The re-election of George Bush has pleased Canadian cattle producers, many of whom believe it will bring a close to “a mad cow disease nightmare” that has cost the industry billions of dollars.

In May 2003 the USA banned imports of cattle from Canada after a case of BSE was found in an imported cow. In August 2003 the ban was lifted on boneless beef from cattle under 30 months, with beef from older cattle still active. There have been numerous attempts by the Canadian authorities to persuade the US government to lift the ban which has reportedly cost the country more than $4 billion. With the presidential race out of the way the farmers are hoping the free-trade friendly Republicans will move quickly to reopen their borders.

Meetings are already in place with the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration, according to Stan Eby, president of the Canadian Cattlemen.

At the same time, the draft of a final rule that would open US borders to Canadian cattle is said to be nearly complete and awaiting a White House approval before being published by the US Department of Agriculture.

The USDA proposed to alter its regulations barring the imports of cattle and beef products from countries reporting BSE, a move that would move Canada to a “minimal risk” category. The beef industry in Canada is also preparing a lobbying campaign that is to reach Mr Bush before he returns to other pending matters.

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