June 11, 2007

 

US may lift Canada cattle restriction this summer

 

 

The US may be ready to lift a restriction on Canadian cattle imports that would allow older animals across the border as early as late summer or possibly early fall, US Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Bruce Knight said Friday (Jun 8).

 

The US banned all Canadian cattle about four years ago after Canada reported finding its first domestic-born case of BSE. The US then eased those restrictions in 2005 to allow cattle under 30 months old. A ban on older cattle has remained in place.

 

Younger cattle are believed to be far less likely to be infected with BSE. Older cattle are believed to have a higher risk for infection from the fatal brain-wasting disease that is transmissible to humans through the consumption of tainted meat.

 

The US currently is in the midst of the formal process needed to change its policy on Canadian cattle. Knight--speaking to reporters at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa--said Friday that the USDA has received about 400 comments during the public feedback portion of that process.

 

In response to criticism over easing restrictions on Canada, Knight said it was important to treat Canada the same as the US would like to be treated.

 

"We need a uniform trading platform," Knight said.

 

But Canada's latest and 10th case of BSE--discovered in May--renewed some concerns in the US that an infected animal would have likely been eligible for export to the US if the age ban was eliminated. According to an initial estimate, the infected animal was 5 1/2 years old.

 

USDA spokeswoman Andrea McNally, in reaction to that Canadian case last month, said that even if a BSE-infected cow were to be imported, it would not present a threat to US herd or consumer safety.

 

"There's an overlapping line of protection that we have in place...here," she said.