timeline: North American BSE and Trade

2002 - U.S. imports more than a million head of cattle from Canada. Net imports of beef from Canada are 1,090,894 thousand pounds. The U.S. and Canada have long-standing BSE prevention measures in place and neither country has ever diagnosed a case of BSE in a domestic animal.

May 20, 2003 -- Canada announces first case of BSE in an eight-year-old beef cow in Alberta.

USDA places Canada under its BSE restriction guidelines and stops accepting any ruminants or ruminant products from Canada pending further investigation. U.S. dispatches a technical team to Canada to assist in the investigation.

June 26, 2003 - International review team completes analysis of Canadian cattle and beef production system and recommends changes.

July 18, 2003 -- Canadian officials announce that they are implementing additional safeguards to strengthen their BSE prevention and surveillance system after a single case of BSE.

August 8, 2003 - Agriculture Secretary Veneman announces that, after a thorough scientific analysis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin accepting applications for import permits for certain ruminant derived products from Canada. Age limits are set so that only beef products from younger cattle will be accepted.

September 2003 - U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that the compliance rate on the U.S. ruminant "feed ban" is near 100 percent for feed mills.

October 31, 2003 -- The USDA issues a proposed rule to amend its BSE regulations to establish a new category of regions that recognizes those that present a minimal risk of introducing BSE into the United States via the importation of certain low-risk live ruminants and ruminant products. Comment period slated to close January 5, 2004.

December 23, 2003 - USDA announces that it has diagnosed a case of BSE in an eight-year-old Washington state cow imported from Canada.

December 23, 2003 - December 31, 2003 - Fifty-three countries ban imports of U.S. beef.

December 30, 2003 - USDA announces comprehensive package of measures designed to strengthen animal health and human health BSE protections. They include a prohibition on the processing of non-ambulatory cattle in U.S. beef plants and a ban on the human consumption of specified risk materials from animals 30 months of age and older. Veneman also announces that an international review team will conduct an investigation of U.S. BSE prevention and surveillance systems.

February 13, 2004 - International review team completes review of U.S. BSE prevention and surveillance system and makes series of recommendations.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse_sec_adv_comm.pdf

March 4, 2004 - USDA reopens the comment period on the proposed rule to amend the regulations regarding the importation of animals and animal products from countries that have had isolated cases of BSE. The proposed rule would include Canada in a category of a minimal risk region.

March 15, 2004 - Agriculture Secretary Veneman announces expanded BSE surveillance program to start June 1, 2004. USDA aims to test as many as 300,000 higher risk cattle over next 12-18 months. Sampling program is designed to detect BSE with a 99 percent confidence rate if disease exists at a level of one in ten million. To date, no positive cases have been detected.

April 23, 2004 - R-CALF files complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, arguing that USDA violated Administrative Procedure Act by granting certain permits for Canadian beef imports.

May 4, 2004 - U.S. District Court Judge Cebull grants temporary restraining order blocking USDA expansion of list beef products eligible for import from Canada.

July 9, 2004 - Canada announces measures to strengthen feed controls.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/newcom/2004/20040709e.shtml

December 29, 2004 - USDA announces that, after conducting an extensive risk review, it is establishing conditions under which it will allow imports of live cattle under 30 months of age and certain other commodities from regions with effective bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prevention and detection measures.

December 30, 2004 - American Meat Institute (AMI) files lawsuit against USDA in U.S District Court for the District of Columbia requesting a preliminary injunction against continued enforcement of the May 2003 ban on imports of Canadian cattle 30 months of age and older, arguing that it is arbitrary and capricious. AMI does NOT challenge USDA's December 29, 2004 rule.

January 10, 2005 - R-CALF seeks declaratory and injunctive relieve against USDA's January 4, 2005, final rule, saying it poses a risk to U.S. cattle and to U.S. consumers.

February 2, 2005 - National Cattlemen's Beef Association releases findings of trade team mission to Canada and finds Canada in compliance with feed regulations.

http://www.beefusa.org/uDocs/acf985911.pdf

March 2, 2005 - U.S. District Court for District of Montana Judge Richard Cebull grants preliminary injunction to block USDA January 4, 2005, final rule.

March 2, 2005 - Canadian government review finds Canadian feed ban is effective in preventing BSE.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/newcom/2005/20050302e.shtml

March 4, 2005 - U.S. District Court Judge John Penn denies AMI's motion for preliminary injunction seeking to block continued enforcement of May 2003 ban on Canadian cattle and some beef products.

March 11, 2005 -- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit grants National Meat Association's (NMA) emergency motion that NMA be allowed to seek intervenor status in R-CALF v. USDA. Appellate court agrees to NMA's request that the matter be dealt with expeditiously.

March 17, 2005 - The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of USDA, filed a request with U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit asking that the court overturn the decision issued in the U.S. District Court in Montana that granted the preliminary injunction.

March 29, 2005 - Canada announces its cattle and beef producers will receive more than $300 million, including $14 million for the beef and dairy genetics sector, to help them deal with continuing cash flow pressures and to continue to implement a strategy to reshape the sector and reduce its dependence on live cattle exports.

April 21, 2005 - AMI, together with six other organizations, submitted an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in support of the USDA appeal to the 9th Circuit.