030744 US Meat Group: No Easing of Canadian Ban Soon

Washington - A U.S. meat industry official on Friday expressed doubt the United States will soon allow imports of Canadian beef, banned since May 20 because of mad cow disease found in Alberta.

"I don't know that that's going to happen soon," John Reddington, a trade expert with the American Meat Institute, told reporters. Reddington cited discussions between the United States and meat trading partners, including Japan.

Reddington and other officials with the group said they had no details on when the U.S. Agriculture Department might ease the Canada trade ban or what steps it might take in the run-up to reopening the border.

Canada has been losing an estimated $20 million a day since the United States banned shipments of its beef and cattle.

The United States is weighing the issue against a backdrop of Japan's threat to cut off purchases of American imports unless new safeguards are put in place by Sept. 1.

Japan -- the biggest foreign buyer of U.S. beef -- is concerned that banned Canadian beef could make its way into the country via the United States.

Both Reddington and Richard Fritz, an expert with the U.S. Meat Export Federation, said they were optimistic there will be a market for U.S. beef in Japan after Sept. 1.

Reddington said cutting off U.S. shipments "would put a number of Japanese companies out of business."

Fritz added: "If you close off the United States, Japan has few suppliers". The United States and Australia are the two main suppliers of beef to Japan.

Earlier this week, Canadian and U.S. sources said an announcement relaxing the ban could come within a few days. However, some U.S. farm state senators insist trade should not resume until Canada adopts tougher safety standards.

Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been linked to the deaths of more than 100 people, mostly in Europe. There is no cure for the brain-wasting disease.

Canadian investigators have been unable to pinpoint the cause of the Alberta cow's disease, but BSE is widely thought to be spread when the remains of an infected animal are used to make livestock feed.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com