New regulations that would have allowed older Canadian cattle to travel to the United States are on hold pending the investigation of the latest BSE case found in a 50-month-old cow from Alberta.
“The rule is not being done away with. We are just holding it until we get the results of the investigation,” said Karen Eggert, a spokesperson for the U.S. animal plant health inspection service in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials will decide whether substantial or minor revisions of the rule are required to allow imports of animals and meat from cattle older than 30 months. If no revisions are required, it will continue through the government channels as planned.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
“Canada’s regulatory system is
effectively protecting consumers and livestock so there are no questions about that. It is just the case with this cow born after the 1997 feed ban, it is prudent for us to revisit that rule,” Eggert said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is about halfway through its investigation of the latest BSE case. A thorough examination takes five to six weeks, said Francine Lord of the agency.
Lord said she didn’t know how many animals from the farm had been destroyed for testing and added that some remain in quarantine.
“This investigation is going very, very well,” she said.
A group of American scientists joined the agency for the initial investigation of the farm and the suspect feed.
“It seems to be with the feed. All the other six cases were related to the feed,” Lord said.
Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, called the situation a disappointing setback.
Canadian producers had hoped new regulations permitting older cattle to cross into the U.S. would be released by early 2007 but the timing for that is now difficult to predict.
“We still think there is a reasonable possibility that could be completed by the first half of 2007,” Laycraft said.
“It’s disappointing but that has been our luck throughout this whole situation. Every time we get a rule just about ready to go, something happens.”
Laycraft is confident Canada’s decision to implement a stricter feed ban starting in July 2007, which would outlaw all specified risk material from feed destined for other animals and from fertilizer, could smooth the way to an open border for older cattle. Canada’s current feed ban prohibits the use of ruminant material in feed for ruminant animals.
Feed bans worldwide have slashed the number of BSE cases, but have not eliminated incidents completely.
Of its seven cases, Canada has had three animals born after the 1997 feed ban. The latest case occurred in a 50-month-old pregnant Jersey cow in Alberta, which was born and died on the farm.
R-CALF, a U.S. group that lobbies for trade restrictions on Canadian beef and cattle, released a statement July 27 saying it was pleased with the order to delay the rule and urged U.S. agriculture secretary Mike Johanns to rescind existing regulations that allow imports of Canadian cattle and beef from animals younger than 30 months until the full extent of BSE is known in Canada. It also calls for country-of-origin labelling laws, which it says would help protect U.S. consumers.
R-CALF has also requested that the U.S. halt foreign access to U.S. domestic cattle markets until the U.S. regains export markets lost after BSE was discovered in their country.
