The first step for the three partners, to maintain highest safety standards while not interrupting trade, is to not close borders when the presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is below a certain threshold, the report argued.

"New cases of BSE (up to a certain point) are to be considered part of the normal situation in a country with a minimal risk of BSE," the April 15 report recommends. "It does not change that country’s BSE status, nor does it call into question the safety of the beef and the measures that are in place to control the disease."

The report added: "Given the integrated nature of the cattle industry in North America, it must be recognized that the Canada-US border is an arbitrary line that has little or no effect on the safety of the beef consumed in North America.

"In fact, the international team of scientific experts that examined the U.S. investigation of the Washington State BSE case concluded that the US case cannot be dismissed as an ‘imported’ case, and that both the Alberta and the Washington State cases must be recognized as being indigenous to North America."

The report urges Canada to continue its fight for trade based on rules and scientific standards. In September, Canada asked the OIE, the world animal health organization, for an internationally agreed-on, science-based response to BSE. The OIE replied that a standard exists but that countries do not follow it.