CALGARY, Alberta – An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled last week that that Canadian cattle producers can sue the government to recover losses from a mad-cow disease scare in 2003.

Judge Joan Lax’s approval for a class action reportedly gives roughly 115,000 Canadian cattle producers leave to claim damages which could exceed $10 billion dollars.

The damages are reportedly related to losses incurred as a result of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, as dozens of countries banned Canadian cattle and beef, including a protracted 26-month ban from the U.S.

At one time, industry-wide losses were estimated at $7 billion. Other estimates say farmers lost an estimated $4 billion due to the bans.

The plaintiff alleges the Canadian government was negligent as a regulator of the cattle industry in Canada.

Source: Canwest News Service