Australia lifts 22-year ban on Canadian beef after herds declared free of 'mad cow disease'

The Australian market for Canadian beef has reopened after that country lifted a 22-year-old ban on Canada’s beef products, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).  

Australia  lifted a similar ban on U.S. beef imports last week, according to Reuters News Agency.  

Regaining access to the Australian market offers economic potential for Canadian farmers and processors, says the CFIA. “By opening access to premium markets like Australia, Canadian producers can increase exports, generating new revenue streams.”  

The door to the Australian market was closed in 2003, due to the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada. Commonly known as “mad cow disease,” BSE is fatal among beef herds and has been linked to Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, when consumed. That disease is also fatal, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control.

“The first North American BSE case was reported in 1993 in a cow imported into Canada from the UK,” says the CDC. It “may have been responsible for 19 additional Canadian BSE cases beginning in 2003.”  

Six BSE cases in cows in the United States were also identified back then. One was a Canadian import thought to have been infected in Canada, says the CDC. 

However, i n 2021, Canada was officially recognized by the World Organisation of Animal Health as having negligible risk for BSE.  

The Canadian Cattle Association celebrated the news. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the association said it “i s pleased to see Australia, one of the last remaining countries to have maintained bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) restrictions, complete their risk assessment and open their market for Canadian beef.”  

CCA President Tyler Fulton was quoted as saying: “Canadian beef farmers and ranchers are proud to produce the highest quality and safest beef in the world. As the demand for Canadian beef around the world continues to grow, we look forward to every new market opportunity.”  

“Canada is known around the world for producing top-quality beef,” says Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “Strengthening our trade ties with Australia—one of our key partners in the Indo-Pacific — means more opportunities for Canadian farmers and processors to grow their businesses, create good jobs, and build up our economy.”

As of 2024, says the CFIA, Canada ranked 8 th among global beef exporters. Canadian exports of agriculture and agri-food (not including fish and seafood) was $92.2 billion in 2024.   

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