030745 USDA Praises Canada Mad Cow SafeguardsJuly 19, 2003Washington- U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman embraced Canada's new efforts to guard against mad cow disease, but did not outline any plans to ease a ban on imports of beef and cattle from Canada. "We appreciate that Canada is moving quickly to address these issues," Veneman said in a statement released to reporters after Canada said it was taking steps to prevent risky animal parts, such as brains and spinal cords, from entering the human food or animal feed chains. "We look forward to continued coordination among the United States, Canada and our other trading partners," she said. Veneman made no specific mention of the trade ban with Canada and a possible easing of it. On May 20, USDA stopped beef and cattle shipments from Canada after Ottawa confirmed one case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, in a slaughtered cow.
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