February 14, 2007

 

US senators oppose USDA plan to lift ban on older Canadian cattle

 

 

Four US senators are opposing the Bush administration's effort to lift the US ban on older Canadian cattle that have been kept out since May 2003 when Canada discovered its first case of mad cow disease.

 

US Senators Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico, and John Thune, R-South Dakota, told US Department of Agriculture Mike Johanns in a letter dated Feb 2 that they fear the older cattle might bring more cases of the disease into the US.

 

The first cow found in the US to be infected with mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was later shown to have been imported from Canada.

 

The US eased restrictions on Canadian cattle under 30 months old, which are the bulk of Canada's exports, in July 2005. The younger cattle are believed to be far less likely to be infected with BSE.

 

Older cattle are believed to a higher risk for infection with the fatal brain-wasting disease that is transmissible to humans through consumption. All of the nine BSE cases found in Canada and the three discovered in the US have involved cattle over 30 months old.

 

"There is a very real possibility that USDA's proposal would lead to the importation of additional BSE-infected animals from Canada ... " the senators said in the letter.

 

Canada announced its ninth and latest case of BSE on Feb 7--five days after the date on the senators' letter to Johanns--and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the infected bull was likely born in 2000 based on "very preliminary information provided by the owner".

 

If that turns out to be accurate, it would mean the bull was born three years after Canada began feed restrictions meant to halt the spread of the disease.

 

It would also mean that the bull would have been eligible for export to the US under the rule being proposed now by the USDA. The proposed rule would allow for imports of older cattle born after March 1, 1999.

 

USDA's Johanns, in reaction to the new Canadian BSE case, said last week he didn't expect it to have an adverse effect on beef and cattle trade between the two countries.

 

Johanns also didn't announce any impact on the proposed rule to allow more Canadian cattle into the US He said that USDA remains "in an open comment period until March 12, 2007."

 

The USDA estimates that lifting the ban on Canadian cattle that are over 30 months old would result in an average of about 610,000 of them crossing the border yearly.

 

USDA Chief Veterinarian John Clifford said earlier this month that USDA weighed the risks carefully before seeking to lift the ban on older Canadian cattle. He said a series of safeguards in the US protect both cattle and humans from the disease.