A FRESH case of BSE or "mad cow" disease has been found in Canada.

The news comes two weeks after Australia relaxed laws on the importation of beef from BSE-affected countries including that country.

Last week, Agriculture Minister Tony Burke also ordered an import risk analysis on beef imported from countries other than New Zealand, in an attempt to reassure the public the meat would be safe.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said meat from the infected animal did not enter the human or animal food chain.

But the United Stockgrowers of America president Dr Max Thornsbury called on the US Government to tighten the import restrictions it had relaxed in 2007 as the infected animal was eligible to be exported to the US.

"Consumers should be telling their grocers they want the products in the meat counter labelled with country-of-origin information so they can decide whether to avoid products from countries with ongoing disease problems," Dr Thornsbury said.

Critics have repeatedly called for the same in Australia.

Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan said 40,000 cattle had been exported from Canada to the US this year.

"Because there's no live test for BSE and no reliable dead test, and it doesn't show up in animals under 30 months old. This a risk we're entitled to investigate," Senator Heffernan said. "They (the US) have a similar problem on the Mexican border."

Cattle Council president Greg Brown said Australia should be careful that the instigation of an IRA was not seen as protectionism.

"If we had (an instance of disease) and the US returned the favour, I don't know what we'd do with 300,000 tonnes of beef," Mr Brown said.

Mr Burke has moved to assure the US he had not instigated an IRA as a protectionist measure.

He told the US ambassador "there was always going to be a time delay while protocols (for importing beef) were developed".

"IRAs are the standard path by which you get something into Australia," Mr Burke told The Weekly Times.

Meanwhile, the Australian Beef Association has attacked Meat and Livestock Australia over its reporting of research projects and outcomes.