The US Department of Agriculture is to appeal a court ruling delaying the resumption of US beef imports from Canada.
The USDA is asking the Court of Appeals to overturn a decision by the District Court in Montana that granted a preliminary injunction to delay the implementation of USDA’s minimal-risk regions rule, which would re-establish trade with Canada for beef products and live cattle under 30 months of age.
USDA’s rule is the product of a multi-year, deliberative, transparent and science-based process to ensure that human and animal health are fully protected, it said. “We remain confident that the requirements of the minimal-risk rule, in combination with the animal and public health measures already in place in the United States and Canada, provide the utmost protection to both US consumers and livestock,” the USDA said. It also remains fully confident in its underlying assessment, developed in accordance with international guidelines, which determined Canada to be a minimal-risk region.