December 04, 2003

 

 

Canada Expects Re-Entry Into US of Cattle Under 30-Months Old In Early 2004
 

Canada expects the U.S. to reopen its border to Canadian cattle under 30-months old in early 2004, Canadian Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief said Wednesday.

 

Asked in an interview with Reuters when he expected the U.S. to permit entry of such cattle after Canadian beef was barred following the May 20 discovery of one case of mad-cow disease, Vanclief said: "Early in 2004."

 

The comments came while Washington is in the midst of a review of the restrictions, but one analyst said Vanclief's remark suggested the U.S. could re-open its borders earlier than previously anticipated.

 

"The way the guy is talking, he is suggesting it would happen sooner than the market expected it would," said Chuck Levitt, senior livestock analyst with Chicago-based Alaron Trading Corp.

 

Although imports of Canadian cattle into the U.S. have been barred since last May, the ban on imports of Canadian beef was partially lifted after several months.

 

Canada last year provided about seven percent of U.S. total beef supplies.

 

On October 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a proposed rule to allow some Canadian cattle imports to resume, including cattle under 30 months of age. The rule is in a 60-day comment period and the USDA is expected to rule early in the year.

 

The assumption for young cattle is that risk of mad cow is minimal.

 

More than 30 countries closed their borders to Canadian cattle and beef after the discovery of the case of the brain-wasting disease. Along with the United States, Mexico has also partially lifted its ban to allow imports of some boneless cuts of beef from young animals.

 

Speaking on the sidelines of the biennial conference of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Vanclief also said he expected Canada's suspension of supplementary import permits for non-NAFTA exporters of beef to Canada to continue "for some considerable period of time" -- beyond next year.

 

After the discovery of the single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Ottawa stopped granting supplementary import permits, which allow countries outside the North American Free Trade Agreement to exceed Canada's yearly limit of 76,000 tons of imported beef.

 

Canada had imported extra beef from countries like Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and Argentina until July.