R-Calf Sits Down With the Obama-Biden Transition Team

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Bill Bullard, CEO of R-Calf, was in Washington earlier this week trying to mold the future of the USDA and US trade policy. The meeting was with the Obama-Biden transition team. Based on the shenanigans that R-Calf pulls and showcases how they believe in not letting the facts distort a good story, I am concerned that they were invited to partake in this meeting. Many Canadians love Obama for the same reasons as the American public does but as Canadians it is no secret that there is reason for concern.

According to CattleNetwork

“The Obama-Biden Transition Team is putting together a briefing paper to give to whomever Obama selects to be the next Secretary of Agriculture, and that person will use the briefing paper as a starting point with regard to what needs to be changed within USDA first,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard, who represented the group at the meeting. “Besides the necessary changes to USDA, the focus of the meeting also was to discuss what the new Agriculture Secretary will need to do immediately to begin to implement and accomplish what Obama said he would do during his election campaign.”

I must admit that this is the beginning of the scenario that really scares me. With the collapse of the US economy and the rumors of Obama’s NFU ties I think it is possible that R-Calf grabs an ear of the new administration. At this point Americans are scared and trying to grasp at anything that will save their economy. I believe that it should be a great fear for Canadians that this fear results in a reopening of NAFTA and stronger interpretations of COOL.

“R-CALF was the only organization participating at the meeting that exclusively represents the U.S. live cattle industry,” Bullard concluded. “We are pleased that R-CALF is recognized as an agricultural leader in Washington by the new Administration, and we think that’s going to help us considerably in achieving the membership directives of our organization.”

I have not seen the rest of the invite list but the fact that R-Calf was even invited really scares me. I just have a really bad feeling regarding who Obama is going to listen to and how the formation of the policy affects Canadians and more specifically trade.

I encourage you to click onto the link to CattleNetwork and read further into the four areas that R-Calf commented on in the letter that they submitted to the Obama-Biden transition team.

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