Mexico banned Alberta cattle from crossing its border this week. Mexican officials say the move was because of the recent discovery of BSE in a six-year-old Albertan beef cow.

Mexico is not a major market for Canadian breeding stock, but Canadian producers are disappointed with the ban. This, according to Travis Toews, is not consistent with OIE guidelines.

“We’re very disappointed in their move here and we certainly expect the government of Canada to aggressively and quickly pursue a solution with Mexican officials,” Toews told the Reuters news agency.

Mexico did not ban imports of Canadian beef, although only shipments of meat from animals under 30 months can cross. Mexico is Canada’s second-largest export market for beef after the United States.