September 14, 2006

 

USDA: Delay to lift older Canadian cattle ban will not be long

 

 

There is no danger that the US ban on older Canadian cattle will become permanent and the current delay in lifting it will not be a long one, US Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said Wednesday (Sep 13).

 

Johanns, who was pressed on the matter Wednesday by visiting Canadian Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl, told reporters, "I don't see this as a long, long delay ... "

 

USDA officially postponed in July consideration of a plan to lift its ban on cattle 30 months of age or older after a Canadian case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, spurred concern over the effectiveness of Canada's cattle feed restrictions. It was Canada's seventh BSE case found in a native-born cow.

 

The duration of the postponement is still unclear, although Johanns pledged Wednesday it would not be permanent.

 

"I don't see anything out there that would indicate that it would be a permanent effect," he said.

 

Johanns mentioned the possibility that some changes may have to be made to the USDA proposed rule that would allow in the older cattle.

 

Canada implemented its cattle feed restrictions in 1997 in an effort to prevent the spread of BSE.

 

The seventh Canadian case of BSE was discovered in July in a cow just four years old. That would mean it was likely infected years after the Canadian restrictions were in place. The Canadian feed ban prohibits feeding bovine material to cattle feed because infected feed is believed to be the primary means of spreading BSE.

 

The US banned all Canadian beef and cattle in May 2003 after Canada's first domestic case of BSE was found. The USDA eased that ban a few months later on some beef and, in July 2005, began allowing in younger cattle that represent most imports.

 

The USDA proposal to allow in older cattle has taken longer because older cattle are believed to be at higher risk for BSE.

 

Canada reported finding another BSE case - its eighth - in August.

 

Johanns and Strahl, in a joint statement issued after their Wednesday meeting, said: "Normalising the beef and cattle trade in North America remains an objective shared by industry on both sides of the border and we emphasized the importance being expeditious and thorough on the second rule to normalise trade as soon as possible."