Mexico Lifts Ban on Canadian Cattle

Mexico has lifted a two-month ban on live cattle imported from Alberta, says Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.

Mexico imposed the ban after Canada found its 14th case of mad cow disease in August, but trade in breeding cattle born after January 1999 has resumed, the Department of Agriculture said in a statement yesterday.

Mexico is not a major market for Canadian breeding cattle, but it is Canada's second largest export market for beef after the United States.

Canada found its first native-born case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, in 2003, sparking trade bans with major buyers.

The country has since introduced strict measures to prevent the disease from being spread through livestock feed, and has been deemed a "controlled risk" country by international animal health officials.

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