REGINA (Jan. 21) — Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Berny Wiens said that Saskatchewan will challenge, “at every opportunity,” allegations in Tuesday’s preliminary finding by the U.S. government that Saskatchewan cattle exports caused injury to the U.S. cattle industry.

Recent disputes over the export of Canadian cattle, grain, and other farm goods have spurred blockades of trucks at border points in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

“The Saskatchewan government will fight for our producers at every stage of the U.S. trade hearings,” Wiens said.

“We will use all possible options, including working closely with our trade lawyers in Washington, to dispute U.S. claims that Saskatchewan producers have an unfair advantage. It is difficult to understand how Canadian cattle, which compose less than 3% of the U.S. market, could damage U.S. cattle producers. Our producers are being punished for their efficiency. We cannot and will not, tolerate this.”

The ruling is an early step in the U.S. process of investigating allegations by a U.S. cattle producer organization known as R-Calf (Ranchers-Cattleman Action Legal Foundation), that Canadian cattle are being exported with unfair subsidies and that they are also being dumped in the U.S. market.

A final decision by the U.S. government is expected in mid-summer.