WASHINGTON - The US Senate on Thursday passed a resolution opposing the Department of Agriculture's move to reauthorize Canadian beef imports, which a federal court had blocked on Wednesday.
Democrat Kent Conrad of North Dakota voiced fierce opposition to reopening the border, citing fears that bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, could be brought into the United States.
"Why run this risk before we can be confident that Canada is enforcing its own regulations?" said Conrad, charging that Canada's regulatory measures for cattle and beef were insufficient.
Republican Pat Roberts of Kansas, however, called for the borders to be reopened, in the interest of free trade.
"I fear that this vote will send a negative message and will come back to haunt us for many years to come on agricultural trade issues," Roberts said.
The resolution passed by a 52-46 vote.
The United States had been scheduled to resume imports of Canadian cattle next Monday.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a statement that he was "very disappointed" with the senate vote.
The action "undermines US efforts to promote science-based regulations, complicates US negotiations to reopen foreign markets to US beef and would perpetuate the economic disruption of the beef and cattle industry," he said.
Johanns said he will work with the US House of Representatives "to prevent passage of this resolution, which is strongly opposed by the Bush Administration, and continue our aggressive efforts to reopen international markets to US beef."
A federal judge in the northwestern US state of Montana on Wednesday blocked the pending resumption of imports of Canadian beef after US cattle farmers petitioned over fears of mad cow disease.
Imports of Canadian beef have now been temporarily suspended while Judge Richard Cebull examines the complaint from R-CALF, the United Stockgrowers of America.
The complaint claims that the US Department of Agriculture has not taken enough precautions to reopen the US border to Canadian cattle under 30 months old.
Imports were suspended in May 2003 after a first case of mad cow disease was discovered in Canada.
03/03/2005 22:27 GMT