(Adds Canadian, trade group reaction in paragraphs 13-20) By Christopher Doering WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it would expand cattle trade with Canada and urged beef-importing nations to eliminate unnecessary barriers erected after the mad-cow scare earlier this decade. Under a rule to take effect on Nov. 19, the United States will accept imports of older cattle and all beef from Canada. U.S. Agriculture Department officials said the regulation reflected international consensus on mad-cow safeguards. "We expect our trading partners to follow the same science as we do on this," said John Clifford, USDA's chief veterinarian. The World Organization for Animal Health gave the United States and Canada a "controlled risk" status on May 22 for mad cow disease. U.S. and Canadian officials say the ranking shows their beef is safe and that trading partners such as Japan and South Korea should open their markets. Canada found its first home-grown case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, in May 2003, and has since reported nine additional cases. The first of three U.S. cases was found in December 2003. The United States has allowed imports of Canadian beef from young animals as well as live cattle under the age of 30 months since 2005. The new rule will allow imports of cattle and bison born on or before March 1, 1999, and meat from all animals. "It's safe to come in. The risk is extremely low," said Clifford. The rule also would allow blood and blood products derived from bovines, collected under certain conditions, and casings and part of the small intestine derived from bovines. Scientists say mad cow disease is spread through tainted feed. People can contract a human version of BSE by eating contaminated beef. The USDA projected about 75,000 head of older Canadian cattle would move to U.S. plants because of the rule, down from initial estimates of 610,000 cattle. Clifford said the reduction was made because it is difficult to prove the age of older cattle. "If you do look at the economic analysis and you look at the amount of cattle that this is going to entail it's such a drop in the bucket," said Karen Batra of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Canada and the United States employ similar safeguards against mad cow disease. Beef packers are required to remove at slaughter the brains, spinal cords and other nervous tissue most at risk of carrying the mad cow agent. Cattle parts are banned from use in making cattle feed, the so-called feed ban. More trade with the United States will help export-dependent Canadian ranchers recover from trade bans, said Brad Wildeman of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association. "Many times we've heard when we were over in Asia, 'Why are you over here asking us to open our markets when you haven't normalized the trade between the two of you?'" Wildeman said. Several U.S. groups said Canada's problem with mad cow disease needs to be cleared up before the United States allows older cattle into the country. Montana-based activist rancher group R-CALF USA, which failed to block Canadian cattle imports in a lawsuit, said Congress should intervene to keep Canadian cattle out. "I don't think we're going to have a whole lot of success, but we're going to try something," said R-CALF USA President Max Thornsberry. "USDA is a runaway agency and they are going to do what they want regardless of the consequences." (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Winnipeg)
