The cow that tested positive for mad cow disease in the western province of Alberta in May was 95 percent likely to have been born in Canada, a senior official said on Friday.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a summary of its investigation this week that "looked under every stone" in an attempt to ascertain the origin of Canada's single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a decade.

"According to this report, with approximately 95 percent confidence, we can say that this is a Canadian cow, born and raised in Canada," the CFIA's Claude Lavigne told CBC Television.

"The only problem is we can't absolutely prove it was born in this particular herd. So therefore, there still remains a small, small possibility it might come from the U.S."

Since Canada reported the one case on May 20, most of its major markets, including the United States and Japan, have banned imports of its cattle and beef, costing the industry C$550 million ($414 million) in the first month alone.

"It's entirely possible the contaminated meat and bone meal, if that's what caused it, came from either Canada or the US," Lavigne added.

Japan's agriculture minister is to meet his Canadian counterpart in Ottawa on July 12 to discuss lifting the ban.

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