Going to Canada
Import Ban Lifted
The USDA put restrictions on the import of ruminants from Canada such as deer and elk in May when a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE was confirmed in a domestic cow from a farm in northern Alberta. The restrictions were lifted August 8, when a scientific review of the risks associated with hunter-harvested, wild ruminants showed that it can be imported, with appropriate restrictions.
For detailed guidelines and to obtain the necessary import permit from the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, hunters can call 301-734-3277, or go to: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse.html.
BSE is a chronic degenerative disease affecting the central nervous systems of cattle. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service enforces import restrictions and conducts surveillance for BSE to ensure that this serious disease does not become established in the United States.
BSE is one of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. TSEs include such diseases as scrapie in sheep; bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle; chronic wasting disease in deer and elk; and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. All are diseases of the nervous system of the species they infect.
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