Canadian Cows Headed for U.S.

Paperwork is all that prevents truckloads of Canadian cattle from rolling into the United States now that a federal appeals court has lifted a ban related to mad cow disease, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said Friday.

Both countries had been anticipating the ruling and may resume shipments next week, Johanns said.

“Our hope is that we’re talking about days and not weeks,” Johanns said. “But we do want to make sure everything’s in place.”

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday unanimously overturned a federal judge’s decision that had kept the border closed. That judge had ruled that consumers faced “a genuine risk of death” from Canadian cows.