March 31, 2004

US Likely To Lift Ban On Canada Cattle

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is likely to lift all its bans on Canadian cattle some time after the latest public comment period on mad cow disease ends on April 7, Trade Minister Jim Peterson told Reuters on Monday.

A spokeswoman said it could take four to eight weeks after the end of the comment period for any curbs to be lifted.

Peterson said a trip 10 days ago by a dozen Canadian parliamentarians to Washington to explain the state of Canada's cattle industry to 40 U.S. legislators appears to have assuaged fears south of the border. The Canadian group also made presentations to the Grocery Manufacturers of America and the U.S. National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

"These discussions play a key role in ensuring the border gets reopened after the consultation period. In fact, there's no science-based reason the border shouldn't reopen today," Peterson said when asked if Canadian cattle could enter the U.S. market after the USDA comment period ends.

The United States, Japan, Mexico and more than 30 other countries slammed their doors on Canadian beef and cattle after Canada's discovery of its first home-grown case of mad cow disease in Alberta late last May.

The United States eased its trade ban in late September and granted access to Canadian beef from animals 30 months or younger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now considering whether to relax the ban further by allowing beef from older Canadian cattle.