【单选题】

MadCowDisease inCanada For years,Canada had been virtually free of mad cow disease.But in May 2003, veterinary officials inAlberta confirmed that a sick cow sent to a slaughterhouse in January of that year had been inspected, found to be substandard, and removed so that it would not end up as food for humans or other animals. The carcass was, however, sent to a processing plant for rendering into oils. Its head was kept for testing. Samples were sent to the world testing laboratories in the U. K. , which confirmed the case of mad cow. "What is important is that the system worked," said Shirley McClellan,Alberta’’s agriculture minister at the time. "We have a very thorough and respected inspection system." She was insistent to remind the public that the disease is not contagious within a her

D、But McClellan’’s assurances didn’’t stop the U. S. , Japan, South Korea,Australia and other countries from imposing temporary import bans ofCanadian beef. Quick Facts ●Canada has close to 13.5 million cows and calves. ●About 5.7 million (or 42 percent) are inAlbert
A、 ●Canada’’s total beef exports amount to $ 2.2 billion annually, and have risen sharply in recent years. ● Since 1991, beef exports have risen from 100,000 tons to about 500,000 tons. ● Growth in exports has been greatest to Japan, South Korea and Mexico. ●Alberta’’s share of total beef exports is 39 percent (worth about $ 860 million a year). In an investigation into the source of the infection, 1,400 cows were slaughtered and tested for the disease. No other cows were found to haveBSE、until lateDecember 2004. Western premiers demanded $ 360 million compensation from the federal government for losses to the beef industry because of the mad cow scare. Ottawa would later offer $190 million. Over the summer of 2003, cattle ranchers held barbeques acrossCanada to help pro moteCanadian beef. InAugust, the U. S. reopened its borders to someCanadian beef, but the border was still closed to live cattle.By this time, a cow that would have normally sold for $1,300 was selling for $15.Canadian beef producers asked Ottawa to approve a mass slaughter of 620, 000 cattle to reduce the size of the herd and prevent further damage to the industry. In October, it was reported that the border would reopen to live cattle inDecember 2003.But onDeC、23, 2003, the U. S. announced that it had discovered its first apparent case ofBSE、in a cow in Washington State. Several countries banned beef from the U. S. soon after the announcement, butCanada restricted imports only on some products made from cattle and other ruminants. It still allowed the import of cattle destined for immediate slaughter, boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age and dairy products.DN
A、evidence later revealed that the cow was born inCanada, and the U.S. kept its border shut to liveCanadian cattle. OnDeC、29, 2004, The USD
A、announced that it recognizedCanada as a "minimal--risk region" forBSE、and imports of youngCanadian cattle would resume March 7, 2005. The new classification means the U. S. will not again close its borders toCanadian beef unless there are two or more cases ofBSE、per one million cattle older than 24 months of age in each of four consecutive years. Simply put,Canada can have up to 11 cases ofBSE、and still be considered a safe country for cattle exports. The move came less than a month after U. S. President George W.Bush made his first official visit toCanada and said the process for reopening the border was underway. However, five days before the ban was to be lifted, a U. S..judge granted a temporary injunction to stop the reopening of the border. The ban came at the request of a group ofAmerican ranchers called R-CAI.F, who filed a lawsuit saying reopening the border would cause irreparable damage to the U. S. beef market. In June 2005, the U. S.Department ofAgriculture confirmed the country’’s second known case ofBSE, in