September 28, 2011           

US to resume Canada's blood meal imports

For the first time in eight years, the US is resuming imports of blood meal from Canadian cattle, a senior Canadian government source said Tuesday (Sep 27).

The source said that trade in bovine blood meal, which is used in fertilizers and animal feeds, will be worth about CAD4 million (US$3.9 million) per year to the Canadian beef industry.

Many importing countries banned Canadian beef and other cattle products after the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a western Canadian herd of cattle in 2003. However, most countries have since lifted those restrictions.

Bovine blood does not pose a risk for BSE, the source said, but it must be collected properly to prevent contamination with parts of the cattle (called specified risk materials) that can carry the disease.

Canadian and US food regulation authorities agreed on a collection method that meets US regulations, the source said.