USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced changes to iimport regulations on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) designed to bring the US into line with existing international standards. Existing restrictions will be lifted on countries considered to have a "negligible risk" of BSE based on World Organization for Animal Health criteria.That could reopen the US to imports from the European Union, which have been restricted since 1998.