loose in England, 146 people died, and nearly 5 million head of livestock were slaughtered. We cannot and we should not run the risk of prematurely opening our border when we know there are four confirmed cases of mad cow disease in Canada, and when we know from the Canadians' own inspection service that in nearly 60 percent of the cases, animal matter was found where it should not have been. This is a consequential vote. I hope my colleagues will take it seriously. We ought to at least buy time until further investigations are made to assure us that the risk of mad cow disease coming into this country has been reduced in as significant a way as is possible.”