WASHINGTON — Cows older than 30 months may soon be rolling back across the border if the Bush Administration gets its way.

According to Associate Press, Washington officials said yesterday they plan on lifting the remaining trade restrictions on Canadian cattle, including older cows still banned by U.S. Agriculture as well as breeding stock.

The Americans first closed the border to all Canadian cattle for two years when an Alberta cow was diagnosed with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in May 2003. The U.S. then lifted the ban in July 2005 for animals under 30 months of age after winning a bitter court battle with American protectionist groups.

USDA has been saying for a year it hopes to list the remaining import restrictions, but subsequent mad cow cases in Alberta, B.C., and Manitoba, as well as further scraps with anti-trade groups like R-CALF USA — who claim older cows present a greater risk of mad cow — has so far delayed such a ruling.

Canadian cattle farmers, feedlots, and livestock trucking companies have been suffering for the last three years as the national herd has swelled since 2003 — although the number has been falling slowly since the ban was relaxed last year.

Blair Frache, who works in the livestock trailer sales industry, told local media a complete lifting of the beef ban means increased sales of livestock trailers and more trucking jobs.

The USDA plan will go through 60 days of public comment until March 1.

The U.S. imports about 12 percent of its beef. In 2005, Canada accounted for nearly a quarter of those imports, shipping about C$1.3 billion worth of beef and veal to U.S. markets.

— with files from Associate Press