February 26, 2008A

Mexico resumes import of Canadian live female calves

Mexico announced that it would partially lift the five-year long ban on live imports of Canadian beef and dairy calves in March, allowing females under 30 months to enter the country.

The imports will come from herds where no instances of mad cow disease have been detected, the Mexican agriculture ministry said.

Enrique Cruz, director-in-chief of the National Sanitation, Inoculation and Agrifood Quality Service (SENASICA) within the Ministry for Agriculture, Cattle, Rural Development, Fishing and Food (SAGARPA), said that lifting the ban for female calves would boost the milk production of Mexican farmers.

Cruz explained that a protocol signed between Mexico, the US and Canada in January would allow the animals to pass through US territory in transit.

Mexico previously suspended imports of calves from Canada in 2003 due to mad cow cases.

US beef producers have increased exports to Mexico as the country buys more from outside.

However, Canada has been chipping away at their share of the market, Mexico's main industry group said.

In 2007, total Mexican imports of beef and beef by-products rose 5.2 percent to 370,569.6 tonnes against 352,183 tonnes in 2006, according to the Association of Mexican Cattle-Rearers (AMEG).

Most of Mexican beef imports come from the US. Last year, US shipments to Mexico rose 3.86 percent to 306,703 tonnes from 295,293 tonnes the year earlier.