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The Citizen, 2004-11-25, Page 1Little angels It was an interesting mix of costumes as children from the Blyth United Church performed for a carolling contest on Friday evening at the Lighting of the Lights ceremony in Blyth. Rev. Eugen Bannerman offered the opening remarks for the occasion. (Vicky Bremner photo) Eby says rule a big step to recovery Inside this week Pe• 6 Locals among art ,, exhibitors Pg. 8 Atom Dogs enjoy big win Pg• 14 Big day planned • for Brussels Pg 18 Harvest done for • • Foodgrains Dn. 17 Festival Singers set g. / for annual concert Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 20 No. 46 Thursday, Nov. 25, 2004 $1 (93c + 7c GST) Papers collect for Bureau The Huron County Christmas Bureau will get a. boost this week as community newspapers across the county take part in the- Christmas bag program for the seventh year. In this week's Citizen, subscribers will find a brown paper bag sponsored by the newspaper and several businesses and industries. Printed on the .bag, along with sponsor information, are details of where etch of the county bureaus are located and times that gifts -and food can be dropped off. It also provides information for people who may need help this Christmas on -how to reach the bureau and register. Each year, the bureau collects food and gifts that assist more than 1,000 children and their families across the county. Spearheaded by the Seaforth Huron Expositor, the Seaforth Lions Club and the Seaforth Agricultural Society, newspapers across the county joined forces to promote the use of the bags. The Christmas Bureau served 1.083 children- and their families in 2003. 10 more children than last year and an increase from 1029 in 2001 and 975 in 2000. In Seaforth, the numbers of children using the service climbed from 92 in 2001 to 108 in 2002 and 120 children in 2003, while the number of families increased from 48 in 2002 to 51 in 2003. Joan Van den Broeck, of the Huron-Perth Children's Aid Society, says the Christmas bag program is an "incredibly important" part of the annual drive for the Christmas Bureau. "Without the community, there would be no Christmas Bureau. What happens for one week Continued on page 12 By Elyse DeBruyn Citizen staff The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has drafted a new rule which will allow the resumption of live cattle and ruminants trade between Canada and the United States. The draft-is now in the hands of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for final approval. On Nov. 20, Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) president Stan Eby, said the rple also involves an expanded list of beef products into the United States from regions at minimal risk of BSE, making this a "significant step" toward recovery for the industry from the BSE crisis, "a step for which the cattle industry has been lobbying for many months." It is unknown how long the final legal review made by the OMB will take, but can range from under 30 days to a maximum of 90 days. Once the review is completed and if the rule is published, a 60-day implementation period is -required before it comes into effect. A press release from Huron-Bruce MPP Paul Steckle's office said when the rule was originally proposed for comment it included permitting the importation of cattle under the age of 30 months for immediate slaughter in the U.S., other ruminants such as sheep and goats under similar conditions and a broader range of ruminant products than is currently allowed. However, any revision will be known when the rule is published in the U.S. Federal Register. Although the USDA has. been working on this draft for .several months. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Andy Mitchell said the Canadian government has been working very hard with their "American counterparts to move this process forward." - "I have been in close contact with former U.S. Secretary Ann Veneman on a regular basis and am very pleased with the tangible sign that things are progressing," said Mitchell. "We will continue to work closely with the United States to move quickly towards a full normalization of trade." On Monday, Steckle said he was "cautiously optimistic - about the prospect of the Canada/US border re-opening to live Canadian cattle," following recent comments made by U.S. President George W. Bush on the subject. - "I am especially pleased to hear that this process is beginning to move forward. That said, 1 have not set out the good china just yet," said Steckle. Eby said, although it's not the end of the road yet, it is a significant step for Canadian beef cattle producers. "It's a move we've been lobbying for and awaiting anxiously for some time," said Eby. "I'm very pleased to have this next step in the administrative process occur.'.' He said the next few days will give people more details of what to expect in terms of review and implementation. "Hopefully it will• give us a better idea of when we'll see live cattle- once again being exported to the U.S.," said Eby.. Steckle said the past few months have been "unimaginably difficult" for beef and sheep farmers and he doesn't want to speculate that their troubles are over. "Even if the border re-opens in the short-term, we must begin to plan for a new set of problems that may arise ... like our stockers moving south." Steckle said although the border opening would be an "exceptional step forward." he cautions that it is just a first step. "Governments must be there to help the industry re-tool for the future. You don't put something like BSE behind you overnight." The press release also said in the event of another BSE crisis in Canada, the rule will be based on the. BSE risk status of a country, not dependent on a specific number of cases of the disease. Scientific experts have never precluded a small number of additional cases of BSE being foUnd in North America. However, all risk assessments indicated that the probability of additional cases remains very low. It also said if the latest suspected BSE case in the U.S. turns out to be positive, it shouldn't have any affect on the regulatory process currently underway. The science would still support a resumption of trade. "I do not want to be the wet blanket, but there is much work yet to do;" said Steckle. "If we are able to ship our cattle south that would be great, but we must continue to support our affected industries and we must strive to ensure that, should we have another case of BSE emerge, we are ready for challenges ahead." Canada regained access to the U.S. market for boneless beef. from cattle under 30 months of age in August - 2003. However, the border has --remained closed to live cattle. Lack of slaughter capacity in Canada to slaughter all marketed cattle is the major cause of-depressed cattle prices currently being experience by Canadian producers. Reopening the border to live cattle exports will help alleviate downward pressure on cattle prices. Santa arrives It will be an evening for the entire family, filled with fun activities, a little shopping and a visit with St. Nick. Excitement is buzzing through Brussels as citizens decorate their floats and prepare their costumes for the annual Brussels Christmas parade on Nov. 27. Anyone wishing to enter a float. walk along in seasonal costume or participate in the parade should be at the ball park on Sports Drive between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Immediately following the parade, everyone is invited to enjoy free skating at the arena from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m then enjoy a hotdog and a pop for $2. Santa will also stay for a visit after he makes his grand entrance at the arena. Pictures can be taken with the jolly old elf.