Good News for the Canadian Farmer!

U.S. group loses Canada beef ban bid

EDMONTON (CP) - An American ranchers' group has lost its bid for a permanent injunction to ban Canadian cattle and beef from coming into their country.

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association says in a news release that U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull rejected the request by R-CALF in a court in Billings, Mont.. The trade protectionist group wanted Cebull to scrap the U.S. Department of Agriculture rule that reopened the border to live cattle under 30 months old and boxed cuts of Canadian beef.

The case had been pending before Cebull since last July.

Cebull is the judge who issued a temporary injunction in March 2005 that delayed the reopening of the U.S. border to live cattle for four months over concerns there weren't enough safeguards to protect consumers from mad cow disease.

The appeals court overturned Cebull's injunction last July and shortly after trade in live cattle resumed.