Cattle ban could last for years (Canadian exports) | Globe and Mail

[Ediacara]

Cattle ban could last for years


Photo: Brendon Dlouhy/CP
A beef cow licks its nose in a
feedlot near Barrhead, Alta.,
in this December file photo.

By DENNIS BUECKERT
Canadian Press

Ottawa — It will likely take years rather than months to get countries to reopen their borders to Canadian beef in the wake of the mad cow scare, says an internal assessment by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The document, obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information law, offers a bleak assessment of prospects for reversing import bans imposed by the United States and many other countries.

Restrictions on beef exports "are unlikely to change very quickly (years rather than months) since an international consensus will be required to do this," it says.

More at the Globe and Mail