BSE timeline

1992: CFIA introduces a national BSE surveillance program.
1993: BSE identified in single cow near Red Deer, Alta., originally imported from Britain in 1987.
1997: CFIA bans the use of specified risk material in cattle feed.
May 16, 2003: BSE identified in an eight-year-old cow sent to slaughter in January from a farm 180 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
May 20, 2003: The case is confirmed by regulatory officials Borders, including the U.S., are immediately closed to all live Canadian cattle. In the coming weeks, several ranches in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia are quarantined as a precaution and hundreds of cattle are slaughtered.

China may soon resume importing canola from Australia.

June 18, 2003: Federal and provincial agriculture ministers announce a $460 million, cost-shared National BSE Recovery Program to assist beef industry.
June 26, 2003: International panel of experts reviews Canada’s response to BSE and recommends the removal of specified risk material from human and animal food chains and increased monitoring.
July 18, 2003: Ag Canada makes the removal of SRM from carcasses of cattle older than 30 months mandatory.
July 25, 2003: Alberta government pledges $79 million to BSE programs for farmers.
August 8, 2003: United States eases restrictions and allows boneless meat from cattle younger than 30 months old to cross the border.
Aug. 11, 2003: Mexico partially lifts its ban on imports with restrictions similar to the U.S.

Sept. 9, 2003: Russia lifts ban on cattle younger than 30 months old and cattle older than 30 months if tested for BSE.
Dec. 23, 2003: U.S. announces that BSE identified in one cow in Washington state.
Dec. 24, 2003: Canada and other countries announce restrictions on imports from the U.S.
Jan. 6, 2004: Officials announce that the BSE-affected cow in Washington state came from a farm in Alberta.
Jan. 9, 2004: Federal government commits $92.1 million to a five-year effort to improve tracking and BSE surveillance and testing.
April 18, 2004: U.S. lifts restrictions on the import of Canadian ground beef, bone-in cuts and offal from cattle younger than 30 months.
Dec. 1, 2004: Hong Kong reopens border to beef under 30 months old.

Dec. 29, 2004: U.S. announces that it will accept imports of live cattle younger than 30 months from Canada beginning March 7, 2005.
Dec. 30, 2004: Agriculture Canada says that preliminary tests have identified BSE in a 10-year-old dairy cow.
Jan. 11, 2005: CFIA identifies BSE case in a beef cow in Alberta, slightly younger than seven years old, born after the 1997 ban on SRM in feed.
Feb. 9, 2005: U.S. officials announce the date for allowing beef imports from animals older than 30 months will be delayed while investigations into recent BSE cases are conducted.
March 2, 2005: U.S. District Court in Montana issues a preliminary injunction preventing imports of Canadian cattle.
March 3, 2005: U.S. Senate rejects the USDA rule that would allow Canadian beef and cattle younger than 30 months to cross the border.
March 10, 2005: Agriculture Canada announces $50 million in funding to a Canadian Cattlemen’s Association initiative to market Canadian beef.

March 29, 2005: Agriculture Canada announces a $1 billion assistance program for Canadian producers affected by BSE.
June 29, 2005: U.S. officials confirm a case of BSE in a 12-year-old beef cow in Texas.
July 14, 2005: American appeals court overturns Montana injunction.
July 18, 2005: Shipments of live cattle and bison younger than 30 months from Canada are allowed to enter the U.S. for the first time since May 2003.
Dec. 11, 2005: Japan reopens its border to Canadian beef and beef products from animals younger than 21 months.
Jan. 22, 2006: CFIA confirms a case of BSE in a six-year-old cross-bred cow in Alberta.
Feb. 1, 2006: Mexico loosens restrictions to include bone-in beef.
March 13, 2006: USDA confirms BSE in a cow in Alabama.
April 16, 2006: CFIA confirms a base of BSE in British Columbia.

June 26, 2006: CFIA announces a ban on SRM in all animal feed, pet food and fertilizers to take effect July 12, 2007.
June 29, 2006: Canada announces it will accept all classes of U.S. cattle, including beef cattle older than 30 months.
July 4, 2006: CFIA confirms case of BSE in a mature cross-bred beef cow in Manitoba.
July 13, 2006: CFIA confirms case of BSE in a 50-month-old dairy cow in Alberta.
August 23, 2006: The CFIA confirms a case of BSE in a beef cow between the ages of eight and 10, in Alberta.
Oct. 19, 2006: Russia agrees to lift its ban on Canadian breeding cattle.
Feb. 7, 2007: CFIA confirms case of BSE in a mature bull from Alberta.
May 2, 2007: CFIA confirms case of BSE in a 66-month-old dairy cow in B.C.
June 26, 2007: Taiwan lifts its ban on Canadian beef imports for boneless cuts from cattle younger than 30 months.
Nov. 17, 2007: U.S. border opens to Canadian live cattle born on or after March 1, 1999.

Dec. 18, 2007: CFIA confirms BSE case in a 13-year-old beef cow in Alberta.
Feb. 26, 2008: CFIA confirms BSE in a six-year-old dairy cow in Alberta.
March 27, 2008: Mexico and U.S. open border to bovine breeding stock born after Jan. 1, 1999.
June 23, 2008: CFIA confirms BSE case in five-year-old Holstein in B.C.
Aug. 15, 2008: CFIA confirms BSE case in six-year-old beef cow from Alberta.
Sept. 30, 2008: U.S. implements country-of-origin labelling, which reduces bids on Canadian cattle.
Jan. 19, 2009: Federal government announces agreement that will allow bone-in beef to move into Hong Kong and eventually open the market to all remaining Canadian beef exports for cattle younger than 30 months.
Feb. 3, 2009: Jordan opens border to all Canadian beef and cattle exports.

Feb. 17, 2009: Saudi Arabia opens to all Canadian beef and cattle exports.
May 2009: Colombia partially reopens to Canadian beef.
May 15, 2009: CFIA confirms BSE in a six-and-a-half-year-old dairy cow in Alberta.
Oct. 13, 2009: Russia loosens restrictions, allowing Canadian boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months.
Dec. 6, 2009: Hong Kong reopens border to all Canadian beef.
Feb. 25, 2010: CFIA confirms BSE case in six-year-old beef cow in Alberta.
June 24, 2010: China resumes imports of tallow and boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months. Vietnam expands access to include beef from all ages of cattle, but maintains a temporary ban on offal.
Nov. 23, 2010: Canadian beef producers granted a 20,000 tonne duty free quota from the EU.
Feb. 7, 2011: Costa Rica allows unrestricted access for Canadian beef.

Feb. 18, 2011: BSE confirmed in six-and-a-half-year-old dairy cow in Alberta.
June 27, 2011: South Korea reopens to Canadian imports for beef younger than 30 months.
June 12, 2012: Peru approves all Canadian beef and offal from cattle under 30 months for import, as well as boneless beef and offal from older cattle.
July 26, 2012: Kazakhstan opens for boneless beef from cattle older than 30 months.
Aug. 2, 2012: United Arab Emirates opens to all Canadian beef.
Aug. 27, 2012: Ukraine permits the import of purebred live cattle from Canada for breeding and genetics.
Jan. 11, 2013: China approves four additional processing facilities to export Canadian beef to China, bringing the total to seven.
Feb. 1, 2013: Japan allows imports of bone-in and boneless beef younger than 30 months.
March 8, 2013: U.S. COOL rules tighten, requiring more specific labels.