Animals Cross Canadian Border

July 22, 2005

    July 22, 2005 -- For the first time since May 2003, slaughter and feeder cattle, sheep and other animals from Canada can be imported into the United States.
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency worked closely over the last few days to issue standard operating procedures to field offices, along with an updated list of products approved to move between the two countries.
    Previously prohibited animals are now permitted to be imported from Canada via sealed transportation to go directly to slaughter or to a pre-approved feedlot and then slaughter.
    To ensure adherence to these requirements, the following regulations have been provided for sheep 12 months of age or less:

slaughter lambs can be imported via a sealed truck;
each feeder animal shall be individually identified by an official Canadian eartag;
feeder sheep may be moved to only one designated feedlot; and
feeder sheep must be slaughtered at less than 12 months of age.

    Lamb carcasses and other lamb products may also be imported at this time.
    The rule does not apply to the importation of breeding sheep, transit of sheep through the United States or the importation of sheep to any location except to a single feedlot or directly to slaughter.
    ?We hear little to no reaction from the industry regarding renewed lamb shipments from Canada since imports peaked at just over 100,000 head annually prior to the ban,? according to Peter Orwick, executive director for the American Sheep Industry Association. ?Sheep meat from New Zealand into the United States was down 30 percent in the first quarter of 2005. Therefore, industry projections continue to show a tight supply of lamb this year, as is evident by active forward-contracting of fall-delivery feeder lambs at record-high prices this spring, continuing into the summer.?
    For complete details and protocols, the final rule can be viewed online at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/04-28593.htm.
Staff contact: Peter Orwick, 303-771-3500

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