U.S. Does About-Face on Beef - 8/25 The Globe and Mail

8/28/2003 U.S. Does About-Face on Beef - 8/25 The Globe and Mail

But the boneless beef cuts, which are considered at low risk for mad cow disease, will initially be allowed in at a limited number of customs crossings and it was not clear when the first shipment would cross the border.

The United States Department of Agriculture, which initially said no permits would be issued until after Labour Day, said Monday the process is moving faster than anticipated.

"They will begin issuing permits for the low-risk products this week sometime," department spokeswoman Anna Cherry said from Washington.

"There's been no radical change, there's been no new information, no drama. It's just that the bumps got smoothed out a little bit faster in terms of setting up a process."

Getting the first truckload of beef into the U.S. will be a huge emotional boost for Canada's embattled beef industry.

"The sooner the cattle start moving, the happier everyone is going to be," said Neil Jahnke, president of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.

By late Monday, U.S. customs officers had not been told when to expect Canadian beef to roll across the border. But when it does, it will only be allowed through 25 border crossings during restricted hours — about one-quarter of the crossings from Canada.

"That will be expanded once we get all the inspectors to the level of understanding and expertise we feel is the safest level," said Sue Challis, spokeswoman for U.S. Customs.

"Right now we have limited agricultural inspectors on the northern border."

Canadian exporters have suffered more than $1-billion in losses since mad cow disease was confirmed in an Alberta black Angus breeder cow May 20. More than 30 countries immediately banned Canadian beef products.

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