Washington – The Bush administration hopes to lift remaining mad-cow-related restrictions on Canadian cattle within the next year, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday.
The restrictions, in place since Canada discovered its first case of mad cow disease in 2003, were eased earlier this year to allow younger cattle to enter the United States.
A prohibition has remained on Canadian animals older than 30 months; levels of infection from mad cow disease are thought to increase with age.
Government and industry officials argue that rules for how cattle are slaughtered would keep the disease from ever entering the human or animal food supply.
The department is considering a new rule that would lift the remaining restrictions on Canadian beef, said Ron DeHaven, administrator of the department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
He said that if a risk analysis finds it is feasible, the rule could be proposed in six to eight months. A public comment period would follow.
One restriction would remain, DeHaven said: Animals born before Canada had an effective ban on cattle protein in cattle feed would not be allowed to enter the United States.
