Ending Mad-Cow Skirmish

January 3, 2005 - From The Miami Herald
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OUR OPINION: DOWNGRADING RISK FROM CANADA BEEF A POSITIVE STEP

There were big sighs of relief on both sides of the border last week when the U.S. Agriculture Department announced that it was easing restrictions on cattle imports from Canada. The decision was the right one. It reflects an Agriculture Department finding that there is ''minimal risk'' from Canada's cattle and will help ease tensions between the United States and one of its largest trading partners...

Dozens of other countries also banned beef from Canada after the disease was found in the Canadian cow. Last month, President Bush set the policy change in motion after visiting with Prime Minister Paul Martin. Among other things, Mr. Martin talked about Canada's rigorous testing program. Last week, however, another Canadian cow, identified as a 10-year-old high-risk ''downer'' was being being tested for mad-cow disease.

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