A ban on imports of Canadian cattle has been lifted by a U.S. federal appeals court. The ban was originally in effect to keep mad cow disease out of the country.
The ban took hold back in May of 2003 after a cow was found to have the disease. While the issue is still a concern to some, the imports are already starting.
The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturns a Montana judge who blocked the USDA from reopening the border in March, saying it “subjects the entire U.S. beef industry to potentially catastrophic damages” and “presents a genuine risk of death for U.S. consumers.” The justices said they would issue another ruling explaining their rationale.
The decision came a day after the Justice Department urged the appeals court in Seattle to reopen the border to imports. Justice Department attorney Mark Stern said lifting the ban is based on “good science” and would not result in the “infestation in American livestock.”
“USDA did not provide significant justification for overturning a long-standing policy that protected both the U.S. cattle herd and U.S. consumers from the introduction” of the disease, said Bill Bullard, executive director of the Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund.
A hearing was scheduled for July 27 in a Montana court to discuss the arguments of this case, but the new ruling will surely have an effect on that. R-CALF, the group who got the imports banned in the first place plans to take the case to the Supreme Court.
Chris is a staff writer for murdok. Visit murdok for the latest ebusiness news.
