GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP)--Many ranchers in cattle-rich western Nebraska concerned about bovine spongiform encephalopathy do not appear to favor opening the U.S. border to Canadian cattle, Rep. Tom Osborne, R-NE, said.

"I really didn't run across anyone who was in favor of opening the border on March 7," said Osborne, who met with constituents the last several days in the sprawling 3rd District. "It was almost unanimous."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is establishing final rules to begin restricted imports from Canada of live cattle.

The border with Canada has been closed to live cattle since May 2003 after a dairy cow there tested positive for BSE.

BSE eats holes in the brains of cattle. Food contaminated with BSE can afflict humans with a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is usually fatal.

The United States has allowed some processed Canadian beef into the country. But since it was announced that the USDA was going to reopen the border to live cattle, two more dairy cows from Canada have tested positive for BSE.

The latest sick cow was born after a 1997 feed ban in Canada removed the use of animal remains in feed, commonly believed to be the cause of the disease. That makes the third Canadian cow with BSE more serious than the others because the cause could be much more difficult to trace.

Osborne, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, said he supports slowing the process down and making sure Canada has implemented all safeguards.

Japan and more than 40 other countries banned U.S. beef after a dairy cow of Canadian origin tested positive for BSE in Washington state on Dec. 23, 2003.

Federal agriculture officials have argued that reopening Japan to U.S. beef exports will be easier once the United States opens its border with Canada, Osborne said.

But Nebraska cattle producers have expressed a different concern when it comes to Japan, Osborne said.

"A lot of cattlemen are saying that if Japan really has concerns about BSE and we are bringing in Canadian cattle, they will be more alarmed than ever about beef from the United States because how will they know that it's not beef that has come in from Canada," Osborne said.

The Senate Agriculture Committee plans to hold hearings on reopening the border with Canada early next month. Osborne said he wants the House Agriculture Committee to hold similar hearings.

Date: 1/24/05

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