First U.S. beef since ban goes on sale at Costco
JAPAN - U.S. beef went on sale Wednesday for the first time since the lifting of a ban imposed in January over mad cow disease, officials from the stores selling the meat said. Inspectors Tuesday opened the way for sales of U.S. beef to resume in the...

USDA eases rules on bovine imports from Canada
CANADA - The U.S. Agriculture Department proposed on Wednesday to allow imports of Canadian poultry and pork processed at plants that also handle cattle, in a sign of declining fears of mad cow disease. USDA now requires that Canadian meat products...

Shipment of U.S. Beef Arrives in Japan
JAPAN - Japan imported its first shipment of American beef since January on Monday, resuming a once-booming business that has been crippled for nearly three years over fears of mad cow disease. The 5.1 tons of American chilled beef arrived on a cargo...

Value of BSE testing depends on purpose
US - Science may not argue for greater screening for mad cow disease, but that's not the whole picture. There's a big difference between science and marketing. Science is, well, scientific. Marketing sometimes involves science, but also large measures...

Japan's all-out ban on U.S. beef imports could lead to trade war: Johanns
US - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns warned Wednesday that Japan's possible all-out import ban on U.S. beef in case of another ineligible shipment from the United States would precipitate a bilateral trade war. Source: Mainichi

On The Farm: Mad cow disease can be prevented
US - As discussed in recent weeks, the United States is seriously threatened by potential occurrences of foreign animal diseases. Based on epidemiological studies, the state and federal animal health regulatory agencies have developed safeguards to...

US delays lifting partial Canadian cattle ban
US - It looks like a string of recent cases of BSE in Canadian cattle may have some consequences after all. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this weekend it was postponing the re-opening of the border to older Canadian cattle pending an...

New BSE test being studied
CANADA - An Edmonton-based company is hoping to have a new, inexpensive test for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, on the market within two years. Ron Arnold, of BSE Prion Solutions, said the urine test will be able to detect BSE, or so-called...

Japan Lifts Ban on U.S. Beef Imports
JAPAN - Japan on Thursday announced the resumption of U.S. beef imports, ending a ban imposed over concerns about mad cow disease and removing a strain in relations with Washington. The U.S. ambassador immediately welcomed the move, which reopens Japan's...

Japan to totally ban US beef if risk parts found: health minister
JAPAN - Japan would impose an all-out import ban on U.S. beef again if cow parts associated with high risks of mad cow disease infection are found in U.S. beef shipments, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Jiro Kawasaki said Thursday. Kawasaki showed...

US will test only 10% for BSE from August
US - The United States will scale down its nationwide testing program for mad cow disease to about one-tenth from as early as late August, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced Thursday. Source: Japan Times

Anti-BSE feed rules widened
US - Cattle tissues that could transmit mad-cow disease will no longer be allowed in pet foods, chicken feed and fertilizer under new federal rules announced Monday, June 26. Regulations on more types of animal feed are being tightened in an effort...

USDA Announces New BSE Surveillance Program
US - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon begin transitioning to an ongoing Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance program that corresponds to the extremely low prevalence...

US to significantly scale down BSE test program
US - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Thursday announced Washington's plan to scale down its surveillance program on mad cow disease, in late August at the earliest, to one tenth of the current size. Under the revised program, the U.S. Department...

Creekstone Asks For Summary Judgment In BSE Testing Case
US - Creekstone Farms, which is suing USDA to be allowed to test all of its cattle for presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, filed for summary judgment in Washington, D.C. Friday, and the company suggested that such universal testing might both...

Improved outlook for welfare in veal production
UK - The resumption of live cattle exports to mainland Europe in early May was widely welcomed by the UK farming industry. However, concerns were expressed by many animal welfare organisations over the prospect of young calves again being shipped across...

Japan spots banned beef products in shipment
JAPAN - Japanese customs officials have spotted banned beef products as part of turkey and ham shipment from the United States, the Agriculture Ministry said today. A box containing U.S. roast beef was spotted Monday as part of a shipment of more than...

USDA Secretary Comments On Alberta BSE Case
WASHINGTON - "Today, Canada announced a case of BSE in a 50 month old animal from Alberta. While the United States and Canada have a strong system in place to protect animal and human health, the diagnosis of BSE in an animal born roughly four...

Seventh case of BSE confirmed by federal officials
ALBERTA - A four-year-old Alberta cow died of mad cow disease, government officials have confirmed. The Edmonton-area farm where the cow died remains under quarantine as officials investigate whether the cow had any calves. The case marks the seventh...

Alberta Dairy Cow Having Additional BSE Testing
CANADA - Last week Canada confirmed a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. This week BSE is again popping up on the radar screen, with another potential case in Alberta. Preliminary screening testing of a 50-month old dairy cow could not rule out...